Female Rhetoric
Women have allways been represented in our heteronormative society as the weaker link. Regardless of how true or untrue this may be, I shall explore some of the adjectives pinned on women.
In ancient Greece, as portrayed in Homer's Illiad, women were little more than property; an asset. It is well that men were fighting over Hellen of Troy and the love they professed for her, but these are only two characters. As for the rest of the men, they only want women. Aquiles, for example, traded and bargained with his fellow kings and warriors in terms of weapons, valuables, wines, and women. For him and almost all others, women were a delightful possetion, little more than a walking, talking kitchen appliance, not to mention a bedroom appliance as well.
At the dawn of catholicism, women changed roles rather radically. This religion brought in the idea of a wholy woman, not a godess, an actual everyday woman. With this new fact, the church began to preach that women must be respected, loved, and protected by their husbands. It also outlined ways to be a good woman such as keeping sexual relations for marriage and the such. This may well seem like an improvement to some but it really just ment that women were still a possetion, just a little more valued than in the old days.
Then along came the 19 and 20th centuries with a whole lot of struggles for rights. At this point in time, women realized that they should be treated the same as men; thus began the female struggle for equality. Women eventually gained equal rights... on paper anyway. Terms like "Glass Ceiling" and "Gender Discrimination" came along then.
Most important of all adjectives pinned on women, and still blatently recurrent today, is sex. Women are now portrayed as perfect bodied, 90-60-90 (cm; I am still not getting along with inches and such) sex toys. Howev er ridiculous it may seem, women, for the most part, are still expected to stay home and raise the kids. But hey, if they wangt a job, they can allways be models.
In ancient Greece, as portrayed in Homer's Illiad, women were little more than property; an asset. It is well that men were fighting over Hellen of Troy and the love they professed for her, but these are only two characters. As for the rest of the men, they only want women. Aquiles, for example, traded and bargained with his fellow kings and warriors in terms of weapons, valuables, wines, and women. For him and almost all others, women were a delightful possetion, little more than a walking, talking kitchen appliance, not to mention a bedroom appliance as well.
At the dawn of catholicism, women changed roles rather radically. This religion brought in the idea of a wholy woman, not a godess, an actual everyday woman. With this new fact, the church began to preach that women must be respected, loved, and protected by their husbands. It also outlined ways to be a good woman such as keeping sexual relations for marriage and the such. This may well seem like an improvement to some but it really just ment that women were still a possetion, just a little more valued than in the old days.
Then along came the 19 and 20th centuries with a whole lot of struggles for rights. At this point in time, women realized that they should be treated the same as men; thus began the female struggle for equality. Women eventually gained equal rights... on paper anyway. Terms like "Glass Ceiling" and "Gender Discrimination" came along then.
Most important of all adjectives pinned on women, and still blatently recurrent today, is sex. Women are now portrayed as perfect bodied, 90-60-90 (cm; I am still not getting along with inches and such) sex toys. Howev er ridiculous it may seem, women, for the most part, are still expected to stay home and raise the kids. But hey, if they wangt a job, they can allways be models.
posted by Anonymous at 7:47 PM
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