Saturday, August 28, 2010

Southern Gentleman


I saw this article on another blog and just LOVED it.  I can't tell you how many times I've said this same thing.


Ways to Charm Her
Southern Living, July 2009
By Amy Bickers
“Want to impress a Southern girl? Just think “What would my grandfather have done?”

Number one: We still expect you to give up your seat for a lady. On a bus, at a bar, on a train. . . we don’t care where you are. Unless you are at a restaurant and the only lady in sight is the one taking your order, stand up.

We still expect you to…

  1. Stand up for a lady. Actually, this doesn’t just involve chairs.
  2. Know that the SEC has the best football TEAMS IN THE NATION. Big 12 fan? Hmm, perhaps you should keep walking.
  3. Kill bugs. Delta Burke as Southern belle Suzanne Sugarbaker on Designing Women said, “. . .Ya know, when men use Women’s Liberation as an excuse not to kill bugs for you. Oh, I just hate that! I don’t care what anybody says, I think the man should have to kill the bug!”
  4. Hold doors open.  This goes for elevator doors too.
  5. Fix things or build stuff. I once watched in awe as my stepfather built a front porch on the house he shares with my mother. He knew just what to do, cutting every notch, hammering every nail. The project was complete by sunset.
  6. Wear boots occasionally. Not the fancy, l-paid-$l,000-for-these kind. We’re talking about slightly mud-crusted, I-could-have-just-come-in-from-the-field boots.
  7. Take off your hat inside.
  8. Grill stuff.
  9. Call us. If you want to ask us out, don’t text and don’t e-mail. Pick up the phone and use your voice.
  10. Stand when we come back to the dinner table. ”Just a little half-stand is enough to make me melt,” my friend Stephanie says.
  11. Pull out chairs. Wait, that’s not all. Scoot them back in before we hit the floor.
  12. Pay the tab on the first few dates. ”If you ask me out, you pay,” Stephanie says. “If I ask you out, you should still pay.” Listen, guys, it’s just simpler this way.
  13. Don’t show up in a wrinkled, untucked shirt. Care about your appearance but not too much. Don’t smell better than we do. Don’t use mousse or gel. You shouldn’t look like you spend more time in front of the mirror than we do.
We’ll leave the long list to the girl who falls in love with you.

This is so true.  LOVE IT!!

4 comments:

Monica said...

I am a Southern girl, and my Northern husband has adjusted well! ha! Love this!!

Jamie Lynn said...

I like the one about the boots:)
Any boy that dresses country catches my eye:)
& I love the picture<3

Jules said...

I'm a Northern girl who married a Southern boy. :o) I love it when he opens my the car door for me. He still does it, but not as often as when we were dating. I may email him your post. :o)

Holly said...

I wish all guys could be gentlemen again!