經典文章：什么是“新時代淑女”

　　摘錄:在簡奧斯汀時代，受過良好的教育是一位淑女的必備素質，當時的中產階級普遍在家接受教育。在《傲慢與偏見》中，卡洛琳?賓利說：“一個女人必須精通音樂、歌唱、美術、舞蹈以及現代語文，那才當得起‘淑女’這個稱號。”達西先生接著補充道，一位有修養的淑女還要多讀書，長見識。

　　經典文章：什么是“新時代淑女”

　　Rumors are circulating that American actress Anne Hathaway is replacing Carey Mulligan to star in a remake of the 1964 film My Fair Lady. It's still a mystery who will finally snag the role of Eliza Doolittle, a vulgar flower girl who is transformed into a lady by a language expert, but the news has definitely called attention to the word “lady”。

　　有傳聞稱美國女星安妮?海瑟薇將取代凱瑞?穆里根，在1964年經典電影《窈窕淑女》的翻拍版中出演女一號。片中的女主人公伊莉莎?杜利特爾在一位語言學家的教導下，從粗俗的賣花姑娘變身為窈窕淑女，盡管最終伊莉莎這一角色將花落誰家仍是未知，但這則新聞毫無疑問將人們的視線轉移到了“淑女”一詞上。

　　The word always conjures up images of women in the Victorian era of British history or Jane Austen novels. But do we have to go back to dressing in that style to be a lady? What does being a lady actually mean in the 21st century?

　　這一詞匯總是讓人們聯想起英國歷史上的維多利亞時代以及簡?奧斯汀小說中的女性形象。但要成為淑女，就非得選擇這種復古裝扮么?21世紀，淑女到底是如何定義的呢?

　　British etiquette tutor William Hanson told The Telegraph that being a lady today is all about elegance and confidence. “The behavior doesn't need to be something straight out of a Jane Austen novel,” he said. But that doesn't mean there are no specific rules to being a modern day lady. According to Hanson and other experts on etiquette, a real lady must tick all the following boxes of style and manner.

　　英國禮儀顧問威廉?漢森在接受《每日電訊報》采訪時表示，現如今，淑女的判定標準不外乎優雅與自信。“行為舉止不必照搬簡?奧斯汀小說，”他說。但這并不意味著新時代淑女無規可循。漢森和其他禮儀專家一致認為，一位真正的淑女必須嚴格遵守以下這些有關風度與禮儀的條條框框。

　　Education

　　教育背景

　　Being educated was one of the essential qualities of a lady in the time of Jane Austen, when the middle class was commonly educated at home. In Pride & Prejudice, Caroline Bingley says: “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages to deserve the word [lady].” Mr Darcy adds that an accomplished lady must also improve her mind through extensive reading.

　　在簡?奧斯汀時代，受過良好的教育是一位淑女的必備素質，當時的中產階級普遍在家接受教育。在《傲慢與偏見》中，卡洛琳?賓利說：“一個女人必須精通音樂、歌唱、美術、舞蹈以及現代語文，那才當得起‘淑女’這個稱號。”達西先生接著補充道，一位有修養的淑女還要多讀書，長見識。

　　This educational requirement hasn't been compromised much. A lady by today's standards must educate herself in every possible way, from higher education to common sense manners, according to Candice Simpson, author of How to Be a Lady: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy.

　　如今，對于教育背景的要求并未大打折扣。《淑女養成計劃：當代基本禮儀指南》一書的作者坎蒂斯?辛普森說，當代標準下的淑女必須極盡所能地去提升自己，既要接受高等教育又要學習禮儀常識。

　　Dress code

　　著裝要求

　　One of the biggest misconceptions of a lady is that she can't be fashionable, pointed out Eunice J Leong of elegantwoman.org. As a modern example of a lady, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has proved that it's possible to be elegant and fashionable at the same time. But elegant fashion is usually understated and simple ― ostentatious designer logos should be avoided.

　　來自elegantwoman.org網站的尤尼斯?J?梁指出，人們對淑女最大的誤解就是淑女與時尚絕緣。作為當代淑女的典范，劍橋公爵夫人凱特?米德爾頓已經證明時尚與優雅可以并存。但優雅的時尚通常是低調而簡約的——應避免高調的品牌標志。

　　In addition, according to Hanson, a lady never feels the need to show her flesh, legs or cleavage ― she always lets her natural beauty shine. Hanson even prescribes strict skirt lengths. He believes a lady should never wear any garment that rises too far above the knee ― if necessary, she should wear dark colored tights. Based on this rule, Lady Gaga, one of the most famous ladies of our times, should be simply Gaga.

　　英國禮儀顧問威廉?漢森還表示，真正的淑女從不需要露肉，露腿或者露乳溝——她永遠散發出自然美。漢森甚至規定了嚴格的裙長要求。他認為，淑女不應穿任何膝上過短的裙子。若有必要，也應該配上一條深色的打底褲。從這一點看，時下最知名女性之一的Lady Gaga大概只能改叫Gaga了。

　　Table manners

　　餐桌禮儀

　　A true lady knows that she is expected to begin eating first, before the men, said Hanson. So don't faff around, as a true gentleman will just sit there watching his food go cold as you carry on chattering.

　　漢森表示，真正的淑女清楚自己在用餐時應該優先于男士。所以不要瞎忙活一通，因為一位真正的紳士可是會一直聽著你嘮叨然后眼睜睜地看著自己的食物冷掉的。

　　A much forgotten skill, added Hanson, is “turning the table”。 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is still an advocate of this. It means speaking to the person on either side of you, one after the other. During the first course a lady speaks to the person on her left, during the second course she speaks to the person on her right, and so on. And no one ever talks across the table.

　　漢森補充道，另一個被大多數人所遺忘的禮儀技巧便是“扭轉局面”。英國女王伊麗莎白二世仍是這點的提倡者。所謂“扭轉局面”，意思是說要先后與坐在你兩邊人交談。在享用第一道菜時，作為淑女要跟坐在自己左邊的人交談，上第二道菜時則換做與右邊的人交談，以此類推。切記，不要隔著桌子與人交談。

　　Art of words

　　語言藝術

　　Although it can be tempting to gossip quietly about a friend or close acquaintance, a lady should avoid mean gossip, said Hanson. It leaves a bad impression on others, even if they are joining in. If you freely gossip about someone, others will begin to wonder if you gossip about them to others.

　　漢森說，盡管大家都愛背后講朋友或熟人的閑話，但淑女必須遠離那些尖酸刻薄的流言蜚語。這會給他人留下糟糕的印象，即便他們也樂在其中。當你無所顧忌，大爆某人的八卦時，其他人會想，你是不是也會在別人面前這樣談論他們。

　　Further tips for being a lady, as offered by Hanson, include:

　　此外，漢森還給出了以下幾點淑女養成攻略：

　　Don't swear.

　　不要口出惡言。

　　Don't be brusque with others.

　　不要對他人無禮。

　　Don't overshare or talk about your private life loudly in public.

　　不要在公共場合過度分享或大聲談論自己的私事。