It wasn’t long ago when social media didn’t even exist in our lives. Now, almost everyone has their own social media account. Social Media has its advantages when used positively and effectively. It can inspire others, reach more people, find successful businesses, sometimes find love, bridge distances and learn from others. But unfortunately, there is a tendency that the use of our social media can portray us in a bad light and may lead to unsatisfactory results. As women, we also have to bring in class or well mannered when using our social media.

Here are 7 Classy LadyLike Social Media Etiquette to follow:

Don’t overshare

Even if social media is a place for us to share our day, our thoughts, and our milestones, remember, it is still a public space where you have only acquaintances, work colleagues you barely talk to in your company, old classmates you haven’t spoken to in years, a relative you don’t know personally and a friend of a friend of a friend. Nobody needs to know everything in your life that was reserved for family and close friends only. Safeguard your privacy with vigilance. Anyway, the mystery is one of the allure of a classy woman. Be mysterious. Sharing is fine but never overshare.

Don’t rant

We all have those (bad) days. Often, we treat our social media accounts, especially our Facebook and Twitter accounts, as the cool best-friend we often vent out to. But no, they are not our cool best-friend. We don’t lash out, vent, and rant on our social media accounts for the whole world to see our meltdown and raging emotions. Take a deep breath, step away from your phone or computer, and pause. It is tempting to make our social media a quick, easy therapy session for our current emotional anguish, but we need not. Call a trusted friend, your sister, your mother, or a reliable older mentor who will hear you out and guide you with the best intentions. If you open up to social media, you are opening yourself up to unnecessary judgments, criticisms, poorly-guided advice, and sources of gossip.

Be mindful of the photos you post

Make sure to post photos that are inspiring, flattering, and tasteful. Don’t share the pictures of drunken late-night sessions with your girlfriend; in your underwear or nighttime lingerie; unflattering or unladylike posts with your tongue out, legs apart, your bra strap hanging out; seeing you being rambunctious and not presenting yourself as a woman should.

Be mindful of tagging other people.

Be careful when tagging other people. Some people are protective of their privacy. Ask permission first from the other person if they want to be ‘tagged’ on your post. Check also if the other people in the photos have gotten a good picture of themselves for group photos. They may be embarrassed to see a photo of them on social media that didn’t look good, and you posted it anyway.

Don’t share foul humor videos and celebrity gossip links.

Don’t share those foul green funny videos, reels, or comics sent to you by your kid brother. It is not good to repost celebrity gossip links like you’re a Gossip News Correspondent. When you post on social media, it also creates an image of you- sometimes, it is not congruent with who you are. You post a funny, vulgar joke; they think you are unsophisticated. If you post celebrity gossip, you come off as gossip. Like you do post those things, and you became those things.

Avoid crass, vulgar language.

Avoid crass, vulgar language. A lady is always mindful of the words that come out of their mouth. The same goes for those words they type in social media. They should be bearers and messengers of words that inspire, are positive, and are beautiful.

Don’t spam

Use social media sparingly. Don’t post every minute of the day or upload every quote you want to share or share daily. Post sparingly and think before doing so.
I blogged and wrote about my current social media usage and how I use each platform intentionally. You can read it here: https://littlemisshoney.com/social-media-you-me-a-look-on-our-current-social-media-use/

Think first before publishing or commenting on posts.

Lastly, think and pause before posting or commenting on any posts. Social media is an open space where people are easily misinterpreted, judged harshly, and triggered by other people’s feelings or thoughts. Be mindful always.

This time is a great way to reflect on how we present ourselves on our social media accounts. It is good to check on how we can utilize social media as a space to connect with like-minded people, be a model to others, and keep in touch with family & friends, always with grace and class

Words like class, elegance, grace, and gentleness have long been forgotten and shelved. Currently, it is associated with the words outdated, uninteresting and prudish. The words like liberal, candidness, wild, unconventional, radical, sexy-cool, rockstar-glam, and sexually fluidare celebrated and applauded. We have replaced icons like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Natalie Portman with Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga. Society finds revealing clothes,open sexuality, foul language, and heavy piled multi-colored make-up more appealing thesedays. Young girls now idolize these celebrities and replicate their hair, make-up, and fashionsense up to the ideals that they stand for. They grow up way too fast too. And we are seeing fromthese young girls: push-up bras, heavy foundation, cigarettes on their lips, boyfriends & sex are common topics of conversations, cuss words easily uttered, addiction to selfies & dating apps, body piercings & cosmetic surgery for birthday gifts from parents and the list goes on. Then you would realize how important having a good role model is in the growing years of individuals. Do you think we need to have better role models for our young women of today? It is sad to see thatthe art of ladylikeness and gracefulness has lost its significance in the changing times. There is beauty in classiness and gentleness. Soft does not necessarily mean weak, or loud doesn’t not mean strong. Being a proper lady, or as expected of a princess, should not be mock upon like it is an equivalent of a boring old lady with no personality. Besides, are we not daughters of God, King of the Kings? We are, by default, princesses of our right. We have birth rights, and we should be proud of it.

I am in no way insulting the talented artists of today, nor do I want to impose my values andbeliefs on everyone. (It is not about denying their talent, dedication to their craft, and ability to influence & charm people. I also believe in each of their own. My values may not be reflective ofsome people.) I only want to give a choice to the young women of today in choosing the lost path of gracefulness and class.

Being a mom of 3 young boys, I wish someday that my sons would marry a classy woman and raise children with good morals & values in life. I do not know if I will have a daughter someday, but I would like her to have the set of values that of an elegant respected woman. As a mom, a wife, a daughter, and a woman, I strive for these ideals every day too. To pursue gracefulness and that Christ-like ladylike values. Yes, I sometimes revert to my unpolished ways, which is my default setting. And it is a constant challenge to pursue the ideal type because I believe it is worth challenging ourselves as women. Our parents, our boyfriends or husbands, our sons and daughters, our relatives & friends, and our Creator would be proud of our mindfulness and effort in behaving as proper women with high values. Hence, this website, was created with my two amazing and talented friends, June and Wein, to provide a venue for women ages 13 to late thirties, teenagers to young wives & moms who also seek to pursue graceful, class and elegance every day. We will provide topics on Relationships, Beauty, Fashion, Feminine Habits, Books, and Motherhood. The website is for women of all religious denominations who also seek to live classy and graceful lifestyles. June and I are both married. I am a mom with three boys, while June is a mother to a beautiful young lady. We will share our viewpoints on motherhood, marriage, and relationships. While Wein will be the voice for a catch-worthy single woman, waiting for the Prince that God intends for her. We will share loads of articles on tips and guides, ladylike beauty and fashion, book recommendations, and talks on virtues to inspire the beautiful women of today who deserve nothing but the best. We will feature noteworthy classy women and soon will open our site to contributors of their stories towards gracefulness.

So, ladies, are you with us? Sitback, have some warm tea and let us all slowly start our journey towards gracefulness…