Late Thursday night, as I was flipping through the channels trying to find something interesting to watch, I came across an old black and white film.

Not usually a fan of the older movies, I found myself intrigued by this one.

I watched as the woman in the film actually pulled a handkerchief from her little bag, which was dangling from her gloved wrist, and dab her tears away very daintily.

After observing that quick scene, I thought to myself-wow, ladies actually were ladies.

If you’re wondering whatever happened to those days, I’ll tell you. Those days are long and gone with the wind, hardly leaving behind any Scarlett O’Haras.

Times are a’changin’ folks, along with the priorities of American women.

Ladies are no longer obliged to stay at home in their pleated skirts and three-inch heels eagerly awaiting their husbands’ return from work with a welcoming pink smile on their lips and his slippers in hand.

Now it’s about throwing on the quickest and most comfortable ensemble, sending the kids to school/daycare, off to work, then either picking something up from the closest fast-food joint or shoving something in the microwave for dinner.

I wondered if most American women aren’t afforded the luxuries of maintaining their feminine qualities or if it’s the fact that they just don’t care anymore.

I realized then, it’s a little bit of both.

It’s 2007, many women are single mothers trying to juggle their careers and make enough money to get their bills paid and their children fed and clothed.

Today’s woman doesn’t have the time to spend a whole day at the beauty salon getting manicured, pedicured and coiffed to perfection because she’s got heavier responsibilities to deal with.

Women are forced to take on more masculine roles being sole breadwinners and trying to be both mother and father to their children.

With so many responsibilities on the woman alone, she isn’t going to have the time or the energy to care about such things, which will seem petty to her when she has mouths to feed.

No doubt about it, with so much placed on women’s shoulders these days, many women in the days to come will become even less and less feminine.