What is a southern belle?

if you're from the south and lady are you one or is there a racial tinge to this term?What is a southern belle?A Southern Belle is a young woman from the South who is affluent, well dressed, and well mannered. Historically, it could only be applied to White females; but, more recently, the term has evolved and can technically be used to describe any Southern woman. The archetype of the "Southern Belle" was formed in the Old South (aka pre-Confederacy, pre-Reconstruction, pre-twentieth century), which was ruled by morals, a Christian theocracy, strict unwritten social rules and regulations, and - perhaps most importantly - a very class-oriented society much like that of England. The upper class had all of the political power, owned all of the land, and controlled much of the economy; therefore, upper class families were seen by everyone below them as role models, leaders, and in some ways idolized, much like how celebrities today are seen by society. Because of the immense amount of pressure, the men and women of these families were supposed to act as proper as possible according to their genders. In the case of upper class Southern women, they were expected to dress only a certain way, speak only a certain way, stand only a certain way, eat only a certain way, walk only a certain way, look only a certain way, and live their lives only a certain way all in a massive effort to fit a certain mold. All of this proper-ness carried out by the elite women in an attempt to fit that mold led to that mold being called the "Southern Belle" because, first and foremost, they were Southern (because "Northerner" was somehow the epitome of an inferior class), and secondly because they were beautiful ("Belle" is French for "beautiful).What is a southern belle?Usually it's a BBW