Students of Sts Peter and Paul Preparatory School in St Andrew participate in Girls' Day activities at the institution, last Friday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Fancy teacups and frilly dresses abounded at Sts Peter and Paul on Friday, as little girls, grades 1 to 3, proceeded like Southern belles to a 'tea party' indoors.

The girls, there to learn basic etiquette, made an adorably amusing picture in their attempt to show what they thought of as fashionable ladies attire. Girls were clad in dresses ranging from their Sunday best to silk birthday-party gowns. Some even wore oversized white gloves or fancy church hats borrowed from their mothers!

"Ladies, we are going to a tea party and that means we should be quiet and ladylike," proclaimed Mrs Coretta Johnson. Johnson adopted an ethereal look in a diaphanous white dress with a matching silver head wrap - a vivid contrast to the brown pantsuit she wore while directing the boys in field marches for Boys' Day on Thursday.

Etiquette

"Elbows off the table! Which hand do you use to hold the knife?" The girls learned how to walk and sit as a lady, to applaud delicately, how to eat at a formal dinner, and drink tea from a teacup with "pinky finger up!"

Copies of Oprah's O magazine featuring successful black women were placed at each table, and the girls were asked to "look for pictures of someone in the book who looks like you would want to look". Ironically, most girls picked out pictures of models and actresses, flipping past Beyoncé and Oprah without even a glance. However, a few girls selected women such as Queen Latifah, Janet Jackson, Michelle Obama and Nicole Kidman as potential role models.

The girls at each table were asked, "Why is it important to behave like a lady?" Their answers might surprise you.

"Because if you don't be a lady you won't go to parties and you won't have any friends," said one. "Because you get to wear fancy clothes, go on dates, you get married and you get a nice big house!" said another, to loud giggles.

One group replied with this pearl of wisdom: "It is important to be a lady because you get to pass on moral attitudes and values to others." Other answers were variations on being respected and loved, including, "Ladies should feel good about themselve" and "Ladies should set good examples". A classic funny reply was: "Ladies don't fight like boys, so they don't get lots of cuts!"

Natural development

Teacher Carole Turnbull said: "I think this is just part of their natural development of self-awareness and self-esteem. The earlier they learn, the better."

Johnson said to the girls, "I want you to remember it's okay to be a lady, it's ok to be a girl. Raise your hand if you can act as a lady all the time." All hands went up.

Finally, the girls were given blank 'cheques' and asked to write down the amount they wanted earn when they grew up, "because ladies earn money". Responses ranged from "600 dollars US" to "a million dollars a minute!"