"[Being Southern] also means never leaving the house with wet hair. Not even in the case of fire. Because wet hair is low-rent. It shows you don’t care, and not caring is not something Southern women do, at least when it comes to our hair.
This is less about vanity than self-respect, a crucial distinction often lost on non-Southerners. When a Southern woman fusses over her appearance, it does not reflect insecurity, narcissism, or some arrested form of antifeminism that holds back the sisterhood. Southern women are postfeminism. The whole issue is a nonstarter, seeing as Southern women are smart enough to recognize what works—Spanx, Aqua Net—and wise to the allocation of effort. Why pretend the world is something it isn’t? Better to focus on what you can control (drying your hair) and make the best of what you have. Side note: Southern women do not capitalize on their looks to snag men, though that often results. The reason we Southern women take care of ourselves is because, simply, Southern women are caretakers."
You can find the article in it's entirety here: http://gardenandgun.com/article/new-southern-belle
Raised in Georgia, I identify with the culture and traditions of a southerner. However, much of my family is scattered about the U.S. When family comes to visit from Colorado, Montana, New York, California, and even Canada, they are always surprised by the hospitality and meticulous planning that goes in to their visit. Apparently it is not normal behavior to place fresh towels out every morning, have coffee and breakfast ready, and every room of the house clean. It is mostly the cleanliness that throws them. Hospitality is truly important to us and something I learned at a young age; something that will always be appreciated and always done best by a Southerner.
