Ladies who lunch
Encyclopedia
Ladies who lunch is a phrase to describe slim, well-off, old-monied
, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week
. Typically, the women involved are married
and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a high-class restaurant
, but could also take place in a department store
during a shopping
trip. Sometimes the lunch takes place under the pretext of raising money for charity
. Often times, the women simply gossip about trivial and frivolous things.
's Company
. The character Joanne, a cynical, middle-aged woman, makes a drunken toast to "The Ladies Who Lunch." Her song offers a harsh crticism of rich women who waste their time with frivolous things like luncheons and parties. At the end of the song, Joanne realizes that she is one of the "ladies who lunch." She spends her time criticizing the lives of other women, but she never does anything to improve her own life.
The song has given the phrase "ladies who lunch" a somewhat negative connotation. Joanne's condemnation of women "clutching a copy of LIFE, just to keep in touch" does not paint these women in a generous light. Ladies who lunch are often seen as lacking substance.
, Kristen Wiig
, Vanessa Bayer
, and Abby Elliott
, eat lunch at a fictional restaurant, Chez Henri. Wiig’s character, Sylvia is constantly upstaged by Poehler’s character, Trish. Bayer’s character and Elliott’s character fawn over Trish’s tiny hats. Sylvia gets jealous and also attempts to wear small hats, but Trish pulls crazy stunts, and is always able to upstage Sylvia. At the end, Trish pulls the biggest stunt of all and fakes her own death, winning the approval and amusement of her friends and causing Sylvia to realize that she cannot best Trish.
The title alludes to the frivolity of the lives of socialites. The women only seem to care about the next trend in fashion, and little about their actual friends.
television series
Desperate Housewives
featured an episode entitled "The Ladies Who Lunch". The show traditionally names episodes after songs by Stephen Sondheim. It was originally aired as Episode 16 on March 27, 2005.
Old Money
Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families " or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth." The term typically describes a class of the super-rich, who have been able to maintain their wealth across multiple generations.- United States :American locations...
, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week
Working time
Working time is the period of time that an individual spends at paid occupational labor. Unpaid labors such as personal housework are not considered part of the working week...
. Typically, the women involved are married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a high-class restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
, but could also take place in a department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
during a shopping
Shopping
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....
trip. Sometimes the lunch takes place under the pretext of raising money for charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
. Often times, the women simply gossip about trivial and frivolous things.
Use in Company
The phrase "ladies who lunch" was popularized by a song of the same name in Stephen SondheimStephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's Company
Company (musical)
Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
. The character Joanne, a cynical, middle-aged woman, makes a drunken toast to "The Ladies Who Lunch." Her song offers a harsh crticism of rich women who waste their time with frivolous things like luncheons and parties. At the end of the song, Joanne realizes that she is one of the "ladies who lunch." She spends her time criticizing the lives of other women, but she never does anything to improve her own life.
The song has given the phrase "ladies who lunch" a somewhat negative connotation. Joanne's condemnation of women "clutching a copy of LIFE, just to keep in touch" does not paint these women in a generous light. Ladies who lunch are often seen as lacking substance.
Saturday Night Live
“Ladies Who Lunch” was the title of a sketch on the Season 36 premiere of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Amy Poehler. In the sketch, four upper-class women, played by Amy PoehlerAmy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
, Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
, Vanessa Bayer
Vanessa Bayer
Vanessa Bayer is an American actress and comedienne who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life and career:...
, and Abby Elliott
Abby Elliott
Abigail "Abby" Elliott is an American actress and comedian currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Life and career:...
, eat lunch at a fictional restaurant, Chez Henri. Wiig’s character, Sylvia is constantly upstaged by Poehler’s character, Trish. Bayer’s character and Elliott’s character fawn over Trish’s tiny hats. Sylvia gets jealous and also attempts to wear small hats, but Trish pulls crazy stunts, and is always able to upstage Sylvia. At the end, Trish pulls the biggest stunt of all and fakes her own death, winning the approval and amusement of her friends and causing Sylvia to realize that she cannot best Trish.
The title alludes to the frivolity of the lives of socialites. The women only seem to care about the next trend in fashion, and little about their actual friends.
Desperate Housewives
The ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
featured an episode entitled "The Ladies Who Lunch". The show traditionally names episodes after songs by Stephen Sondheim. It was originally aired as Episode 16 on March 27, 2005.
Novel by Ruth L. Kern
"The Ladies Who Lunch: A Middle Aged Women's Guide to Modern Morality," a novel written by international etiquette consultant Ruth L. Kern, tells the story of a group of glamorous middle-aged women in the upper echelons of society. The women care about little other than the latests fashions and the society page of the newspaper. They remain connected through their "Ladies Who Lunch" group, which meets regularly to discuss recent gossip.External links
- "Ladies who lunch serve up charity": China DailyChina DailyThe China Daily is an English language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.- Overview :China Daily was established in June 1981 and has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in the country...
article on expatriate wives. - "Ladies Who Lunch": [Saturday Night Live] sketch on [Hulu]