Life

14 Things Only Southern Not-So-Belles Understand

by Arielle Dachille

Aug. 20, 2015

Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

If you’re (a) from the South and (b) a woman, odds are you’ve dealt with the following issue. Upon telling someone where you're from, the person responds in their best Southern drawl: “Oh, so you’re a Southern belle.” The thing is, the connotations of prissiness that accompany this term don't exactly work for you. As a girl raised in the South, you're hardly the kind of dry-clean-only dame who clutches her pearls at anything vaguely scandalizes you. No offense to the Scarlett O'Haras of the world. You're just cooler than them.

There's something about the air down South that breeds the kind of badass lady who's confident, chill, and unapologetically herself. Rather than a shrinking violet or a Georgia peach, the kind of Southern not-so-belle I'm talking about is warm as a summer's day, chill as hell, and fun beyond measure. She can drink you under the table, and is always up for a dare. In short, you're basically everybody's girl crush. Jennifer Lawrence is part of this league. That's an indicator.

We've teamed up with Bonnie Rose Whiskey to round up a set of things that only those who belong to the sisterhood of Southern down-ass chicks understand.

1. The Summer Humidity Is No Joke

As much as you love the figurative warmth of your Southern home, the literal warmth —especially in the dead of the Summer— is a LOT to deal with. You basically spend the expanse of June to August in various states of melting.

2. There's No Place Like The Great Outdoors

The upside to those hellish summer temperature is the fact that the weather is beautiful for the rest of the year. That means plenty of time for outdoor activities like floating down a creek in an inner tube, swimming in a pond, or off-roading.

3. One Of Your Life's Mottos Is 'In Dolly We Trust'

And why shouldn't it be? Dolly is an endless well of indispensable folk wisdom.

4. You Have No Patience For Prissiness

You just can't with the kinds of girls who refuse to go four-wheeler riding with you because they're afraid of breaking a nail. Puh-lease.

5. You're Not Afraid To Get Down And Dirty

Living in the South means marshes, mud, and lowlands -- the perfect environment for releasing your inner child while splashing around in puddles.

6. Bojangles Is Bae

Horrible name. Perfect chicken.

7. Your Creativity Is Unparalleled When It Comes To Cussing

If cursing is an art, you're basically Michelangelo.

8. You're A Master At Clever Comebacks

Whoever has the nerve to tell you "bless your heart" is going to get BURNT.

9. People Kinda Think You're Stuck In 1865

Your friends from up North may have asked at one point if you grew up on a plantation and/or identify heavily with Scarlett O'Hara. Meanwhile, you harbor no fondness for the antebellum South. I mean, you weren't even alive.