FW~A (Near) Daily Encouragement: An Introduction to The Feminine Manner

        The feminine manner is defined in the 2007 edition of the book Fascinating Womanhood by Mrs. Helen Andelin as “the motions of a woman’s body, the way she walks, talks, uses her hands, the sound of her voice, her facial expressions, and her laugh.”  Feminine manner is so important that Mrs. Andelin devoted an entire chapter to the subject.

        The feminine manner is different from the feminine appearance, which consists of caring for one’s hair, face, figure, and clothing in feminine ways.  However, the two do go hand-in-hand, and one without the other is, in the least disappointing, and often even absurd, amusing, and at times repulsive.  Mrs. Andelin referred to such women as ”bears in lace, or wooden posts in organdy”.

        The feminine manner is a stark contrast to men’s masculine manner strength and firmness.  It is soft, graceful, light, youthful, and refreshing.  An example of the differences of the sexes in manner can be seen in handshaking.  Men have traditionally grabbed hands and firmly shook each other’s hand with strength, while a woman traditionally offered just her fingers, not her whole hand to men, and the men didn’t shake, but just took her hand (fingers) in his for a moment.

        In our day and age feminine manner is very sadly lacking, it can be impossible to find an example of a woman who has a completely feminine manner.  But we can become examples, and those of us who seek to be women of dignity, grace, and total womanhood should become examples, of the complete feminine manner, for doing so will lighten and brighten our own lives and those of others in the world.

       God willing, tomorrow’s FW~A (Near) Daily Encouragement will include information about acquiring the feminine manner and some “how-to’s”.