How to Be a Lady Revised and Updated: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy (Gentlemanners)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. HOW TO BE A LadyA CONTEMPORARY GUIDE TO COMMON COURTESYBy CANDACE SIMPSON-GILESThomas NelsonCopyright © 2012 Candace Simpson-GilesAll right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4016-0459-2ContentsIntroduction..................................................ixChapter One A Lady Experiences Real Life......................1Chapter Two A Lady Gets Dressed...............................25Chapter Three A Lady Goes to Dinner...........................43Chapter Four A Lady Says the Right Thing......................59Chapter Five A Lady Gives a Party.............................75Chapter Six A Lady Goes to a Party............................91Chapter Seven A Lady and Her Friends..........................105Chapter Eight A Lady Goes to the Office.......................127Chapter Nine A Lady Takes Care of Herself.....................153Chapter Ten Extreme Etiquette.................................167Index.........................................................176Chapter OneA LADY EXPERIENCES REAL LIFE A lady is always on her toes; she realizes that every encounter makes lasting impressions. * * * A lady knows how to make others feel at ease. * * * A lady is gracious and thankful for any gesture of common courtesy directed toward her. * * * When a lady is asked to be a bridesmaid, she accepts the request as an honor. If she does not particularly like the dress, she keeps this to herself. A lady does not use her camera phone in ways that intrude upon the privacy of others. * * * A lady understands that if the taking of photographs is prohibited at any concert or other performances or in an art gallery that also means camera-phone pictures or videos. * * * A lady doesn't ask dating couples when they are getting married. Likewise, she doesn't ask married couples when or if they are planning to have children. * * * A lady never compliments one person when she is in a group setting. She chooses a moment when the two of them are alone to offer her compliment. A lady knows how to prioritize her life in order to make herself available to family, friends, career, and other important considerations in her life. She also knows when she is feeling stretched too thin and how to pull back and sort out her priorities. * * * A lady respects other people's time whether at the office or at home. A Lady and Her Cell Phone Although a cell phone is probably the most visible and commonplace tool for communication in today's world, a lady does her best to use her cell phone in the most unobtrusive manner possible. She knows that, while a cell phone may be a necessity, there is no reason she should forget she is a lady when using one. A lady is very careful not to place greater importance on the person on the other end of her telephone conversation than the people in her immediate company. That means that, if she is on the telephone when she pulls up at the dry cleaners, she finishes her conversation in the car and does not attempt to conduct her transaction and carry on a conversation at the same time. That also means that, unless there is an extreme emergency, a lady does not interrupt a personal conversation over lunch to take a phone call. A lady's telephone conversations, whether business or private, are still personal. She knows that others in her immediate vicinity do not want to hear her close a deal or recount the details of a television show. A lady knows that other people are no more interested in hearing her private conversations than she is in hearing theirs. If a lady must make or receive a phone call while she is in a public place, she moves to a spot where she will cause the least possible disturbance. A lady never asks friends who are professionals, such as lawyers or doctors, for free advice in their area of specialty. She makes an appointment to see them at their office and fully expects to pay for the services they provide. Should the friends offer their services for free or f