Twinkle: Frivolous League Rant

Have you all seen the new Southern Living? Of course you have. But I'm wondering how in-depth you all read those Best of the South Travel Awards. There is a simply gorgeous picture of several Southern belles lounging and looking pretty in an opulent room wearing dresses designed by an up-and-coming Charleston designer, Lucinda Robinson. The dresses are Grecian-inspired and designed to flatter any figure, and I'm totally coveting one for the upcoming YWC ball.

Anyway, I missed it the first time around but just saw the caption: Designer Lucinda Robinson, foreground, with Junior League provisional members at the Aiken-Rhett house in Charleston, South Carolina.

Now, I'm pretty much through with trash-talking our League here because most of us have moved on to greener pastures, but this just made me a little sad. That's what it's all about, girls--reclining on antique chaise lounges with your friends, holding bone china teacups and wearing beautiful flowing dresses, preferably designed by a fellow League member. This picture was what I envisioned League life would be like when I emerged fresh-faced from my sorority house and joined the League as a recent college grad.

Instead, what did I get? You all know the answer: a bunch of whining about how too many of us are blonde and live in Prospect (and, incidentally, none of us Daddy Rabbit girls do). An initiative to increase the diversity of our members' zip codes. Evening meetings/recruitment events at the Boys and Girls Club at 38th and Dumesnil. Relaxed membership standards. No ball even though the members beg for one. Five dollar bag sales. And a whole lot of Pendennis animosity and hatin' on white gloves and pearls.

Even the word "provisional" gave me a pang of nostalgia--do we still call them that? I don't pay much attention anymore, but it seems like the kind of word our League would change in favor of something more politically-correct. (Don't get me started on how you can't use the word "rush" or call sorority pledges "pledges" anymore. It's a modern tragedy.)

Can you imagine if Southern Living approached a business owner from our League and wanted to run a picture like that? Ninety percent of y'all have been on the board and know exactly how something like that would go down: there would be major drama about how it represents the wrong image of our League and how we're not a "white glove organization" anymore. One reason I went sustainer was to avoid hearing the phrase "we're no longer a white glove organization" ever again. It's just too upsetting. What is so wrong with white gloves, anyway?

All I know is, that picture represents the best of what could have been for our League, and for us. I will always be loyal to the League because, as I've said so many times before, it brought me all of you. But when I look at that picture I can't help but think of what we missed out on, thanks to the Dooner League members who came before us. It was our bad luck that they got their turn at white gloves and gentility, then turned around and made sure we didn't get ours.

I'll tell you one thing: if our League acted more like the picture above, it wouldn't be begging for members and money all the time.