{thoughts on // feeling ladylike}

I grew up in a family of mostly girls. We only had one brother, and we grew up more like tomboys than girly-girls. Maybe it was because we felt we had to be brothers for Si, or maybe it was just the adventurous lifestyle we lived. Either way, I'm thankful I was raised in a family like that.
But what does that have to do with feeling ladylike? I mean, tomboys aren't often known for being ladylike.

I suppose we didn't realize it at the time, but our mom was also raising us to be ladies. I think Mom taught us a lot of things this way {I call it subconsciously}. Things like cooking and cleaning, how to take care of a home, and how to be a lady. I hope I do this whole subconscious teaching thing as well as she did.

Anyway, I got to thinking about what really makes me feel ladylike the other day, and I thought it might be an interesting post and maybe something in it will inspire someone somewhere to try to be a little more ladylike. I think that being ladylike and feeling ladylike are two different things. You can act and talk like a lady all day long, but if you don't feel like doing it, it kind of takes the joy and fun out of being ladylike.

Here are some things that make me feel more ladylike:

{wearing nylons}
I remember when my older sister went to college she came home saying how much she hated to wear nylons because it was required for girls to wear them almost every day. I never went to college and therefore I guess I never acquired that hatred for them. Now, if I have a really nice pair to wear on Sundays, I don't want to take them off all day long. I guess I like them because it reminds me of the 40's, when it was normal to wear them often. And I don't know about the rest of you ladies, but any time from the 30's-50's makes me think ladylike.

{filing my fingernails}
So I suppose everyone does this, but I never filed my nails until I moved away from home. I don't even wear my nails long, but I still feel more ladylike if the edges of my nails look smooth instead of jagged.  

{dressing nice every day}
It took me a while to start doing this. But I'm glad I did! I feel like I don't ever have to worry about what I'm wearing should someone decide to drop in unexpectedly, and I also feel like I always look nice for my husband. It's not as hard as I thought, either. If I decide to wear a plain t-shirt I just pair it with a nicer skirt. Most days I just wear a jean or tan skirt with a blouse or "fancy" t-shirt, like today.

{crossing my legs at the ankles}
Did you know that this is actually the proper way to cross your legs? I'm always reminded of that when I sit that way. Sometimes I do sit with my legs crossed at my knees but then they usually fall asleep.

{minding my manners}
It is really sad but I feel like there are so many times that I don't mind my manners. I end up looking back and feeling almost ashamed. I feel like I let my mom down, crazy as it seems. It's just sadly easy for me to forget certain rules of etiquette.

{dressing modestly}
I think this is one of the most important parts of feeling and even acting like a lady. A true lady never exposes herself indecently, and I try to do the same. This includes mainly wearing an undershirt almost every day, and I really don't like wearing undershirts that much. But undershirts keep me modest, and therefore help me feel more like a lady.

{doing my hair} 
I simply feel much less sloppy if my hair is pulled away from my face.


I guess that's all I have to offer. Being a lady is becoming a lost art, I think, and it's up to us to revive it. Feeling like ladies may just be the first step.