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How the Rules of Etiquette Changed

Last updated on February 14, 2019

What was considered ladylike? Modern women, we need to know this! Life for women was very different during the Victorian Era. In order to appreciate the times we live in, we should be familiar with what was expected of women a couple of centuries ago. Maybe something will make you appreciate the Victorian times even more than ours.

Check out the Etiquette of Victorian Women:

  • An unmarried woman under 30 years of age was never to be in a room with a man alone. If she wanted to be in the company of a man she had to be accompanied by a matchmaker or a relative.
  • It was not proper for a young lady to take a walk alone or with another man who wasn’t related to her. If she couldn’t find someone to accompany her she was to take a stroll in the garden or simply stay home.
  • A lady was never to dance more than three dances with the same man.
  • Under no circumstance was a lady allowed to come calling on a man unless she was in need of professional help or advice only he could give her.
  • A lady should never interrupt someone mid-conversation.
  • A lady should not wear pearls or diamonds in the morning.
  • A lady was not to show her emotions. In conversation, she should never raise her voice, not in anger or excitement.
  • Ladies were taught to keep their back always straight. The only place where you could relax your back was in your room.
  • How much work a lady did depended on her wealth and status. If you were from a working class family you were expected to learn the trade of your family. If you were wealthy then you didn’t work but you told others what to do and how to do it.
  • Girls were expected to get married and if they didn’t then they were supposed to dedicate their lives to charity.

Obviously, these are just some of the rules of etiquette from the Victorian Era. Some of these are still good rules to live by but I hope that they also made you appreciate that you live in the 21st century.