We all know this woman. She might be part of your social circle. She might be a colleague at work. She might just be a friend of a friend. But she’s got class, and you can tell it as soon as you meet her. You know the type. I envy her from afar, wondering what it is that gives this woman that c-factor that, as I awkwardly stumble through my attempts at being an adult, I would love to even have an ounce of.
Some women just have it. They ooze it! And until very recently, I had always thought of ‘it’ as an being all about appearances. A certain look, a certain job, a certain wardrobe. You look classy, therefore you are.
How wrong I was!
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So, you can picture the end of week scenario. Girlfriends, Friday night drinks, hair straightened to within an inch of its life, a few bottles of wine and some very serious male free, girl heavy discussion…..and with a little journo inspired manipulation from myself, the conversation turned to talking about what sets these women apart. What is it that makes you notice them? What is it that makes you think straight away, “She’s such a classy girl.”
The conversation started with image. And why not? We usually look at these women and their grooming seems to be impeccable. The hair is done, probably blow dried in such a way that makes her look like she has just walked out of the hairdressers. The nails are simple. Maybe french, or natural….but done. The clothes are fashionable, yet reserved and the shoes are a perfect match with the rest of the ensemble. A fair few catwalk steps forward than the wedges from two seasons ago that I am still rocking!
They look the part. They stand out in the crowd. But, I ask my friends (2 or 3 glasses of vino in!), is it really just the image that is setting them apart?
And as the conversation took hold, it soon became very apparent, that no….it is not. What did become apparent was that the true essence of what made a woman ‘classy’ was so much more than that, and definitely ran a lot deeper.
Classy women are confident enough to compliment other women and really mean it. And I’m not talking about the fake, pretentious comment on your friends new handbag. I’m talking about building other women up, complimenting them on the things that really matter. Their efforts, their successes and their triumphs. Classy women don’t take it personally when another woman succeeds…they celebrate it! They don’t offer a fake smile and then have a whinge behind another’s back. They love to see other women grow, flourish and thrive and they feel proud of their fellow female’s achievements. It’s not a slight on them to see their female counterparts move forward, it’s something to celebrate!
A classy woman avoids other people’s drama like the plague and keeps her own between herself and her close friends. And by close friends, I’m talking about the real ones. She doesn’t drip feed her drama to her Facebook crowd in the hope of a few comments telling her how awesome she is. She invests in her friends, herself and the wellbeing of both, and saves the Facebook fishing for others to indulge in. She invests in people, and takes a vested interest in the lives of her close circle.
Ultimately, and most importantly, the classy woman chooses kindness. The main thing that sets this woman apart is that she sees a need in the lives of her closest friends (and those further afar), and does something about it. It is so easy, as a woman, to get caught up in the ‘talk.’ The catty discussions that bring others down, and for a brief few minutes, make you feel better about yourself. But the woman with class, doesn’t indulge. She rises above, walks away or even better, takes a stand. And we see it all the time. In our workplaces, in our social groups, even on television. Watch any of the latest reality TV, and you can be guaranteed that the stereotypes will appear. The catty ones, the bitches….and then, coasting along in the background, avoiding the drama, there she is. The one that is just, well…..nice!
We can all do our hair nicely. We can all put on a bit of makeup and buy new clothes. But ultimately, the thing that sets you apart as a woman, is how you treat others.
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Whether it’s building other women up, not getting caught up in the drama, or just being kind….class in 2018 isn’t about social standing or looking the part. We have become so much more than that, and it’s amazing to see that what is now respected, regarded and admired amongst women, goes a whole lot deeper than just a blow dry and manicure.
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Written by Georgie Trenwith
Georgie is an Aussie beauty who puts our literary game to shame. A creative soul, when she isn’t balancing being a full time teacher and a part time writer, you’ll usually find her lost in a book, enjoying live music & theatre or spending time with the fam.
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