What’s a BELLE?
I received this question from Jonathan, a MySpace guy friend from the great state of Texas? Here was my answer……
A SOUTHERN BELLE (derived from the French belle, ‘beautiful’) is an archtype for a young woman of the American Old South’s antebellum class. She epitomizes southern hospitality, cultivation of beauty and a flirtatious yet chaste demeanor.
As “BELLE OF THE BALL” she is the most beautiful, charming, and engaging woman among a group.
To detractors, THE SOUTHERN BELLE STEREOTYPE is a symbol of a repressed, “corseted” young women, nostalgic for a bygone era.
Which is true? Great question..yes?!?
In my Rebel Belle Yell! newsletter, I feature a “Belle with Balls”; a woman who boldly expresses herself in the world, full out and on her terms! In the premier issue, I nominated the classic southern heroine and ultimate Rebel Belle, Katie Scarlette O’Hara from Gone with the Wind.
Do you know a Belle with Balls you’d like to brag about? Perhaps you’d like to “toot your own horn!” I can’t wait to hear from ya!
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