A Lady

In today's society with declining morals, fallen role models, reality TV and a depressed economy, it's getting harder and harder to find a good role model of a modern lady.  The old definitions don't seem to fit anymore.  So what is a lady today?  I threw this out with some of my female friends lately and we were stumped.  None of us had really given it much thought and we were hard pressed to find someone that we could all agree on.  Names were bandied about - Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, but when we tried to come up with a modern day version that's when things slowed down.  Despite giving this some thought I'm no further ahead, but here are a few of our observations on the type of personal characteristics we've admired in others.

Image Source - Domino Magazine

SHE IS A LADY.  Elegant, chic, sophisticated.  Well dressed in a classic style.  A well maintained wardrobe of classic, good quality clothing.  Fully groomed from hair to shoes.  Clean and fresh with a soft scent that isn’t overpowering.  Always appropriately dressed for whatever the occasion may be.  She has excellent taste with a sense of refinement.  Classy sexy.  She never wears or does anything boring or dull. 

Graceful, she seems to glide when she walks with her head up - never in a hurry.  Time seems to move around her.  She carries herself with good posture at all times - sitting, walking, standing. 

Comfortable with herself and who she is, she's not afraid to be alone.

She's well read and reads all types of books regularly.  She's well versed in the day's events.

Intelligent with a relaxed and calm demeanor.  Professional and confident in her abilities and not easily intimidated.  She's flirty in a subtle intelligent way with a gentle teasing manner.  She's kind and compassionate when needed, considerate of others feelings.  She has a beautiful smile which she displays frequently to others.  Feminine, but strong.

She's toned and slender. Has a relaxed comfortable morning routine so she's not rushed in the morning.  Graceful in everything she does. 

She's a good cook on weekends, but sticks to healthy low fat fresh foods during the week.  Drinks plenty of water and always drinks from a glass whenever possible.  She never drinks to access, doesn't smoke or partake in drugs.

She's a good mother who treats her children with respect and insists they follow in kind to herself and others.  She's aware of the niceties of society and the proper etiquette of the day.  She refuses to do anything that she's not comfortable with.

She's knowledgeable about books, music, social events, world events, history, the classics with a wide range of personal interests. 

She has hobbies - such as photography, cooking, painting, reading, writing, etc. 

She's well traveled, collecting souvenirs wherever she goes. 

She keeps a clean organized tastefully decorated home, but isn't too concerned if things aren't perfect. She's organized and keeps clutter under control.  She maintains herself, her ideals and her home, relationships, etc. with dignity and respect.

She listens to others when they talk, doesn't interrupt and then only takes away from it what she feels is relevant.  She discards the rest and refuses to dwell on it.  She knows how to keep her mouth shut if she feels it isn't beneficial to others, but will speak her mind and tell the truth if asked for her opinions.  She refuses to gossip or cricitize others as much as possible.  She never rushes through anything if possible. 

She's not vain and will wear reading glasses, comfortable shoes when needed.  She looks good even taking out the trash.

She sticks to her budget and pays bills on time whenever possible.  She doesn't allow credit cards to get out of control, but never allows a good deal to pass her by when it 's right.  She refuses to spend money on anything that doesn't fit her life's values.

No swearing at all and refuses to yell unless absolutely necessary.  She doesn't like confrontation unless she feels it's beneficial to clear the air for all concerned.  She respects her elders and treats everyone with the dignity they deserve. 

She speaks clearly and precisely.

In conclusion - WOW – I think we have our work cut out for us. 

The end result was that we realized in order to be this person we'd have to have a ton of money, help, self control, self respect, great physical looks and a team of professionals to help us out.  Otherwise, we'd need to work so hard to maintain this life that we'd never have time for our families, work, sleep and everything else that sucks up so much of our time.  So in conclusion we all agreed that we've been way too hard on ourselves and should cut our imperfect lives some slack.  In the same breath we also all admitted that we could all afford to pull up our socks a little in a few areas.