ladyness

noun

1. (alt-of, alternative, uncountable)Alternative spelling of ladiness.

   “In those days, most girls in Guangdong and Fujian had bound feet to show their “ladyness”.”

   “It was precisely this labor of performing ladyhood that allowed the dictionary definition of lady to shift from primarily meaning “a woman of high social position” to a “woman who behaves in a polite way.” The shift from position to behavior did not completely unmoor “lady” from race and class hierarchies, but it did require a different set of behaviors and rituals of ladyness in order to maintain those hierarchies.”