I have often wondered whether this isn't something every person should aspire to. Elegance. Just the word conjures up so many thoughts, so many preconceptions. That stagnant belief that elegance died with the likes of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy; that classic, vintage elegance, with their corsets and their crinolines. An entire world away. Or, is this way of thinking too...stereotypical? Is it instead that elegance died with the media-driven revolution we find ourselves drowning in?
But then again, what if this is not the case? Is it possible that those priorities we, as a culture, prided ourselves in for so long, still exist? An underlying current, weaving its way, uncared for and cast aside, through our lives. If elegance still certifies itself within modern day life, it has me wondering; is elegance a way of life, or just a facade? And even then, who is it that defines elegance? Is it a mere personal perception, or is it something more, something that only those far up in the higher echelons of society are permitted to define; your Vogues and your Tatlers, who, with their deadly influence, appear to rule the world.
There seems to be a general, if not slightly bizarre consensus that states the most successful in life are those with two defining qualities that, in the desired circles, cut far above all else: Money and Power. You see them all around, unleashed amongst us unknowing, unsuspecting and unprepared Joe's and Jane's. It seems to have become an undeniable fact of life that being a 'nice' person is, quite simply, no longer enough. The world in all its glory demands more; in order to be noticed nowadays, you need to have something more about you, some quirk or unique characteristic. Not beauty - that can only go so far in separating us. It's that elusiveness, that mirage. Elegance.
And yet...I can't help but be sceptical; these ideals, these artificial oddities that almost all seem to strive for - what, in reality, do they achieve? Aren't they just components of some pre-packed, ready-made form of society? If we're all trying so hard to be different, do we therefore end up the same? What if all you needed to gain that ever sought after mysteriousness is elegance? Would that change the way we view society and its hierarchies? Or is elegance, true elegance, too rare to attain? Perhaps it is a luxury that you can gain and build upon, rather like that of an expensive art collection. Undeniably, an interesting and rather hopeful thought...or, rather, it is merely circumstance that allows one to grow into the highly conceived role of the 'elegant woman'.
But then again, this is after all, life we're talking about. I can't help but come to one slightly disappointing conclusion; maybe, just maybe; elegance is one of those unfair traits that Mother Nature cunningly bestows upon a select few. And as for the rest of us? Well, what can we do but try, try and try again.
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