Ask a Southern Lady

Dear Southern Lady,

Is the American South a bad place for women? What can a woman hope to become in such a male dominated society?

Feminist in the North


Dear Feminist,

The Lady isn’t sure what all Southern women aspire to become, but she does know what they should aspire to become and that is a Southern Matriarch. Anthropologists will tell you that true matriarchies are rare and there could be some truth to this if you happen to be male. You see, the thing is, when women are in charge people either aren’t aware of it or won’t admit it.

There is in the American South a number of elderly women who sit upon a throne of sorts and rule the general area through their children. These children might not know it, and probably would never admit it if they did, but only in the American South will you find successful, intelligent men and women insisting that they consult “MaMa” before making any big decisions. They may grumble about it; they may call her controlling and manipulative but, in the end, everyone defers to MaMa because she is the boss and has been from the time they teethed on beef jerky. That is real power.

Maternally yours,
TSL