The Advantages of Dressing Like a Lady

Guest Blog by Sarah Halbur, Written 05/04/06

This past weekend, my family and I attended an event in Chicago. It was a “dressy” occasion, as it included a Sunday Mass and reception to follow. So my family and I all dressed up – for the girls, nice dresses and hair-dos; for the boys, matching blue pants, shirts, and ties.

For our family, this is normal Sunday wear. We always dress up for Sunday Mass – so we didn’t think anything special of this Sunday’s attire.

But apparently, other people did – in a nice way. Some made a point of telling our family how nice we looked. One lady even went on to tell my mom, my sisters, and myself how refreshed she was that “none of our bellies were showing.”

Then I looked around. Other people were dressed nice…I guess. But everyone looked the same – black slacks held the floor. The few ladies who wore a skirt or a dress looked so refreshing, so pretty. I appreciated their attire. Now I could better understand why others appreciated our attire. It was unique.

That evening, our family visited the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. In the olden days, people would dress up to go to town, or just to go out. Not any more. Here I didn’t even pay attention to what people were wearing…the lizard exhibit was too intriguing…or…um…the clothes just weren’t.

Closing time drew near and we made our way to the door. The lizard exhibit was intriguing, and we had had a nice time. I noticed a group of young adults by the exit and could tell by their laughter that they, too, had had a fun time.

As my mom, my sisters and I approached the doors; two young men turned and acknowledged us. But it was here that I got my real surprise. The young men held the doors for us. Yes…let me repeat…they held the doors for us. And no, they weren’t even workers…just ordinary men simply doing an act of kindness for a few ladies, whom they did not know. Chivalry is not dead!

You see, I have made a discovery. In the olden days, it was customary for a gentleman to hold a door for a lady because this was one way a man would show his respect for the Dignity of Womanhood.

Why don’t most men hold doors anymore? Because ladies don’t want them too, or at least it appears that way, for two reasons:

1. Because of the “do it myself” attitude that so many women exude.
2. Because when women stopped dressing and acting with dignity, man stopped treating her with dignity.

I am truly honored whenever a gentleman holds a door for me. It is an act of chivalry I won’t forget.

So ladies…let’s step up to the call, shall we? Let’s become real ladies and they’ll become real gentlemen. It’s an honor!