Where Have All the Ladies Gone?

     Lately I’ve been wondering whatever happened to genteel breeding and refinement?

     So many of the younger generation act, dress, and speak as though these qualities are a foreign language. If you have followed the postings of a few twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings on Facebook (or other social websites) for a few weeks, perhaps you have wondered too.

     I remember when young women comported themselves as ladies. It was a time when no self-respecting person would use the crude language in a public setting that is so prevalent among the younger generations today. It was a time when a young woman spoke and dressed like a lady. Her spoken and written language was devoid of the foul language that abounds today among the young people. Her clothing was demure, keeping her body private instead of wearing such skimpy apparel that very little was left to the imagination. Many young women today go out in public looking more like streetwalkers than ladies.

     I find I am often amazed at the way people show themselves in public. It is common to observe young women with very low necklines revealing much of their bosoms to the public. Many wear clothing so tight it looks like they have been melted like wax and poured into their clothing which adheres to every curve and cranny. It is quite prevalent to see young women who appear to make no attempt to hide bra straps under skimpy blouses and who wear cropped tops and hip hugger pants that reveal a lot of their torsos. There is little or no modesty shown in their apparel.

     Do you remember a time not so many years ago when pregnant women wore loosely-fitting clothing? Today I often see pregnant women wearing tight form-fitting tee shirts that accentuate their pregnant belly. I’m not sure whether they are announcing to the world that they can actually produce offspring or if they think others will find them sexy. Such flaunting of the pregnant body convinces few people that they have good taste in their personal appearance.

     It seems that good manners and good breeding have been neglected for several years now. It is blatantly apparent every time one ventures into public areas. I long to see young women who show they respect themselves by dressing with modesty and who show they are intelligent by choosing clean, decent words to communicate their thoughts. Anyone can dress like a streetwalker and talk gutter talk, but it takes a real lady to exhibit elegance and refinement in how she presents herself to the public day by day.

     I think being a lady in word and deed is a worthy goal for any woman. I encourage young women to transform themselves into real ladies.