Message #52928

[raindance]

I thought parts of the programmes were hilarious, but then they must have been heavily edited.   They were interesting, though, and I think they indicate a growing concern about behaviour.  

Lucy Clayton College - which is where the "principal" of Eggleston Hall was, in fact, principal - has now merged with the secretarial college where I trained.  It's amusing to recall, but we were expected to behave in a certain way, to be ladylike, and "finishing" was an element of our training, although we didn't do any cooking or sewing.  I remember we were not allowed to take paid work whilst we were at college and we were NEVER allowed to wear trousers.  Denim skirts with frayed hems and opaque tights with holes were all the rage among the younger girls in my day, and we could wear those garments however hideous we looked, but never even the smartest, tailored trousers. Mind you, we had lovely tutors and a very good training.

I thought that the remarks made by Hayley, the winner of the Ladette to Lady competition, in her graduation speech were very good.  She said that being a lady was more about kindness etc rather than flower-arranging and other accomplishments.  Ladies, in my opinion, were never about stuffiness or prissiness, but more about enjoyment of life within workable parameters.

Raindance