What are some of the differences between Southern women and other American women?

Question

I am doing research for a book about Southern women. I would appreciate any comments you may have on the subject. (No crude answers please).

Answer 1

Not much of a difference, since a lot of women living in the South aren't originally from there to begin with.

But...mostly traditional "southern belle" stereotypes. I was raised in Atlanta and spent the last 12 years in the Chicago area.

Southern women tend to be:

1. Shorter and smaller.
2. More into having their hair and makeup done all the time.
3. More docile.
4. Prettier (really!).
5. More conservative in political ideology.
6. More likely to identify with being "Christian" in their beliefs.
7. More promiscuous.
8. More party-going (tendency to hang out in bars, clubs, etc.).
9. More patriarchal and tend to think that women are not as "equal" to men.
10. More hospitable.
11. Not as physically active.

...I could go on forever as I am an avid "people-watcher"...lol.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

As someone who lived in the NY metro area until age 22 and then moved South and lived there for ten years before returning to the North, I've lived extensively in both cultures. While there's no one single defining culture in the South (things are quite different in Appalachia and urban Atlanta!), women are socialized more to know how to get what they want without being overtly aggressive. There's a bit more social game-playing, but both sexes are playing the game to get what both want, need and expect from each other. Southern women know how to be friendly, though, to nearly everyone they meet and make people feel welcome. Northern men misinterpret this friendliness and warmth when they visit down South, thinking the women are all flirting just because Southern women will look you in the eye, smile and greet you in passing, whereas a Northern woman is far less likely to act that way.