Living in South Carolina I see so many monograms, cowboy boots, and of course Lilly dresses. Girls go crazy over branding the term “Southern Belle.” While all of those fancy things are nice, you can’t buy southern charm. As my Momma always said, you can even put makeup on a pig and make it pretty.
My point? I feel like so many people are forgetting the true meaning of what being southern means. For one, being southern does not mean that you own a monogram. Yes, I am just as monogrammed-obsessed as you are, but I don’t let my monogrammed sweatshirt label where I’m from. Small towns are underrated and now almost mocked. If you can ride through a small town in your Mercedes wearing monogrammed sunglasses with a “Southern Belle” car sticker and you can’t throw up a hand to a car in the passing lane, you my dear are NOT a southern belle.
This next one truly irks me. If you own a pair of $600 cowboy boots, yet you have never stepped foot on a horse or in the mud, you are not a southern belle. You my friend are a girl that went out and bought expensive boots and called yourself southern.
Look, I am not putting anyone down. You may not be southern, yet you enjoy wearing cowboy boots and monograms, that’s okay. My main point is to own who you are. If you aren’t southern, please do not go to one sporting event in the South and act like you were born below the Mason-Dixon. (If you did not understand the Mason-Dixon reference, you are not southern.)
You don’t have to talk with a twang or cook like Paula Deen to be southern, that is not what I’m saying. But the true meaning of being southern embodies so much more than a fancy appearance at a football game! What if I asked you if you would hand a homeless man the shirt off of your back? If your answer is yes, then you may be considered a bit southern. Being southern means that a humble heart is in your body. It means that you value life in a way that most others don’t. Being a southern belle is a privilege, don’t take that for granted.
Now that my rant is over… Y’all have a blessed day!
Xoxo,
Tiah
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