Social graces are skills used to interact politely in social situations. They include manners

Manners

In sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which demonstrate that a person is proper, polite, and refined. They are like laws in that they codify or set a standard for human behavior, but they are unlike laws in that there is no formal system for punishing transgressions, the...

, etiquette

Etiquette

Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...

 (the specific accepted rules within a culture for the application of universal manners), deportment and fashion

Fashion

Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...

. These skills were once taught to young women at a finishing school

Finishing school

A finishing school is "a private school for girls that emphasises training in cultural and social activities." The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience, with classes primarily on etiquette...

or charm school. The focus of social graces has changed over the last century, recently with an emphasis on business etiquette and international protocol.

External links

• A Tutorial in Social Graces, Retrieved June 17, 2008
• The Slightly Rude But Much Needed Guide to Social Grace & Good Manners Britiquette Series eBooks (2007).