Charm School
Last weekend we celebrated Easter with a family dinner. Anytime I’ve set my dining room table for a special meal and placed the napkin and silverware on either side of the plate, I’ve secretly questioned the direction of my knife…haha. Even though I know I was right, I still questioned myself. For the most part, my guests wouldn’t even blink an eye, or care for that matter.
In my adolescence years, my Mom enrolled both my sister and I into the Wendy Ward Charm School in hopes of teaching us all we needed to know about manners and social graces. In those early days after we graduated, my Mom would often refer to the school and lessons if she questioned how we completed a task she was sure we were taught during class. She’d say something like, “Didn’t you learn how to do that in Charm School?” My sister and I wondered how it would be possible for us to know everything about social graces … haha. Once a week we would attend school, learning all things about walking and sitting with good posture, addressing people, painting our nails, and basically conducting ourselves like ladies.
When researching Charm School for this post, in addition to the tasks listed above it also taught about being unique and taking pride in our individuality and what made us special. Some of the teachings were outdated, but some were forward thinking as well. However, I also read about the feminine appeal and making boys feel like you were impressed by them … UGH! One of the excerpts stated, “No man likes a dodo!” WHAT?
The handbook also taught girls how to talk to boys, rules for losing weight (they referred to girls as dumplings), and rules for gaining (they referred to these girls as string beans). There was a section on setting a table, how to speak in a pleasant tone, the proper way to sit in a chair and on the floor, doing your hair, as well as covering up big ears. The last bit of advice was about dating and the text read in all caps: “DON’T DIE AND DON’T GO STEADY, EITHER ONE WILL TAKE YOU OUT OF CIRCULATION.”
I had to laugh out loud at some of the information I found during my research. It was absurd. Women have certainly come a long way, even though we still have a ways to go. Although, I do believe in good manners and being polite, I also believe in authenticity.
I’m not sure how much the Wendy Ward Charm School influenced my life. I look back on the experience with a smile and a thankful heart my Mom wanted her girls to be well-mannered. I must admit, my casual Easter table setting wasn’t proper. My silverware all went on one side even though my knife direction was correct — pointing inward….Haha. Plus my wine glasses and water glasses were flipped, but I’m pretty sure no one noticed. As a side note, my Dad made sure both my brothers were well-mannered too. “A charming woman… doesn’t follow the crowd. She is herself,” - Loretta Young. Who remembers the Wendy Ward Charm School?
xoxox…..Sheryl
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