by Ginger Philbrick
Let’s title this week’s column Addendum #2, it being yet another offering hinging on that pop quiz on manners that I gave you several weeks back. Remember my statement that lipstick may be applied at the meal table, if done unceremoniously?
Subsequent to my remark, a very nice reader sent the following on-line quote from Emily Post: “…putting on lipstick without using a mirror and without fanfare is one grooming ritual that can sometimes be performed in front of others. It’s okay to quickly apply lipstick at the table if you’re with close friends or relatives in a non-business situation, and at a non-deluxe restaurant. Skip anything that involves the use of wands, pencils, or lipstick brushes, though. And when in doubt, don’t do it, such as when you’re at a business meal or with people you don’t know very well.”
I am grateful for the further information!
The second item in this addendum regards the wearing of ball caps. Although not included in the pop quiz, I have been thoroughly advised that it should have been. Therefore, here is a possible question on the subject, true or false—wearing a ball cap in a movie theater is improper?
The general etiquette for both males and females for wearing ball caps is that they be removed in a home, indoors in an office, in places of worship and in stores—except in the halls of a mall. They are also not appropriate in schoolrooms, during the National Anthem and when the flag passes by as in a parade, or in theaters.
So true is the answer to the ball cap question. They should be removed in the movie theater. After all, what good is a fashion statement in the dark?
Ginger Philbrick is the owner of Because You Are Polite LLC. You are invited to email your manners questions to her and she will respond as time and space allow. You may contact her at youarepolite1@gmail.com.
