Day Twenty Three: Refined

I am a classy girl.

Those of you who know me also know that I am a little bit of a goofball. I love zombie movies and fart jokes as much as the next person. But I am actually a very classy young woman and I have been told so on many occasions.

Despite what Madison and Taylor think, being classy has less to do with manners and more to do with attitude. (I consider them both to be very classy people.) If our classiness was determined by how well we could set the table when the Pope drops by for a visit, then the classiest people would be those women who spend all day memorizing the Miss Manners Handbook. Which is not to say that these people are not classy, but rather that their classiness probably stems from something more than the ability to properly iron and fold a shirt.

Personally, I think that my class comes from my ability to communicate with people. I can clearly and concisely explain complex ideas; I can portray myself as a diligent and intelligent human being without getting steak sauce on my dress. Really I think all it comes down to is treating other people well and having a vast understanding of the many ways you can make yourself look poised in stressful situations.  

People who are unclassy are easy to recognize. They’re the people who are rude to the girl at the fast food window. They’re the person who screams at other people in their cars. They’re the person who gets angry too easily and lets it show. People who are unclassy are to be avoided at all costs, because telling them that they aren’t being classy won’t help them or you. We all have our moments, but it’s pretty easy to tell who is really a dick.

For those of you who wonder about the classical origins of classiness, I did spend five years in cotillion. (Lady classes, for those of you who don’t know what cotillion is.)

 I don’t remember the fancy dances or all the ways you fold your napkin or what it means when I hold my fan over my head and bat my eyes at you, but I do remember the first rule of being a real lady:

“Real ladies never bend, they squat.” ~My cotillion teacher.

And honestly, what else do you need to know?

Challenge to my readers:

Be classy today. Hold a door open for someone. Pull out your friend’s chair at coffee. Let someone ahead of you in the line in the grocery store. Being classy is all about attitude; once you’ve been classy, never brag.