Season 4 just ended, and as always, I'm left in a dreamy state. There's something so attractive about Downton Abbey. You can't help but wish to be a part of the British aristocracy and feel pity and admiration for the working class that run the estate. So appreciate PBS's attention to historical detail, capturing the drama that occurred as the world changed its course in the early 1900s.
In Season 4, Episode 5, the Countess of Grantham says to her maid Baxter that she was attending a charity function. When asked what she would like to wear, the Countess said she does not want to make anyone feel bad.
The scene, though minor, caught my attention. It shone light on what we knew but hadn't brought to the forefront of our minds: Image is so important to the aristocracy. What you wear, who you marry, how you talk, what words you say. The package that you present to the social public is important. You have the choice, even if you are of a higher status than the rest, to be thoughtful about what you wear. It was a business decision to make sure that you carry yourself a certain way. It was a way of life.
THE UPPER CLASS IN AMERICA
This sounds shallow to us with a 21st Century American middle class mindset. We value freedom, individuality, being able to be who we want to be.
But the reality is that mindset still exists with us today.
