Sweet Southern Tea

I have a saying...

"I like my tea sweet, my music country, my hair blonde, and my men gentle."

Living in Minneapolis has given me a really good perspective on who I really am. Sometimes it takes you being out of your habitat to find out what and who you really are. One thing I've learned since moving here is just how Southern I am. There's just something about sitting on the front porch of my sorority house in a rocking chair sipping sweet tea. There's just something about having a guy open my door for me and curling my hair before going out. There's just something about entertaining friends and bringing homemade cupcakes to a meeting. I love the South. Don't get me wrong, I love America more, but there is just something magical, special, and a little extra sweet about the South. And, when you think of a Southern woman she is warm, welcoming, and ultra feminine.

Part of the charm of a Southern woman is her resourcefulness. Part of the charm of ANY woman is her resourcefulness. We can do a million things at once, be running late, and still look damn good. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe in a higher standard for women these days. I feel like we have diminished a lot respect we should have for women and the many roles they play. We get uncomfortable mentioning a woman staying at home, knowing how to cook, how to keep her home presentable, and all the things that were labeled, in the past, as a "woman's job". I'm not saying I'm going to quit my job tomorrow, stay home, and be solely devoted to raising a bunch of kids while catering to my husband's every need. However, I believe that at 23 years old, I should know how to cook, entertain, keep my home clean and organized, look my best when I leave my home, and be a responsible human being. Women used to be judged on other kinds of skills like their cooking, cleaning, managing of a household, and other "accomplishments" like music, literature, and languages. However, I want to know why did we lessen our expectations? I still believe that women should be well read, be intellectually stimulated by learning about new cultures and languages, be knowledgable about the world and its goings on, and be cultured enough to know about art and music.

Women used to be polished, refined, and classy. We're living in a time of convenience and going so fast we forget to just stop and smell the roses, or just stop and cook a damn homemade dinner. We are forgetting the simple things in life and forgetting how to take our time, slow down, and pay attention to the details. Instead, we rather have quantity over quality, which I think pretty much sums up the issue with women today. It's not about how cultivated she is or how accomplished she is, it's about how closely she can resemble a celebrity and how much attention she can get (or give) to guys. Are these the standards we really want our generation to be remembered for? As a young woman, I'm worried we're losing sight of what being a woman really means.

Part of my plan to live a more vibrant life is to refine myself, cultivate my talents, and become a woman of quality, not quantity. Quantity comes over time. As I gain new talents and experiences, I will have a large quantity of quality. Convenience is easy, but actually learning a new skill and putting it to good use is hard, but so rewarding. Expect more from yourself. Expect more from others.

Think of the women who are iconic role models throughout history. How many of them come from our generation? How many women can we look up to and say now that, that is a real woman? Can't think of many? Then be that person. Someone has to.