The modern woman's etiquette

16:25 23 February 2010

Once, etiquette for ladies covered the finer points of social behaviour such as deportment, how to hold cutlery and the correct attire for a cocktail party.

But today's women have a very different set of rules to follow if they are to avoid making a faux pas.

For modern girls, etiquette is about not getting drunk at dinner parties, definitely not kissing the boss if they do and most certainly not then sharing all the lurid details with friends.

Taking a sneaky peek at their partner's text messages, showing their thong above the waistband or having a row in public are also not the done thing for 21st century women.

To ensure you're not getting it wrong, here are the do's and don'ts of modern manners laid out for you plain and simple.

Don't:

• Read your partner's private mobile phone text messages
• Ogle other men in front of your partner
• Discuss intimate details of your sex life with groups of friends
• Shout, scream and argue in public
• Allow your thong to show above your waistband
• Indulge in nude stretching and contortions in gym changing rooms
• Stare at others who are taking a gym class
• Be late for yoga classes
• Kiss the boss, the plumber or anyone else you have a professional relationship with
• Kiss anyone on the lips other than your partner
• Arrive early for dinner parties
• Get drunk at dinner parties
• Answer your mobile phone at the dinner table
• Serve food that has been the subject of a recent scare
• Argue over a bill when eating out
• Read emails over other people's shoulders
• Put anything in an email you would not say to someone's face
• Send group emails to the entire company asking if anyone has seen your hairband
• Snarl if a man offers you his seat on a train

Do:

• Arrive within half an hour of the stated time on a party/dinner invitation
• Be gracious when a man holds open a door for you
• Tell dinner party hosts of any food fads in good time
• Go outside if you want to smoke
• Bring a gift when you're a guest for dinner - wine, chocolates or a food treat
• Turn off your mobile phone, or put the ringer on mute, when in the cinema, theatre or church
• Treat the ex-partners of your husband or lover with exquisite manners
• Wipe down gym exercise machines with towel after use
• Breast feed in public - discreetly
• Scoop after pet poops