Tom Ford’s five easy lessons in how to be a gentleman

carlanapier:

coketalk:

1. You should put on the best version of yourself when you go out in the world because that is a show of respect to the other people around you.

2. A gentleman today has to work. People who do not work are so boring and are usually bored. You have to be passionate, you have to be engaged and you have to be contributing to the world.

3. Manners are very important and actually knowing when things are appropriate. I always open doors for women, I carry their coat, I make sure that they’re walking on the inside of the street. Stand up when people arrive at and leave the dinner table.

4. Don’t be pretentious or racist or sexist or judge people by their background.

5. A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach.

Listen up, fellas. Tom Ford is giving away pure gold here. There’s nothing better than a gentleman. Number three is important. Mind you, it’s not about chivalry. It’s not about courtship and gender roles. Tom Ford is heartbreakingly gay. He’s not trying to sleep with me, but he still knows how to treat me. He still has manners. It’s a distinction that I appreciate. Be a gentleman.

Amen :)

I have observed my own standards, not far from the above, all my life and I have no intention of changing, but the men who disobey these rules and act like dicks have far more women fawning over them. Every lady I have driven in my car has had her door opened by me, and act as though it has either seldom or never happened. Yet so many date neanderthal boyfriends.

Perhaps the truth is that the minority of men who are gentlemen ﬁnd it hard to connect with the minority of women who are ladies. Both genders ﬁnd it difﬁcult to see the gold because there’s too much gravel in the way.

I happened to walk my youngest sister home from a church meeting one night last week. It’s a long time since I walked anywhere with any female but, naturally, I always walk on the outside of the street and open doors and other such things. She knows the convention because I have previously explained it but it’s quite obvious that it’s still entirely alien to her - and sadly I think to most young women. I find it sad because she doesn’t pick up on simple cues or body language that would otherwise signal I’m pausing to let her pass or to make sure I’m on the outside. It just seems to me that a generation or two ago these basic things were engrained in the psyche and everyone knew them. What concerns me is that young women can be going out with the bleakest of poor-mannered slobs and not even realise it because society has not taught them to expect to be treated with respect.

(Source: coketalk)