Question

Zelda Fitzgerald was the quintessential ""Southern belle"" during her youth. What is a ""Southern belle?"" How does it reflect cultural differences between the northern and southern regions of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

Answer 1

Answer:

A "southern belle" is a term that refers to respectable, elegant, and fashionable women- the epitome of desirable, and ready-to-be-wed in the 19th century.  These southern belles would belong to high society as they were expected to wed the most outstanding men back then. They would go from their parents house to their husbands' and were not expected to work but to be cared for.

The dramatic difference between northern and southern women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was that, whereas slavery was a driving force in the south, this same force was not encouraged in the north. In some way, northerners were more aware of the injustice slavery represented and did not depend on it but on themselves as providers and hardworkers. Therefore such terms as "southern belles" were not pursued. Women worked harder; they were becoming educated and wanted to make a difference and not to be "cared for".