By Charlene M. Brown
In a time past, young girls were taught how to be Young Ladies by their mothers, aunts, grandmothers and female relatives, who were taught the same thing by their mothers, and so on.
Part of this indoctrination included tidbits of motherly wisdom regarding how a Lady acts or behaves during such and such event or situation, things a Lady does (and never does) in public, and that a Proper Lady is always seeking, then holding on to, a man, though she never appears to be doing either.
Fast-forward to Now. True, some of us are still taught how to be a Lady, but times have definitely changed and these fast-changing times often call for a shift in Rules.
While the Rules of Being a Lady aren’t all that different, Ladyship is not the only way you can be a “True Woman.” The definition of what it means to be a Woman has changed significantly!
First of all, we as women are more and more speaking up for ourselves in bold and progressive ways and making sure our needs are met of our own accord. Not so many of us are even that concerned with being Lady-like anymore (“speaking softly”, “walking delicately”).
This is a drastic shift in the Ways of the Lady and is very different than being raised only to find a husband who would take great care of us.
Secondly, women nowadays excel in education and careers and take dynamic care of their families, sometimes all three in one. Gone are the days of education and ambition being muted to the bellows of Man.
More and more, we find that not only do women think and excel, but they are doing so faster than the boys can catch up!
My mom once gave me a book of true short stories about women (which I no remote idea of what it is called!). My first question to her was if she thought I was a lesbian, as this seemed to be a commonality running through many of the stories. We got a good laugh and I kept reading.
At the time I read it, I was struggling to define myself as a woman. The point of the book, then, was not to define my sexuality, but, in the universal mother’s wisdom, was her way of showing me that I have always created my own path and to ask what was stopping me on my own journey to Womanhood. The only answer was ME: I was the only person standing in my path! My mother was smart enough not to say this directly, but to let me find my own way.
But that’s what it has always been about, hasn’t it? Finding your own way?
For me, it was never about how much of a “Lady” could I be, but more about creating my own definition of what a Lady was. This is what I discovered: if I want to be a “Lady”, then a Lady is whoever I AM at any given point in time; it is the Essence of my being a WOMAN!
I bet you can think of at least five examples of women who have shifted boundaries and created their own set of rules.
Guess what!? You can be one of those examples!
Don’t worry about all the outside influences that tell you what or how you should be. Just be you. Let me say that again: JUST BE YOU!! You are as much of a “Lady” as is perfect for you. You don’t have to be anyone but your Wonderful Woman Self! You Are Enough!! (exactly as you are, Right Now!)
“Well-behaved women rarely make history.” ~Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Do You Love Your Woman-Life Now!? I Do!!
Related posts:
- How to Be “A Lady:” Her Shifting Ways, Part II
- Perspective: Shifting Your Gaze!
- Googling the Renaissance: Real Women and Feminism!
- Charlie’s Angels, Kept Women, and Buying Your Own Drinks
- Do Unto Others
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© 2009 You Can Love Your Life Now!
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