by Ann Major

Created on: June 16, 2010

Being classy without being rich is like possessing inner beauty without being outwardly beautiful.  As wealth can create a classy exterior, everyone knows clothes does not make a woman nor man.  Past that, one's character, values, carriage, and self-respect  are the hallmarks of being a classy person.

You don't need to own a Rolls Royce, BMW, or Mercedes to let people know who you are or how much money you have.  Having pride in one's home and one's vehicle and other material possessions is just as rewarding as money in one's pocket.  A well maintained home with a mowed lawn, flowers, and even the proverbial white picket fence speaks volumes of a classy person who appreciates what he/she has.   A shiny clean car can be just as much a chick-magnet as a Corvette or Jaguar.  It is how you present your image.

At the same time, how many times have you ridden around in your neighborhood or someone else's neighborhood and seen properties littered with a rusty old car or two, piles of junk lying around the yard, and a tattered curtain hanging from dirty window?  You don't need to be a neat freak to keep a house clean, all it takes is occasional dusting and daily sweeping.

Being classy without being rich involves having a code of conduct.  Being richly dressed or immaculately coiffed will not exude class if everyone time one open's one's mouth, frogs fall out instead of jewels.  Slurping soup, elbows on the table, burping or belching after a good meal, or chewing gum with one's mouth opened are not classy acts.  Class is having manners and exercising them in the company of others.  As well, speaking in a calm voice instead of a loud boisterous one in public will garner more attention than not.

This code of conduct also entails knowing when to be overt, affectionate, or demonstrative in public, and when other overtures are better left behind closed doors.  That includes speaking on a cell phone in public.  We do not need to know the intimate details of one's private life; the less, the better.  It is about being a lady after being trashed by the media from people who can't keep their mouths closed.  It is about self-esteem and self-love as demonstrated in the movie "Valley of the Dolls" whereupon an older actress was ousted out of popularity by a younger upstart. When this vixen yanked off the older actress'  wig, she proudly threw a scarf over her head, pushed back her shoulders and

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