I went to private school on the Upper East Side and have spent my fair share of time among "high society" (think old-money, preppy types with country homes in Connecticut and kids at Exeter or Le Rosey); in my humble opinion, Anna Bey has the elegance level of a high-end escort, and would be outed as a social climber and gold digger very quickly if she were to try and actually penetrate wealthy social circles. I'm almost angry at her for scamming young, naive girls out of their money with her "online finishing school", but I'm also too impressed by her success to knock the hustle.
My main criticism of her ethos is that for someone so seemingly concerned about "classiness", she is remarkably uncultured and superficial: scrolling through her Youtube videos, I see dozens of videos about what "elegant ladies never wear", but nothing about improving one's social skills, becoming more well-read, or any other elements of appearing and acting elegant. A few things that she could mention that would make me take her more seriously:
Physical grace: having good posture, fluid movements, and a calm, composed demeanor. Sports that involve high levels of balance and coordination are great for developing this—think ballet, skiing, horseback riding, fencing—as well as anything that involves holding poses and being still for extended periods of time (art modeling, meditation, yoga, etc). I could make an entire post about grace and mannerisms, but I'll save it for a later day.
Intellect and wit: I think Anna forgets that wealthy men (the respectable ones, at least) do not only marry for beauty, but also for personality and intelligence, so being articulate, educated, and able to keep up with intellectual conversation is essential. In terms of one's voice, pitch and timbre matter less than speaking slowly and precisely, eliminating excessive use of filler words (like, um, you know, etc.), and having a wide vocabulary.
Sophistication and worldliness: keeping up with current affairs, knowing how to pronounce the names of dishes at French/Italian/Japanese/etc. restaurants, being multilingual (which also has the added benefit of helping one become more purposeful with grammar and word use in their native language). Becoming a patron of the arts by attending gallery openings, museums, poetry readings, and concerts. Developing an appreciation for different cultures, and learning about their history, politics, food, and traditions.
Etiquette: not the silly, trivial rules around passing salt or the like, which have mostly fallen out of favour anyways, but knowing how to incorporate new people into a conversation, treating those in service positions kindly, and being a gracious, welcoming hostess.
TL;DR: She's a fraud. And, yes, her transformation could have been a lot more tastefully done.
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