Southern Women

I interrupt this normal blog for a few posts about Southern Women. For those of you that read my blog and are not from the South, I hope this will give you a little glimmer into what we are really like here....the picture above has absolutely nothing to do with my post, but I just like it....well, I take that back. It is very "Southern" for sure...

The other day, we were riding in the truck (of course) when David made the following comment. "You are beautiful, sexy, redneck and trashy, and that is why I love you." Thank you...I think???? That coupled with my recent re-watch of "Sweet Home Alabama" starring Reese Witherspoon has put a weight on my heart. A weight to try and justify to you folks not from around here about this freak culture that we have in the South. No, we are not married to our cousins, and we don't re-live the Civil War every weekend like most people think. I think we, especially Southern Women, are a delicate mix of everything that is right in the world.....I will be breaking this post down into a few different sections. Tonight, we will start with language. We will move from that to fashion/culture, extra curricular activities, cooking and then on to anything else I deem appropriate for this venture. Or, I may get sick of it midway, and punt the whole concept. Its my blog and I can do that if I want to....

The Southern accent is something that is marveled by many, despised by a few and rarely imitated correctly. Any time that we travel outside of the South, I am amazed at the language barrier that I face with most people. They often say stupid things like, "Just say something....anything, I want to hear you speak!!" Other times, there is just total confusion. Case in point. When I was in Las Vegas for my bachelorette party a few years ago, I went up to a lady to get change for a $20.00 bill. After exchanging the normal, "Hello, how are you's?" I asked for change. She replied with an "Excuse me?" "I need to get change for this" I repeated again. She looked like I was speaking another language. I could understand her perfectly, I mean, we sounded the exact same. After several more failed attempts, I finally wrote down on a piece of paper what I was saying. "Ohhhh....you want change!" "Yes" I took my change and went on with my evening. Rather odd, I thought, but you would be surprised at how many people can't understand a Southern accent. I think about those goofy sounding Cajun's on "Swamp People...." I wonder if that is what I sound like to other folks?

Anywho, on our latest trip to Las Vegas, the photographer that took our photos kept commenting on our accents as well. You get to the point where you try to not even speak, for fear of being ridiculed. Well, anyways, he made a comment to me about my sweet little Southern accent and how he bet I could get anything I wanted just by asking...come to think of it, it does have super powers that way. Lets say I am trying to get out of a ticket, or need a little customer service with a product I have bought. That sweet Southern drawl has its advantages. I don't know how anyone with a northern accent could sound sweet...even if they needed to! :) I digress, the point is, I love this accent, wouldn't trade it for the world. And if you are going to try and fake a Southern accent, don't even bother. You just sound stupid.