America's New Manners

Arbiter Tish Baldrige charts the changing body language of U.S. culture

1. Eight men and one woman from the same office are riding the elevator back to work after lunch. The woman, naturally, is in the back of the elevator, since the men all stood aside to allow her to enter first. When the elevator door opens on the eighth floor:

a)The men all inhale deeply and, rolling their eyes to the ceiling and fluttering their hands in the vicinity of their heads, attempt to crowd aside so that the one woman, in the fragility of her gender, may exit first, followed by eight men and their dense exhalation of...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!