Among other things, she paid a colossal lot of attention to her appearance. In consequence, her high forehead, thin eyebrows and deadly pale complexion would become a nearly iconic image of royal power and greatness.
How come then that her majesty’s teeth were anything but white? Quite on the contrary, they were evidently blackened and some were even missing. That must have been a rather strange oversight in the meticulously crafted regal portrait. But was it?
The thing is, sugar was highly esteemed in 16-17 century England, and people were literally sugarcoating not only their desserts, but main dishes likewise. That is, if they could afford to purchase the sweet substance. Thus people, who were wealthy enough to buy and consume a sizeable amount of sugar, made it conspicuous by demonstrating their tinted teeth, a status symbol of the time.
Epochs change. Times, superseded, become history. Unaltered remains a deeply rooted desire of people to highlight their social status. Although in different ages and cultures this status-minded impetus has been revealed in an array of ways, it has always been there.
Princess Diana once apparently said, “Parents teach their children not to talk to strangers. However, I teach mine to greet them and talk to them.” What a statement! Obviously, when a royal family member meets a commoner, they simply cannot afford to ignore a more socially humble person. Thus, greeting becomes a sign of greatness…
In the customer service realm, we do realise that clients are to be heartily welcomed. However, haven’t we lost count of those occasions when service staff has miserably failed the task? After all, is this “non-greeting others” problem redeemable here, in Ukraine?
We recently moved to a new office in the centre of Kyiv. Believing in the value of people who I met, I solemnly decided to amiably greet each and every person I should see while entering or leaving the building (which is about fifty people.) Despite a nearly immediate temptation to quit the undertaking or get offended when condescendingly sniffed at, I’ve been going on. And here‘s what I’ve realised.
Ukrainians, being rather rude when compared with Europeans, are not prepared to greet others first. However, when offered a cordial greeting, in most cases they – almost miraculously – soften, occasionally smile and greet you in response. At the end of the day, aren’t we the trendsetters in our vicinity? And isn’t it only royal to greet others?
