3 Social Graces Tips

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The following include a few details on Social Graces Tips.

1. Men’s trouser length
2. Lemon for skin stains and cold/cough healing
3. Big mistake many men make when shaking hands

In this short article I will touch on 3 different lessons I teach in my social graces workshop: wardrobe, health and public social graces.

Most of you might ask what does health have to do with social graces. Knowing how to keep you and your family healthy is part of social graces. It was traditionally a woman’s responsibility but in this day and age men and women need to understand how their body works so they can both help in keeping their family healthy. It is hard to be your best when you are ill. I share with you home remedies that everyone should know.

1. Trouser Length

It has been my observation that many men don’t know what length pants to buy. It is way too common to see men in slacks that are too long for them. When the inseam or length of their pants leg is too long it causes the pants leg to bunch up around the ankles and make him look sloppy. If the man is short it makes him look shorter and comical. This is bad for the first impression.

The trouser leg should allow the crease to go all the way down to the shoe and cover almost the whole top of the shoe. There can be a slight break in front just above the shoe but an un-broken crease looks very neat and tailored. The back of the trouser leg should fall to about ¼ to ½ inch from the heel. The side and inseam of your pant should be hanging straight. There should be no folds of fabric around your ankles. (See illustrations)

Best way to find your inseam length is to go to Men’s Warehouse, a department store, or alterations shop and have them measure you. The correct inseam length is measured from your crotch not from your waist. Also, be aware of the shoes you wear with your pants. Each pair of shoes has a different heal height. This is not that important for men since the heal height doesn’t vary too much, this applies mostly to women. Pants leg length is extremely important when wearing a suit. The hem on your pants will make you look neat, confident, tall or short, handsome or clumsy, or silly.

From Universal Code of Conduct Book, Male Attire by Grace Lee

2. Lemon Health Tips

A. Fresh lemon juice can reduce or eliminate some of the dark skin discoloration from your face. Brush your face with a natural brush to exfoliate your skin then wash and dry your face. Put fresh lemon juice all over the stains or discolorations on your face. I cut a lemon in half, wrap them in saran wrap and put them in the refrigerator. Use one wedge at a time and squeeze only what you need on to your hands and spread the juice all over your face. You can add some face cream or natural oils on top of the lemon juice. You can use the same wedge until the juice is gone. It does sting a little, but the results are visible in 2 to 3 days. By the way, most men shave, which helps them keep their skin freshly exfoliated. In Japan women shave their whole face once a month which also helps exfoliate.

B. If you have a cold, allergy, or asthma and have mucus in your lungs, throat and nose do not eat dairy products. Dairy causes more mucus. A lemon, honey and warm water mix is good to soothe the throat and expel mucus. Licorice root tea will also help with expelling the mucus which you can add to the mixture. Actually licorice root has so many good qualities that it should be one of the herbs or teas in your pantry. The Hungarians make the lemon and honey drink with slightly warmed white wine. The Japanese use sake. The sake, honey and lemon drink would knock me out at night when I was a child. It helped me sleep, stopped my coughing and when I got up the next morning the mucus was easy to expel. This works well for adults too.

In “Health is Your Birth Right” by Dr. Ellen Jensen, she explains that licorice is a sweet, very nutritious root that helps to balance the adrenal gland, protect the liver and dispel depression. The root can be chewed during hikes to help maintain energy levels. It also helps smokers kick the smoking habit and not gain weight. People who crave caffeine or sweets or are hypoglycemic can chew on the root as well to eliminate cravings and regulate blood sugar. It contains camphor, and reduces muscle spasms, soothes the digestive tract, helps heal ulcers, relieves nausea and gastritis, and helps ease colitis. Licorice root can also relieve sore throats, allergies, and asthma, help expel mucus, and fight colds, inflammation, and bronchitis. If a person has high blood pressure, they should avoid licorice root. Licorice root is excellent for raising lowered blood pressure. And there’s more, so if you find Licorice as interesting as I do, check out Dr. Jensen’s book page 99.

From Universal Code of Conduct Book, Healthy Bodies by Grace Lee

3. Handshake

All men should always stand when they shake hands. Women in business should stand when they shake hands but it is not necessary for women to stand up in social situations. The Western handshake is about showing power, confidence, strength, respect and willingness to negotiate. You don’t want someone towering over you while you sit, having to look up and shake their hand. You are giving away your power and it's rude. You should stand and look him/her in their eyes.

In Asia greetings have a complete different meaning, it’s all about giving respect. For example, when they press both palms together it means “I bow to you” or “I respect you”.  If their Western handshake is not firm or whimpy don't be fooled into thinking they are weak in any way because if you mess with them they probably can beat you up with their 5th degree black belt in some martial art you never heard of.

From Universal Code of Conduct Book, First Impression by Grace Lee

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT -  LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
February 27, Saturday
Business Etiquette Workshop
Courtyard Marriott, Culver City
For more information, see link below.