The Art of Being Ladylike

Growing up, I can't tell you how many times my dad would say, "That's not very lady-like" or "Tori, are you acting ladylike?" I was a bit of a sassy pants and so this really was a regular occurrence. I definitely don't come from a hoity-toity, prim and proper family, but it was always important to my parents that not only was I polite, but that I acted like a lady.
Today, I sometimes wonder if the general population has ever even heard the term "lady-like." We live in a day when many women drop the f-bomb every other word and are constantly saying, "Well if I were a guy this wouldn't be a big deal..." I don't want to say especially with celebrities, but since their lives are on public display, this is where we see it often.
There has always been a double standard, since the beginning of time! When I was little, if I said "fart" I was told "girls say toot, it's more lady-like." Meanwhile, my dad was telling my little brother to pull his finger... This was about as far as the double standard went in our house though, we were all held to pretty much the same, high standards.
Every day we hear about a female public figure trying to shock and awe more than her male counterparts. This downhill slope just keeps getting steeper. It's a continuous battle of which sex can be more lewd, crude, and raunchy, trying to even out the double standard. Why can't it be the other way around? Instead of women trying to lower themselves to meet that standard, let's have our men raise their standards to those of a gentleman.
Why does being a feminist mean acting more like a man? Shouldn't it really be the opposite? Shouldn't we be celebrating our feminine qualities? Yes, I think women and men should be treated equal in the workplace, in the home, in every aspect of life. Equal doesn't necessarily mean the same though. Honestly, a women should get treated better for the mere fact that she's a lady. We too often put away our feminine qualities for fear that they'll be looked at as a hinderance in the work place. Women need to show that our feminine qualities do not hinder our ability but in reality they can be one of our greatest assets.
We once lived in a world where it was unacceptable for a man to swear in front of a lady. In other words, we once lived in a world where men had so much respect for women, they even changed the way the spoke, just to be polite. To me that shows power, not weakness. Being feminine doesn't have to be synonymous with being weak. We should be the ones that demand respect simply for being a woman, for being lady-like.
Women can't demand respect from others when they don't respect themselves though. Let's teach our daughters that they need to act in a way that commands a certain level of respect. They need to love themselves for what they are, and they need to KNOW that what they are is AMAZING! We need to tell them everyday that they are beautiful, smart, talented, brilliant, special, loved, kind, thoughtful, strong, and so many other things. We shape them everyday, so help them know they can be anything if they love and respect themselves.
Let's be women of class, women of grace, and women of power. We can have it all, that is how we were designed!