Southern belle

This article is about the archetype. For other uses, see Southern belle (disambiguation).

"Southern belle" (from French belle 'beautiful') is a colloquialism for a debutante or other fashionable young woman in the planter class of the Antebellum South, particularly as a romantic counterpart to the Southern gentleman.^[1]

Sallie Ward, a Southern belle

Characteristics

Cover illustration of Harper's Weekly, September 7, 1861 showing a Southern belle

The image of a Southern belle is often characterized by fashion elements such as a hoop skirt, a corset, pantalettes, a wide-brimmed straw hat, and gloves. As signs of tanning were considered working-class and unfashionable during this era, parasols and fans are also often represented.^[1]

Southern belles were expected to marry respectable young men, and become ladies of society dedicated to the family and community.^[1] The Southern belle archetype is characterized by Southern hospitality, a cultivation of beauty, and a flirtatious yet chaste demeanor.^[2]

For example, Sallie Ward, who was born into the planter class of Kentucky in the Antebellum South, was called a Southern belle.^[3]

Dick Pope Sr., promoter of Florida tourism, played an important role in popularizing the archetypal image.^[4] Hostesses at his famed Cypress Gardens were portrayed as Southern belles in promotional materials for the theme park.^[5]

See also

• Ringlets, a hairstyle
• Scarlett O'Hara, perhaps the most famous fictional Southern belle