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7[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/proper_lady.jpg]]
8
9->''"[The perfect wife] was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She sacrificed daily. [...] Above all, she was pure."''
10-->-- '''Creator/VirginiaWoolf''', "Professions for Women"
11
12What is a Proper Lady? Also known as a "real lady", a "true lady", simply a "lady" or an "angel in the house", she's the perfect lady in the Victorian British mindset. The Proper Lady archetype was widely used in Victorian and earlier literature. Creator/JaneAusten was one of the first authors that introduced such qualities to heroines that did not fit into the strictest view of what is acceptable for a Proper Lady, beginning the slow death of this trope. The last time it was seen alive in the West in a 100% unironic form was around the 1950s into the 1960s. Modern ones are likely to be accused of being too pure or have some quirk or flaw that sets them apart from their predecessors.
13
14A Proper Lady is a gentle yet strong being, [[IncorruptiblePurePureness incorruptible]] and [[ChasteHero pure as the driven snow]], as unlike TheVamp as she comes, and Madonna-like in her virtues. She sacrifices herself for the good of her family, religion, and country. She is intelligent enough to smoothly run a household, and wisely spends her husband's money for the good of her family, never guilty of negligence or selfish frivolity. She possesses the wit, taste, and esprit necessary to be [[{{Socialite}} a star of Society]], and never crosses the border of good taste and civility. She is devoted and loyal, never treacherous or scheming. Her manners are never less than impeccable, and her good will and charity are a beacon to those lucky enough to live around her. She is perfectly groomed, likely [[BeautyEqualsGoodness beautiful]] or at least comely (while the female antagonist will be [[BeautyIsBad more beautiful and appealing]]). However, [[TrueBeautyIsOnTheInside more important than her personal looks is her gentle smile]]. Because small size is endearing (and allows for protective embraces from her lucky husband or fiancé), she will probably be on the shorter side. Chances are that she has [[RavenHairIvorySkin dark hair and fair skin]] or [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold blonde hair]] with [[InnocentBlueEyes blue eyes]] (but in a way that doesn't make her ''too'' attractive). ParasolOfPrettiness is a typical prop.
15
16A Proper Lady might [[DamselInDistress not always be able to defend herself]], but should in most cases possess the strength of mind to not panic, and [[PluckyGirl the willpower]] to never give in to any [[FateWorseThanDeath vile demands]]. If faced with a lethal threat from a vile character, we may see SilkHidingSteel.
17
18She is ''always'' [[BlueBlood upper class]] in the original concept of the trope. Female protagonists from lower class backgrounds, such as peasant girls, tend to follow her ladylike ideals and model their behaviour after her. Princesses might need to go through a [[FallenPrincess humbling procedure]] before they can be PrincessClassic. Proper Lady is nearly always [[{{Housewife}} married, often a mother]]. She might also be a ''redundant woman'' or a [[OldMaid spinster]], in which case she will not be bitter about never getting married, and will instead direct her motherly instincts for the good of [[MaidenAunt her sister's or brother's family]]. Lower class women and maidens can have many qualities of a Proper Lady, and should, per this trope and the ideals behind it, aim to be as like her as possible.
19
20There is no upper age limit to being a Proper Lady. If a lady dies at an advanced age, her death will be dignified, probably caused by old age, and if she [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth dies young]] (of [[VictorianNovelDisease nothing too unsightly]]), it will be a heartbreaking -- but not unredeemed -- tragedy. The void of her absence will affect not only her closest circle but anyone who had the good fortune to be in her presence.
21
22'''Related character tropes''':
23* EnglishRose: An archetypal English woman with similar properties; popular standard for a Proper Lady's looks.
24* EveryProperLadyShouldCurtsy: A greeting showing her femininity.
25* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Shades of violet and lilac are particularly suitable for someone who combines pink femininity, blue wisdom and innocence, and purple regality.
26* GrandeDame: A rare subtype is a mature Proper Lady; even then, she would have been a figure of (good-natured) fun even in Victorian times.
27* TheHighQueen: A character of this archetype who stands at the pinnacle of society.
28* TheIngenue: A Proper Lady in the making, though she is [[VirginTension at risk of being led astray]] by the wrong kind of man.
29* LadyOfAdventure: A Proper Lady (or more likely Spirited Young Lady) combined with GlorySeeker.
30* LadyOfWar: A Proper Lady or Spirited Young Lady combined with ActionGirl.
31* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Virginal before marriage, sexless in marriage, chaste after marriage. If she ''doesn't'' live up to this standard, she [[DefiledForever can never be admitted to the ranks]] of a Proper Lady.
32* MotherhoodIsSuperior: Is a doting (but firm) mother, or aspires to be one, and it's considered the role [[MandatoryMotherhood Providence]] and/or [[AppealToNature her innate nature]] has best prepared her.
33* PinkMeansFeminine: Rose-colored clothing often suits her, though pastel pinks work best on very young women.
34* PrimAndProperBun: A hairstyle to indicate a woman who keeps herself under control.
35* PrincessClassic: Princess counterpart.
36* {{Schoolmarm}}: In the WildWest, most female characters are members of TheOldestProfession. The prim, proper, well-educated schoolmarm is the one exception.
37* SilkHidingSteel: A Proper Lady who is willing and able to take an active role without stepping out of the bounds of 'propriety.'
38* SouthernBelle: Southern USA counterpart. (see ''bonne belle''.)
39* SpiritedYoungLady: A little more spunky; a little less prim.
40* TrueBlueFemininity: Shades of blue mean wisdom, innocence, gentleness, and purity. They also have an association with the Virgin Mary.
41* VirginInAWhiteDress: A color showing her purity.
42* YamatoNadeshiko: The Japanese ([[Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible or at least East Asian]]) version.
43
44'''Other related tropes''':
45* AllWomenArePrudes: All true ladies are free from carnal desire.
46* AngelicBeauty: Is often described in these terms.
47* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Will always be ''extraordinarily'' beautiful ([[MakeupIsEvil naturally, of course]]), or at least conventionally-attractive, for the time and place in which she resides.
48* HeroicSelfDeprecation: ''Always'' puts others' needs before her own, never expects anything in return, or thinks of herself as special for doing it.
49* HystericalWoman: A lady usually has enough dignity to avert this, although she is usually emotional.
50* LieBackAndThinkOfEngland: Originally the only proper way to deal with the wifely duties while not compromising the purity of a lady.
51* TheLostLenore: If her husband outlives her, she will most likely be this to him.
52* NotLikeOtherGirls: Will often be elevated above other girls/women precisely because she meets the standards of a Proper Lady, and they're somehow lacking (not pretty enough, not chaste enough, too flighty or free-spirited, not polite or refined enough, aspires to be something other than a wife and mother, etc.)
53* TheTeetotaler: Drinking is unladylike, therefore she doesn't.
54* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: If and when she dies, this is probably {{invoked|Trope}}.
55* VictorianNovelDisease: This is the way she will die, if she does not simply die of old age or [[DeathByChildbirth as a result of childbirth]].
56* WidowsWeeds: If she gets married and manages to outlive her husband, she will wear this, [[TheMourningAfter often until she herself]] [[TogetherInDeath joins him]]. (In many cases, she would not even ''dream'' of remarrying, or having a romantic or sexual relationship with anyone else.)
57* WomenAreDelicate: Super Trope to Proper Lady.
58
59----
60!!Examples:
61
62[[foldercontrol]]
63
64[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
65%%* Marianne Hamilton, Emma Queensbury, and [[spoiler: Emma's dead older sister aka Francis and Keith's deceased mother]] from ''Anime/AshitaNoNadja''.
66* Elizabeth Middleford wants to be Proper Lady for [[KissingCousins her cousin and fiance]] Ciel in ''Manga/BlackButler''. In the manga [[spoiler:she hides her LittleMissBadass side from him, [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon fearing he'd think she was "uncute"]] and reject her affection (as he was shit scared of her AlmightyMom Frances). This causes her lots of inner pain as she forces herself to hide her strength for Ciel's sake rather than her own...]]
67* Mimosa Vermillion from ''Manga/BlackClover'' is quite ladylike, being a polite and sweet young woman who's also a good cook. Unlike most other royals, who belittle those they see as beneath them, she's kind to almost everyone regardless of their background.
68* ''Manga/{{Claudine}}'': Cécilia is young woman who's intelligence and beauty arouses Claude's affections.
69* Vivi, Sandra, Nadia, Liliya, and Valentine from ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'', and oddly enough all of them also fall under the {{Broken Bird}} trope, to varying degrees. Each girl is portrayed as sweet, loving, pure, gentle, and fragile.
70* ''Manga/EmmaAVictorianRomance'':
71** Emma starts as a poor peasant girl, becomes a flower girl, a maid, and ends up becoming a gentleman's sweetheart. While her background technically prevents her from becoming a true lady in the society's eyes, her angel-like disposition, good education, eventual marriage (although with NouveauRiche) and careful grooming should make her one in all but name.
72** William's mother Aurelia is a weird case. She has the status and loveable nature of a Proper Lady but also lacks the social and entertaining skills she would have needed to appeal to the London society. Despite everything, she is content to attend social life with her husband to make him appear the best he could even while she silently hates the whole thing. A wearying life filled with social obligations, combined with the strain of having children, made Aurelia physically ill. She is saved from the standard tragic death but has to leave London and basically abandon her family in order to save their face.
73* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
74** It presents the mild-mannered Mirajane, who is not only the most feminine member of Fairy Tail but adorable and capable of cooking. [[SilkHidingSteel She runs the guild from behind the scenes and her rank as a mage is Class S.]]
75** Edo-Cana is even more feminine and soft than Mirajane.
76* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
77** Ed and Al Elric's MissingMom Trisha. In all the flashbacks she is sweet and loving to her kids and willing to wait forever for her husband.
78%%** Hughes's wife Gracia and the Armstrongs's little sister Katharine.
79%%* ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}'' has Valentine de Vilefort.
80* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' has [[TokenMiniMoe Liechtenstein]], a YamatoNadeshiko who comes from West/Central Europe rather than East Asia. She's humble, kind, quiet, deferring yet not completely submissive to her brother Switzerland, very mature for a young nation, and quite competent at housework.
81* The {{shoujo}} manga ''Manga/{{Lady}}'' by Creator/YokoHanabusa takes the concept and makes it central to the plot.
82** The main character, Lynn Russell (also known as Rin Midorikawa), is a [[ButNotTooForeign half-Japanese and half-English]] girl from TheRoaringTwenties; after her Japanese mother [[YamatoNadeshiko Misuzu]] dies in an accident [[HeroicSacrifice while protecting]] [[MamaBear her]], little Lynn decides to honor her via becoming this.
83** Her paternal half-sister [[CoolBigSis Sarah Russell]] is on her way to becoming one as well. She got this from ''her'' MissingMom, Frances.
84* As the title may indicate, ''Anime/LadyJewelpet'' takes place in an institute that teaches girls how to be this trope. Results vary.
85* A few girls in ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena''. The series plays around with this trope a lot. Utena's not one but once tries to act like one after Touga defeats her and she temporarily loses Anthy... yet not only it's very forced, but she's only using a part of the whole concept (being passive and ladylike, but not applying the SilkHidingSteel).
86* ''Anime/{{Windaria}}'' has Alan's HouseWife Marie, a grand example of an honest and wholesome young lady. She also helps him sell their vegetables at market.
87* ''Manga/TheWitchAndTheBeast''. Pretty much nearly any female character is this, even ''Guideau'' dresses up quite nicely. Given the period the [[Main/TheRoaringTwenties world is meant to be set in,]] it is no surprise.
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Arts]]
91* ''Art/TheMonaLisa'': The {{painting|s}} is the emblem of the proper lady, and the ability of a woman to moderate and hide her expressions in social situations.
92* ''Art/SevenVirtues'': All the figures are women who embody the Christian core virtues, so they're proper ladies by default. This characterization can also be seen in the elegant way they sit, their immaculate clothing, and how all barring "Hope" bear serious, composed expressions on their face.
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:Comic Books]]
96* Obscure 1950s superheroine Tomboy's SecretIdentity was "perfect little lady" Janie Jackson.
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Fan Works]]
100* In ''Fanfic/TheFledglingYear'', ActionGirl[=/=]OneOfTheBoys Aravis invokes this trope when she slips into her persona as a [[BlueBlood Tarkheena]]. This provokes very entertaining reactions from everyone who didn’t expect her to be capable of such suave formality and politesse.
101* Moana Dixon in ''Fanfic/TheMiraculousAdventureOfTessaAndLunala'' and ''Fanfic/TheLiloAdventures'' fits the trope. She is known for her courage and kindness, but she does have a flamboyant side to her.
102** Another main character, Brianna, also fits the trope pretty well. Like Moana, she has a kind personality and proper manners. She does get angry on some occasions, and she freaks out several times, first shown when [[spoiler: Ash, Serena, Blake and Jasmine learn her father's identity]].
103* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' has a couple, even though the story doesn't say anything about their marital status.
104** [[TheHighQueen Celestine]] is praised by commoner and noble alike for her warmth and humility towards her people. Even TheCynic Kyril sees her as "pure", though he does note that her [[BeautyEqualsGoodness beauty and grace]] put her on a pedestal, attracting many who admire her for the wrong reasons. Her distain for gaudiness and extravagance compliments her vision for prosperity and peace for all people. Both versions of the story have at least one moment that showcases her resolution and strength of mind to resist panicking (e.g., leaving her palace to experience the chaos in her city in the original version, and her confrontation with [[RatMen The Rat]] in the remastered version).
105** Prim is a shy, demure PrincessClassic so unironic that she would get along with her [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] counterparts. Apart from being the only female character that's described by the narration as [[DelicateIsBeautiful "delicate"]], the increased characterisation in the remastered version accentuates her sharp mind, thoughtfulness, and belief in the good in the sinister, DarkIsNotEvil stranger that is [[NinetiesAntiHero the Hunter]].
106[[/folder]]
107
108[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
109* Victoria from ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'' is a rare clean-cut modern example without parody or deconstruction. With the PerfectlyArrangedMarriage, you just know how devoted a wife she will be for lucky, lucky Victor. She seems nothing but a sweet young girl, determined to help him when he's troubled. Emily the Corpse Bride is her more enthusiastic counterpart.
110* Sally from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' fits this trope pretty well. She has the modest, feminine personality and attire, and is domestic and sensible. She's a leaf-filled [[RobotGirl patchwork doll]] with stitches all over her body and puts deadly nightshade in her creator's food and drink to get out of the house, which gives her shades of being more determined and shows she has a great desire to be free.
111* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon:
112** ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'': Snow White, the first and fairest of them all, stands out as her feminine traits like domesticity and sweetness are emphasized, and thus she is the quintessential example in Disney canon.
113** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'': The title character is gentle, submissive, and even when her stepmother forces her to become a servant in her own house, remains stoic and gracious.
114** ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'': Aurora is elegant, quiet, dutiful and obedient, including following her fairy godmother's command that she can't marry the man she loves and must return to her life as a princess.
115** ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats'':
116*** Duchess is a regal, wealthy cat of refinement and good manners, but takes her adventures well and stays level-headed.
117*** Her daughter, Marie, tries hard to be one, but with her proud attitude, it doesn't always work.
118*** Their sophisticated widowed owner, Madame Bonfamille, is very proper as well.
119** Queen Elinor from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' is refined, feminine and stops brawls through quiet dignity and a few careful words rather than with confrontation. A big part of the plot is fueled by her [[WantedAGenderConformingChild attempts to turn her daughter, Merida, into this]].
120---> '''Elinor:''' A lady enjoys elegant pursuits/rises early/does not stuff her gob/does not place her weapons on the table.
121** After learning to control her powers, Elsa from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' is collected and poised enough to eventually be TheHighQueen. In ''Literature/ASisterMoreLikeMe'', she enjoys keeping things clean and neat, and intellectual pursuits such as geometry.
122%% * Lady from ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp''... well, they didn't name her for being a [[TheLadette hardcore tomboy]].
123%% * [[WesternAnimation/PeterPan Wendy]] and [[WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland Alice]] are both very well-behaved, polite little English Roses, but [[SilkHidingSteel they both have steel thorns.]]
124%%
125%% If you add context to these to examples, please fix also the example indentation.
126%%
127* ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'':
128** Maria's father wants her to become this, hence sending her to study abroad at a Spanish convent, so she would stop causing trouble in San Angel. Luckily for San Angel, it didn't work, and she comes back a full-fledged badass.
129** La Muerte is poised, elegant, kind, and thoughtful.
130* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Ming carries herself in a traditional, sophisticated, and orderly fashion. She does the same in all areas of her life, including maintaining the temple and raising her child.
131[[/folder]]
132
133[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
134%% * Evey from ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy'' is a very prim, sensible EnglishRose.
135%%% ZCE are not allowed. Needs more context, but she sounds more like a LadyOfAdventure.
136* ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' deconstructs this with Lucille Sharpe, who at first glance fits the trope perfectly: she's poised, elegant, intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful, and skilled at running a household. She has appropriately feminine interests- piano and butterfly-collecting -and as a 36-year-old spinster, seems to have devoted herself to ensuring the success of her brother's business. She acts as an emotional rock for him, sacrifices her comfort for him, and pays solicitous attention to his new bride. ...but then it turns out that [[spoiler: she and said brother have been in an incestuous relationship since childhood and they're running a Bluebeard plot that's already claimed three innocent women.]]
137* ''Film/{{Hysteria|2011}}'': Thoroughly deconstructed. Emily Dalrymple channels this Victorian ideal of a properly feminine woman. She is a rather capable mistress of her widowed father's household and agrees to marry her father's young assistant so that his successful medical clinic could stay in the family even though she loves him more like a friend or a brother. Later she admits that she behaved like her father had expected her to behave, and she wants to be more true to herself and behave more freely.
138* ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'': Much to their surprise, the recruits of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League are mandated to take classes at charm and beauty school ("Every girl in this league is going to be a lady"). More of a brief joke than a real plot element, since it never explicitly shows up afterwards - thus largely inverting the trope - but the absurdity of the scene is palpable.
139* ''Film/MissMeadows'': Miss Meadows comes across as one. She's kind, self-assured, caring for others, intelligent and always quite genteel. Subverted in that she's troubled [[spoiler:(to the point of limited delusions)]] from a very traumatic past, she sleeps with Mike after a very short time in their relationship, and, of course, the whole "deadly vigilante" thing.
140[[/folder]]
141
142[[folder:Literature]]
143* The lady addressed/discussed in Coventry Patmore's 1854 poem ''The Angel in the House''. This work [[TropeNamer named the ideal]] for the Victorian era.
144* ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind'':
145** Melanie Wilkes. She's gentle, prim, selfless, and when push comes to shove she shows she [[BewareTheNiceOnes has will and guts to protect those near and dear to her]]. Even the feisty Scarlett who originally disliked her comes to love and miss her. Rhett Butler claims to respect Melanie deeply.
146** Scarlett's dead mother is an {{invoked}} example. She's a never-attainable ideal for Scarlett who knows her temperament and pride will never allow her to become like her mother. From how the family and especially her husband Gerald function (they don't, really) when she's gone it's quite clear she was the pillar of the household. Even some of the slaves say they miss her dearly.
147* Hortense in ''Literature/SmallIsland'' thinks this is how all British women of any class act, but takes it to such an extent that British people think she's weird.
148* From Creator/CharlesDickens:
149** Esther Summerson from ''Literature/BleakHouse'' is a Victorian English specimen. She's kind, modest, sensible, and domestically competent; however, she's also a deconstruction of the trope, as her extreme humility seems to be in part the result of an emotionally abusive upbringing by most modern standards. She could also [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation be interpreted as]] just [[ExploitedTrope pretending to be one as a cover]] for her own management skills: she takes control over situations or exerts authority over people while presenting herself as modest, unassuming, etc.
150** Amy Dorrit from ''Literature/LittleDorrit'' is a reconstruction, since her father is a former gentleman in debtor's prison who insists on his children's "gentility" while mooching and sponging off all and sundry. Despite her father's twisting of the ideal, Amy upholds true nobility of soul and ends the novel a figure of quiet purity and strength.
151** Agnes Wickfield from ''Literature/DavidCopperfield'' is beautiful, loving, caring and good enough to qualify for IncorruptiblePurePureness. She's perfect and gets called an angel many, many times. She keeps her father Mr. Wickfield's house, she's immensely patient with everybody and wise beyond her years. She is self-sacrificing and supports her father who is fixated on her. She's the woman who keeps her husband's house peaceful and calm while he goes out into the world to have adventures. Her support is what enables David to get the happy family life he has always wanted (after she was forced to listen about his other loves and crushes -- without a hint of resentment). The problem with Agnes's character is that she doesn't appear to want or do ''anything'' for herself. Everything she does is for others' happiness.
152%% * Katy in the ''Literature/WhatKatyDid'' novels by Susan Coolidge is a TomBoy who learns to be a Proper Lady. The one who teaches her to be this is her cousin Helen; she mixes this, CoolBigSis... and DelicateAndSickly.
153* Creator/JaneAusten's novels:
154** Fanny Price subverts this trope in ''Literature/MansfieldPark''. She's a girl from a poor family but adopted and brought up by wealthy genteel family. She is extremely gentle, passive and the doormat of almost everybody around her until they try to force her into marrying the man she doesn't love. Her firmness on this point makes her not quite a true lady, as her uncle spells out:
155--->'''Sir Thomas''': I had thought you peculiarly free from wilfulness of temper, self-conceit, and every tendency to that independence of spirit which prevails so much in modern days, [[PluckyGirl even in young women]], and which in young women is offensive and disgusting beyond all common offence. But you have now shewn me that you can be wilful and perverse; that you can and will decide for yourself, without any consideration or deference for those who have surely some right to guide you, without even asking their advice. [[HiddenDepths You have shewn yourself very, very different from anything that I had imagined.]]
156** ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'''s Jane Bennet, the eldest daughter of a land-owning gentleman. She stubbornly believes the best of everyone, everyone loves her for her sweetness, and she's the only one with enough patience to put up with her perpetually querulous mother. But, like Fanny, in addition to being beautiful and kind, she's also intelligent, rational, and sensible.
157** ''Literature/{{Emma}}'':
158*** Emmas's older sister Isabella (Mrs. John Knightley) is a sweet, beautiful and elegant woman, an affectionate mother, wife, sister and daughter, and a perfect hostess. She quite fulfills the role of "angel of the house" as she never disagrees with her husband. Her brother-in-law Mr. Knightley admits that compared to Emma, Isabella's not that interesting and knows that Emma is far more intelligent.
159*** Jane Fairfax is of the same age as Emma and comes from the same neighbourhood and a suitable family. Everybody expects that they should be friends, but Jane is almost too proper if you ask Emma. She's beautiful, intelligent, accomplished and gentle, and seems to be admired by everybody. Emma thinks she should be friendlier and livelier, and Mr. Knightley owns that Jane doesn't have an open temper.
160* ''Literature/LittleWomen'':
161** Margaret aka Meg, Beth's eldest sister who plays TeamMom ''and'' Proper Lady to her three little sisters (shy Beth, SpiritedYoungLady Jo, and SpoiledBrat Amy) and her friends (the SpoiledSweet, but borderline [[BrainlessBeauty Brainless Beauties]] Annie and Belle).
162** Elizabeth "Beth" March evolves into Proper Lady in the second part of the book, [[spoiler: before dying.]] May have taken after her mother, Margaret aka Marmee. She's very selfless and self-sacrificing, almost angelic.
163** The girls' mother is a Proper Lady after having been more HotBlooded in her youth. Her wisdom and strong will are emphasized more than humility and kindness.
164%%** In ''Little Men'', Meg's daughter Margaret "Daisy" Brooke fits as well.
165%% * Subverted with Maud Lilly from ''Literature/{{Fingersmith}}'', who is ''supposed'' to be this but hides a dark secret.
166%% * Sophie in the Literature/AubreyMaturin series, contrasted with her SpiritedYoungLady cousin Diana.
167%% * Mrs. Ramsay from Virginia Woolf's novel ''To the Lighthouse''.
168%% * ''Literature/HandsHeldInTheSnow'': Emi L'Hime subverts this trope by being an [[CuteClumsyGirl socially awkward]], [[BrattyTeenageDaughter emotional]] mess, but she at least manages to but up the [[AloofDarkHairedGirl appearance]] of properness.
169* ''Literature/RascalDoesNotDreamOfBunnyGirlSenpai'': Consider female protagonist Mai Sakurajima. [[YamatoNadeshiko Elegant and ladylike]], [[BrainyBrunette smart]], [[HeroicSacrifice self-sacrificing]], {{incorruptible|PurePureness}}, [[UndyingLoyalty loyal]], [[SilkHidingSteel gentle yet strong]], [[MyGirlIsNotASlut even chaste and had never had a boyfriend before Sakuta]]. Yes, while she and Sakuta ''do'' have their playful mutual teasing, Mai is an [[BeautyEqualsGoodness inside-out beauty]], pure-hearted, and immensely kind and selfless, fitting to a T.
170** For the same reasons, also paragon of kindness Shoko Makinohara qualifies. She's the one who taught kindness to Sakuta from the beginning, after all, and also his first LoveInterest. Seems the guy HasAType, after all.
171* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': The female characters of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' are portrayed as HumansAreFlawed, especially the POV characters. Sansa is a deconstruction. She's a lord's daughter and very often channels PrincessClassic. She is very good at all things proper for a Westerosi noble girl at her age and is a sweet girl. This is part of the reason for conflict with her tomboyish [[SiblingYinYang sister Arya]]. However, she is also painfully naive, ThinksLikeARomanceNovel and WrongGenreSavvy. Under adversity she learns hard and slow.
172* Maria Clara de los Santos, the female lead and LoveInterest in [[UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} Filipino national hero Jose Rizal]]'s novel ''Literature/NoliMeTangere'', is promoted as such. Being religious, the epitome of virtue, “demure and self-effacing” and endowed with beauty, grace, and charm, she was promoted by Rizal as the “ideal image” of a Filipino woman who deserves to be placed on the “pedestal of male honor” (and she apparently was an {{expy}} or Rizal's real-life love, Leonor Rivera). Modern readers and authors, however, have noted the ValuesDissonance since poor Maria Clara also was "chaste, masochistic and easily fainting", calling her the "greatest misfortune that has befallen the Filipina in the last one hundred years".
173* ''Literature/InDeath'': Played with. Dr. Mira seems to give this off like pheromones. However, it was revealed early on that she had been raped by her stepfather, and she turns out to have flaws. Clarissa Price is a social worker in the story ''Purity In Death'', who is lady-like and beautiful, which seems odd, considering that she works in a job that usually puts lines on someone's face. However, it turns out that she has failed to dot her I's and cross her T's, as well as being a party to murder, but she certainly suffered a VillainousBreakdown when Eve showed pictures of a teenaged girl who was essentially murdered by the terrorists Price was working for. Avril from ''Origin In Death'' starts off like this. However, she ends up murdering her own husband and helps in murdering people connected to him. Why? Because she is a clone created by her husband and his father, and while she would have lived with that, she found out that her husband had broken his promise to not clone their children (he was treating them as things to be replaced rather than human beings), and so she decided to go MamaBear on him and his little science project.
174* ''Literature/{{Hopscotch}}'': Gekrepten, Oliveira's wife/girlfriend/whatever back in Argentina. She immediately accepts him after running away to Paris and never complains the fact that he stays all day at her place, never working. Heck, she even takes care of him after the trap incident. Subverted in that, no matter what she does, Horacio will never respect, care or love her because she isn't as intelligent/interesting as La Maga or Talita.
175%%* Elizabeth Pennykettle from ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'' is a perfect example of this trope. She's also the resident TeamMom and IncorruptiblePurePureness. Plus, she's a good cook.
176%%* Esme Cullen from ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', also the TeamMom.
177* ''Literature/OneHundredYearsOfSolitude'': The matriarch of the family, Úrsula Iguaran, is a subversion. She is very devoted to her family, but also [[AlmightyMom extremely stubborn and more than capable of standing up to her husband/children/descendants]], even if she has to hit them (as she did to Arcadio) or mouth them off roughly (to both José Arcadio Buendia or Colonel Aureliano).
178%%** Little Remedios and Santa Sofía de la Piedad from . Little Remedios mixes this and GenkiGirl.
179%%* Lady Rowena from ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'' is seen as this by readers. She's more of a WellExcuseMePrincess, actually.
180* Comes up in ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', a RomanceNovel with [[StereotypeFlip inverted]] gender roles. As a noble and a cousin to the royal princesses, Cullen Moorland is expected to be one of these, and he plays the part well, but he finds the expectations for being a proper young man to be boring and stifling, and he desperately envies [[SpiritedYoungLady Jerin]].
181* Adele Ratignolle from Kate Chopin's novel ''Literature/TheAwakening''. Her submissiveness and devotion to her family and husband make her a {{foil}} to the protagonist Edna. Adele is extremely sweet, feminine, and fragile. However, Adele Ratignolle's open-minded Creole ways help Edna to unleash her inner self and the artist in her.
182* Sidonie "Sido" De VilleDuval from ''Literature/TheRedNecklace''. Sido is a shy, compassionate girl who is very loyal to her father even though he ignores and mistreats her constantly. Her sweet nature wins over most anyone.
183* ''Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt'' has two examples of this.
184** Sofia Löwenström in ''Literature/{{Overenskommelser}}'' is beautiful and demure and flawless, thus basically perfect according to the standards of the 1880s.
185** Venus Dag och Natt in "De skandalösa" is a 17th-century version of this, and she's beautiful, demure and near-flawless. Subverted, as she turns out to be gay, which would have been a negative trait and move her far from the ideal of femininity in her era.
186%% * Jessamine Lovelace from ''Literature/TheInfernalDevices''. Strives to be this. She fails because of her attitude.
187* Lissa Dragomir from ''Literature/VampireAcademy'' is gentle, strong-willed, a {{Socialite}}, is loyal to the people she cares about, has proper manners, is kind-hearted and beautiful, and is naturally upper-class.
188* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Women of the Vorin religion are expected to be controlled, quiet, and [[HigherEducationIsForWomen scholarly]]. The vast majority of Vorin scholars are women, with the only men being ardents (who are legally genderless). The traditional Vorin dress is the havah, which is form-fitting like a UsefulNotes/{{qipao}} but without any skin showing. One of the oddities of Vorinism is that women are supposed to keep their left hands hidden at all times in a sleeve. This "safehand" is not supposed to be used for anything, so the more higher-class women become very good at only using their right hands. Peasant women just wear a glove.
189* ''Literature/OfFireAndStars'': Mare thinks of Dennaleia as this, and it fits her. Dennaleia is a demure, genteel NiceGirl who's 16, a PrincessClassic strongly motivated to help others who is always well groomed in beautiful dresses, with dark hair and fair skin.
190[[/folder]]
191
192[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
193* ''{{Series/Dates}}'': Erica is a very elegant, reserved and genteel woman, aside from when she's drunk, which loosens her up a bit. It's indicated that she struggles with this, since her family won't accept her being lesbian, while expecting her to sacrifice true love for them by getting with a man. She finally stops being this and does what she wants, pursuing a romance with another woman.
194* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'':
195** The Right Honourable Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, the wife of Lord Grantham. She's graceful, intelligent and compassionate and she could be an EnglishRose...[[{{Irony}} if she wasn't born American]]. She was born into a wealthy American family. Robert married her for her dowry to save his estate, NobilityMarriesMoney-style, but he fell in love with her later on.
196** Matthew's RomanticFalseLead in season 2, Lavinia, with her kind, ladylike attitude. She makes a few FeeFiFauxPas, but just because she belongs to high bourgeoisie rather than nobility.
197* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
198** Catelyn Stark is an example of this. She is an impeccable host, she's graceful, intelligent and wise, despite the fact that she can make wrong choices and say the wrong thing as much as the next person.
199** Sansa Stark initially aspires to be polite and courteous, partaking in activities like embroidery and happily going along with her ArrangedMarriage, especially compared to her tomboy sister Arya. However, she lacks the poise and wisdom usually associated with this trope. She moves closer to this trope again in later seasons, but with an underlying steeliness and ruthless edge.
200** Both subverted and played straight with the women of House Tyrell. Margaery largely presents as the ideal woman valued by her society, but is able to leverage that perception to effect masterful political manipulations. Her grandmother Oleanna also superficially presents as properly feminine, but is extremely politically astute and has zero qualms taking the piss out on anyone, including her own family and social superiors.
201* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Deconstructed with Alicent Hightower. A graceful, wise, and kind highborn lady, she initially fits this trope to a tee. However, she ends up being betrothed to a much older man that she does not love, becoming a BabyFactory whose sole purpose is to produce heirs for the realm, all while seeing her best friend-turned-stepdaughter indulge in scandalous but exciting affairs. Alicent does ''not'' follow in her footsteps, remaining a faithful wife and mother, but the experience turns her into a bitter and cynical WickedStepmother who willingly participates in the coup her family instigates to install her son to the throne.
202%% * ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'':
203%% ** Queen Guinevere: subverted in the sense that Guinevere was originally a servant girl but in terms of her personality, she fits this trope.
204%% ** Princess Mithian who has a touch of the TomboyPrincess about her.
205* ''Series/TheMysticKnightsOfTirNaNog'': Largely inverted with Princess Deirdre of Kells. Even as a child, she loathed traditionally feminine skills (such as playing the harp). While she can certainly be polite and has no conflict with wearing full-length gowns on formal occasions, she is much more concerned with her kingdom and its people than presenting a “proper” facade. Not only can she fight as well as any man, she has zero qualms about stating her opinion and calling out others on their bullshit.
206* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Mrs. Conklin fulfills this role. She's the kindly, intelligent and dignified wife of Mr. Conklin.
207* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': Amanda Grayson (aka Spock's mother) pretty much always wears nice dresses and carries herself in a refined and dignified manner, which is constant for [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries all]] [[Film/StarTrek2009 her]] [[Series/StarTrekDiscovery portrayals]]. Fitting, given that she's the wife of Ambassador Sarek and would thus be expected to fill this role.
208* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In the episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E20WhatIsAndWhatShouldNeverBe "What Is And What Should Never Be"]], Mary from 'wishverse' is portrayed as incredibly gentle and devoted, appearing as a Madonna-like character.
209* ''Series/UpstairsDownstairs'':
210** Lady Marjorie is adored by her husband and servants, and a Proper Lady through and through. Her saintliness is tarnished only by a short affair she was quick to regret. Also gets a tragic death. Of course, after she dies, everything starts to slowly fall to pieces.
211** Hazel Bellamy is a steel core lady, very refined and composed, although not of genteel pedigree. A rare example of a Proper Lady who has ever actually done working class work.
212[[/folder]]
213
214[[folder:Music]]
215* Music/TomJones' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIfxBthfFkg "She's a Lady"]] seems to describe this sort of woman. She's got style, she's got grace, always something nice to say and so on.
216[[/folder]]
217
218[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
219* The [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Ancient Greek]] concept of ''arete'' (virtue/excellence) as applied to women matches all the values of the Proper Lady, making this OlderThanFeudalism.
220** Odysseus' wife Penelope from the ancient epic ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' was presented as the UrExample. Domestic and beautiful, she has stayed faithful to Odysseus, waiting for him for twenty years.
221** Queen Theatre/{{Alcestis}}, the only one brave and loving enough to offer ''her own life'' in exchange for her husband Admetus'. Luckily for her, Admetus happened to have an old friend named [[WorldsStrongestMan Heracles]], who offered to bring her back from the Underworld... and did so [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu by wrestling]] TheGrimReaper.
222%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** Hera/Juno's sister [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hestia Hestia/Vesta]], [[VirginPower virgin]] goddess of households and families, seems to be more of the real deal.
223* The [[UsefulNotes/TheVirginMary Virgin Mary]] is presented as the epitome of this trope, she being the perfect mother figure (indeed, the mother of Jesus Himself and [[TeamMom spiritual mother]] to all His followers) and all. She's presented as [[BeautyEqualsGoodness beautiful and graceful]], humble, chaste, wise, and altruistic. She is held up as the perfect woman, and many Christian girls (especially Catholic ones) as well as Muslim girls, are encouraged to be more like her. Many female Catholic saints also qualify, although many others are subversions. Notably, along with the Virgin Mary, they were an important part of forming this ideal.
224[[/folder]]
225
226%% [[folder:Oral Tradition]]
227%% [[/folder]]
228
229[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
230* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': While the Archangel Blandine takes on many different forms, all are regal, beautiful and dignified women of some variety, and even in less human forms she keeps up her nurturing and reserved demeanour.
231[[/folder]]
232
233[[folder:Theater]]
234* ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'' and the later version ''Theatre/MyFairLady'' are about attempting to groom a poor girl into a lady. It works rather well -- except that the girl also gains enough dignity and self-respect that she walks out. In the play ''Pygmalion'', she never comes back.
235%%* Tzeitel from ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof''.
236[[/folder]]
237
238[[folder:Video Games]]
239%%%* Schala in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', and Riddel in both ''VisualNovel/RadicalDreamers'' and its SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/ChronoCross''.
240* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': Flora/Nera is a model maiden: demure, compassionate, good with children and animals... and she is scion of an ancient aristocratic family. Unusually, for once, her type is significantly less popular among the Japanese fanbase than her romantic rival, largely due to the Guilt-Based Gaming of the original version.
241%% ** In contrast, Debora mentions she refuses to become a "proper lady".
242%%* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': Princess Sarah of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' is the first in a long line of beautiful, noble princesses. She always wears gold dresses and has HairOfGoldHeartOfGold.
243* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' has the trope discussed in a few support conversations, notably between Eliwood and Lyn, and between Louise and Rebecca. Lyn confides to Eliwood that the chancellor in Caelin Castle doesn't think she acts enough like a noble lady, and hoped that she could meet somebody who could teach her. Meanwhile, Rebecca wants to be more graceful and elegant for the person she likes, so she asks Louise how to be a proper lady. In both cases, they're told to just [[BeYourself be the way they are]] instead of trying to change.
244* Some of the MultipleEndings in the ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker'' franchise, if your daughter's skills fall on the domestic side (high conversation, temperance, cooking, and cleaning). Specially obvious in the "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/housewife_9300.jpg homemaker]]" ending, but also invoked in the "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tutor_8353.jpg tutor]]", "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nursemaid_5061.jpg babysitter]]", "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/millionaire_wife_8094.jpg millionaire's wife"]], "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/merchant_wife_9283.jpg merchant's wife]]", "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maid_1341.jpg maid]]" and "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queen_4421.jpg Queen Consort]]" ones.
245%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** The Queen of the land in PM 2 is an older version of the trope. In fact, to meet her you must have ''very'' high temperance, which is obtained only through housework.
246%%** Marthia, who crosses it with ShrinkingViolet.
247* Subverted with Akatsuki in ''VideoGame/KanColle''. Her insistence on being treated like a proper lady has the opposite effect of making her looking childish instead.
248* In ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'', Mariele is the classy wife of Mayor Myer, and while her fancy upbringing has made her [[TheKlutz exceptionally clumsy]], her love for Moonbury Town is undeniable.
249[[/folder]]
250
251[[folder:Web Comics]]
252* ''Webcomic/NoRestForTheWicked'': Perrault disbelieves November because such [[Webcomic/NoRestForTheWicked a refined young lady could hardly come through]] the forest untouched.
253[[/folder]]
254
255[[folder:Western Animation]]
256* ''WesternAnimation/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays'': [[CanonForeigner Belinda Maze]] is not only a Victorian lady, but she's also devoted to her beloved Phileas Fogg and certainly nicer than her rotten uncle Lord Maze.
257* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicRarity Rarity]] believes herself to be this, and certainly acts the part in high society. It's the things she does around her friends and threats to them that [[NotSoAboveItAll prevent her from really living up to this ideal]].
258* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': The episode "My Fair Goalie" has [[Characters/PhineasAndFerbCandaceFlynn Candace Flynn]] demands to her English cousin Eliza train her in the basics of being a proper lady, to which the Englishwoman reluctantly approves. She reverts back to being her usual self at the end.
259* The Pixie Tune in ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub''. She holds the image of a 'perfect lady' in the way she talks and acts proper just like a lady should. Ironically, she is the bonded pixie of Musa, the {{Tomboy}} member of the Winx.
260[[/folder]]
261
262[[folder:Real Life]]
263* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Elisabeth_of_Hesse_and_by_Rhine_(1864-1918) Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine]], the beautiful and pious sister-in-law to Czar Nicholas II. When her husband Sergei was brutally assassinated, she didn't hold a grudge against his killers and pardoned them publicly before becoming a nun and selling all of her jewelry to use the money for charity. She was later assassinated during the Russian Revolution and was raised to sainthood in the Russian Orthodox Church as a holy martyr.
264* An agency in London gave lessons on how to be a Proper Lady called the "Princess Prep" workshop.
265* Princess Alice, the third of UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria and Prince Albert's nine children, was beloved by her family for her selfless and considerate nature. When Albert died of typhoid fever, Victoria was thrown into deep mourning from which she never completely recovered, and it was Alice who took over many of the details of the royal household; one of Victoria's courtiers even referred to the princess in writings as "the angel in the house."
266* [[UsefulNotes/DianaPrincessOfWales Lady Diana Spencer]], still known as "Princess Diana" by people who like her (which is ''a lot''), was a [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zagged example]]. She was accepted as a member of UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily because of her proper behavior and manners, but after her marriage to [[UsefulNotes/CharlesIII Prince Charles]], she showed some harmless rebellious streaks such as disobeying some of the Royal fashion rules. However, in the end, she did remain a proper lady and a great mother.
267[[/folder]]
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