Misbehaving celebrities and the recession have pushed more people to improve their etiquette in a bid to gain an edge over job rivals and inspired lifestyle books such as “How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World.” Author Jordan Christy said she wrote the guide to “the art of living with style, class and grace” after celebrities such as Paris Hilton, actress Lindsay Lohan and singer Britney Spears made headlines for all the wrong reasons. “For too long this ‘stupid girl' behavior has been burning the daily headlines and I really think there's a lot of people out there who wanted to see a return to our feminine values,” said the 24-year-old Nashville, Tennessee-based writer. Christy's book has chapters on “Keep Your Chin Up and Your Skirt Down,” “Dress to Impress” and “Let Him Come Calling.” “I hope that the book serves as a call to action to the young women of this generation to stand up and take back our dignity and our values and our self respect,” said Christy. “It's great that we have seen this resurgence in etiquette and manners and self respect.” Gloria Starr, a corporate image, etiquette and communication adviser based in Charlotte, North Carolina said her business had soared 40 percent in the past year and that people were “realizing that it takes more than just competency and knowledge.” Several etiquette teachers said children were learning bad behavior from athletes and celebrities and that working parents no longer had time to teach them basic manners. Carol Haislip, director of The International School of Protocol in Hunt Valley, Maryland, said studies has shown that “85 percent of the reason a person gets a job, keeps a job and moves up is related to their people skills.”
