Tina Fey
There are women who appear classy, and then there are those who are GENUINELY classy.
And if you’re like me, I’m sure you’d want to become the latter.
So in this article, I will give you 12 traits that set a truly classy woman apart from the regular girls. All of them are actually very easy to do.
1. Classy women are smart
I don’t mean book smart, although classy women are usually voracious readers, too. What I mean is that they usually make sense whether it be their opinions or the important decisions they make.
They’re like this because they keep exploring and learning and experimenting. They don’t believe everything they see, and so they question things and learn from others.
Most of all, they’re not scared of appearing stupid. They acknowledge that they have their limitations, making them learn more in the end.
Because of these reasons and more, they make better choices than the rest of us—whether it be in the brand of shoes they choose or the kind of businesses they start.
So if you want to be a bit classy, stay curious!
2. Classy women care about how they affect others
They don’t talk loudly in the train, and not because they just want to be prim and proper. They don’t do it because they don’t want to annoy other passengers.
They throw their trash properly not only because they’re scared they might get caught, but because they want a cleaner, more orderly world.
They know that these little things they do can affect others and so they try to do what’s right…and try to avoid committing anything that could potentially affect others in a bad way.
They want to make the world a better place and they know that one of the best ways to do this is by serving as a good example.
3. Classy women know what they want
Classy women have done a lot of self-reflection to know what it is they want in life—from their careers, hobbies, friends, and lovers.
They’re very specific about it, too.
For example, they know exactly what type of wine matches with the type of fish they order. And again, it’s not simply because they’re well-educated about wines, it’s because they’ve discovered what they truly want.
On a deeper level, they know exactly the type of man they want to date or the type of business partners they want to work with…and so they take every opportunity to meet them.
4. Classy women know what they DON’T want
And because a classy woman knows exactly what she wants, it usually follows that she knows exactly what she doesn’t want.
If she knows she wants a black dress, she might consider getting gray if a black one isn’t available, but she’s definitely not going to pick something pink or orange!
She’s defined the things that she doesn’t want and tries her best to stay away from them. She might have realized early on that she doesn’t want a man who wants kids, and so even if a date checks all the boxes, she’ll say no to another date to not waste her time.
5. Classy women are their own advocate
Classy women love themselves—not in a vain kind of way—but the kind that’s warm and true. They are their own best friend, their own cheerleader.
As with anyone who truly loves someone, they try to do what’s best for them—short-term and long-term.
They try to live a life where they are truly free and happy, and when someone tries to maliciously take these away from them, they’d not hesitate to fight back. In a classy way, of course—and by that I mean in an assertive and not aggressive way.
6. Classy women prioritize themselves
This is related to the point above.
Since classy women love themselves, they’re their number one!
This doesn’t mean they’re selfish. They just know they have a lot to give if they take care of themselves first.
So when her girlfriends invite her to an impromptu road trip when she just arrived from a holiday, she’d politely say no because she needs to recharge.
I remember Michelle Obama said in an interview that she loves herself first, and her children a close second. That’s what classy women do. They nurture themselves first so that they can nurture others well.
7. Classy women know how to argue
You know a woman is NOT classy when she talks trash. She doesn’t know how to have a peaceful discussion about important topics—especially sensitive ones.
She’d resort to logical fallacies and even appeal to pity.
A classy woman is not like this at all! In fact, she despises people who are like this.
She knows how to communicate, negotiate, and as mentioned before…she makes sense. She’s also a very good listener.
You’d never see a classy woman attack someone with cheap words, even if the topic is controversial and the other person is a pain in the ass to talk to.
8. Classy women know when to walk away
When a classy woman gets impatient, she doesn’t lash out, she walks away gracefully. She doesn’t want to waste her time dealing with negativity.
And if she knows that her marriage or job or business is hopeless after several attempts at saving it, she won’t waste another second trying to fix things…she’d leave.
She’s wise enough to know when to try harder and when enough is enough.
9. Classy women want what’s best for others
Classy women are not self-absorbed.
Sure, they dress up nicely and they take care of themselves…but that’s mainly because they have high standards on how all of us should live.
They make sure that the people they love lead comfortable lives as much as possible (without necessarily spending big bucks!). And if they see someone suffering, they don’t hesitate to help because they believe every person deserves a good life…or at least one that’s rid of pain and suffering.
10. Classy women can relate to anyone
Contrary to how we usually perceive classy women, they’re actually interested in people from different walks of life.
It’s probably because they’ve seen a lot of movies, read a lot of books, talked to a lot of people, and experienced many things in life, so they can talk to people easily.
They can have engaging conversations with both CEOs and waitstaff, with engineers and artists, with kids and old folks.
11. Classy women are not gullible
You can’t fool a classy woman easily.
Sure, she might not say “Hey, that’s stupid!” when someone says something questionable because she’s polite…but she’d not agree to it either. Or she’d question and disagree in the nicest way possible.
A classy woman is usually very observant, quick-witted, and intelligent.
Before she believes anything, she’d check reliable sources. And even then, she’d still maintain a small amount of doubt.
That’s why you rarely hear fake news, trendy psychobabble, and gossip from a classy woman. She’s not easy to fool…and she doesn’t want to fool others!
12. Classy women don’t simply aim to become classy
No classy woman has a goal to become “classy.”
What I mean is that she doesn’t simply want to impress people so they’ll think she’s sophisticated, smart, and rich. She doesn’t care about any of that!
Her classiness is a byproduct of her way of life and way of thinking.
She has big dreams and she actually lives for something!
Equally important, she wants to enjoy life’s pleasures while pursuing those big dreams. It shows in how she beautifies her home, how she dresses up, and even on how she chooses her shampoo.
But look, brands and price tags don’t matter to a truly classy woman. In fact, a classy woman knows that sporting a logo of a $5k luxury item is a bit tacky. It’s all about good taste, and most of the time it doesn’t have to be expensive.
So if you’re pursuing your dreams with a passion and you enjoy life’s small pleasures, you’re close to becoming a classy woman.
Last Words
Class is something that can never be bought, only cultivated.
Aiming to be one doesn’t make you pretentious or petty. It’s actually admirable to be classy.
And as you can see, all of the items in this list are easy to do. Start by just doing one or two, and pretty soon you’ll consider yourself a woman of class.
Did you like my article? Like me on Facebook to see more articles like this in your feed.
