"YOU CLASSY, HUH?" EXAMINING WHAT IT TRULY
MEANS TO BE A LADY!  

By Kendra Koger

I don’t know about everyone else, but it seems to me that there has recently been such a loose usage of words like “classy,” and “lady” in our society.  While watching TV there is usually a gaggle of women who not only discuss their classiness with quotes like “I’m a classy azz bXXtch…” -Catya Washington of Bad Girls Club but defend it, like my favorite quote, “I am a Fxxking lady…” courtesy of London Charles, aka Deelishis, from Flavor of Love 2.  The debate is so prominent now that you can find women in stores, on the street, or in classrooms spouting out about how “classy” they are.

My husband once told me about a time he took his grandmother grocery shopping and they ran into his old friend, Theresa.* (The name has been changed to protect the ignorant.)  She and her three year old daughter were in the checkout lane when she saw a girl that she had been beefing with.  The argument covered a myriad of topics, including ugliness, stupidity and promiscuity.  When the topic of “hoe-ness” was discussed Theresa adamantly exclaimed, “Whatever, b—-, I’m classy!  You’re the one who…” and before she could finish her sentence Theresa, her daughter, and other innocent bystanders promptly got a face full of pepper spray, courtesy of the girl she was arguing with.  While her eyes were burning with pepper spray, Theresa blindly swung her fists in the girl’s direction, not checking on her daughter or anything.  Classiness at its finest, I suppose.

It makes me wonder, what institutes a woman into having class? Is it dependent on socio-economic factors, like how much money you have in the bank, or having expensive (or expensive looking) things? When these topics of class break out, there seems to be an accompaniment of revealing the names of designers that the woman in question is wearing or how much she spent on such objects.  Bragging about “red bottoms” and Gucci paraphernalia seems to come with the territory of identifying class these days.  Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy your favorite designers if you have the money.  Just know that buying them doesn’t mean that you’re buying class.  You’re just buying material objects.  A woman who has a large wardrobe, full of things made by Chanel, Fendi, and Gucci, could be the same woman who abandons her children, or leaves the grandmother to raise them for her while she’s out in the streets.  Is that class?  Paris Hilton has millions of dollars and is able to afford all the top designers; but honestly, is she typically regarded as a woman who has class?

When I think of classy women my mind immediately goes to women like Dorothy Dandridge and Eartha Kitt.  Classiness wasn’t defined by what they had, but by persevering through tumultuous times with a level of grace and elegance. Their behavior was an indicator of maturity and inner strength. A woman who used to walk away from a fight was considered the classy one by society’s standards.  But now, we have women who are trying to show class by yelling the words “lady” and “classy” as a battle cry to all who will listen, before they pounce on the offending lady/ladies.
But hey, maybe that’s just me.

But what do you think, readers?  Are women using these terms too loosely?

This topic is so on point Kendra. Check out what we have to say in
Classy Come Back: How to be a LADY in a rachet society! 
 IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER BOOK, ITS A MOVEMENT! 

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Kendra Koger is a writer, blogger, freelance book editor, and all around life enthusiast.  You can follower her on twitter @kkogerwww.madameniore.com