Emily Vann (emibvann@mars.utm.edu) from 192.239.156.36 at 09/27/98 06:47PM
comment
    The term "southern lady" doesn't apply to a certin class. In my mind, a lady is any woman who carries herself with dignity and holds herself to a higher standard. Anyone can be a lady, you just have to want to be. No one is born into this position, it is one that must be earned. Southern women have always been considered "ladies" because they were belived to be subserviant. This term does not apply to ladies, no matter their geographic location. Southern ladies were not china dolls that were set on the shelf until a dinner party. These women were strong, determined people. They were the ones that held their households together. These women don't get recognition for this work because, at the time, it was not unusual. All the things the women did were requirements of being a good wife, woman, and citizen. In my opnion, being a southern "lady" was one of the most honorable positions a woman could aspire to.