Women in 18th Century England

-

Dearest gentle reader,

The series, Bridgerton, is set during the glowing reign of Queen Charlotte, spanning between 1761 and 1818. Let us now look deeper into the state of womanhood during the time, which was often cloaked in silence and submission. 

First and foremost, let us speak of feminism—a term rarely whispered and even more seldom embraced. Those who dared to speak of women's rights were scorned and maybe even cast away from society. Their words were paid no heed.

Women were revered as symbols of purity, their virtue guarded with extreme fervor. The mere thought of a woman meeting a man without the vigilant eye of a chaperone—be it a mother or a trusted female servant—was enough to spark whispers of scandal and ruin. In such unfortunate events, it was the lady's name and future prospects that bore the brunt of society's scorn. The man, however, would get off with no more than a reprimanding.

Those young ladies were brought into this world with a singular purpose: to marry. The destiny of every young woman was to leave the nest of her childhood and marry into another family, thus perpetuating the lineage of the family she married into. The choices she had in this matter were a luxury few could afford. Those who failed to secure a suitable match were often resigned to wed whomever their parents deemed fit, regardless of the suitor's age or appeal.

Women's education wasn't given much importance. Our young ladies were tutored in the arts that would make them desirable brides and competent mistresses of their households—nothing more. They were clueless about the outside world. Their protection passed from their fathers onto their husbands before they had a chance to blossom and explore the mysterious world around them.


(Yes, I tried writing this like Lady Whistledown would. I'm not sure if I achieved that goal or not. But I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure that there are some aspects that I forgot about. These are all I could think of off the top of my head.)

Comments

  1. Anderlin VictorJune 24, 2024 at 8:54 PM

    From Mary Wollstonecraft's, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” in the 18th century, to powerful world leaders, athletes representing their countries and aspiring teachers; women have come a long way by fighting against a patriarchal world and standing firm on their dreams.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remember that you are a Woman

-
Image
  Yes, I am one of those girls who spends most of her time with guys. That doesn’t mean I don’t need to remember the fact that I am a woman. Until recently, I thought I would be totally fine with spending all my time with a group of boys. At one point, I found myself deprived of all the things that made me a woman. I didn’t feel respected as a woman. Even though I had a group of male friends around me, I felt an extreme need for female companionship. There are just some things you need another girl for, right? I needed a girl to gossip to. I needed to moan and whine and just talk about the guys in my life. It might sound shallow, but I think it is one of the basic needs of a woman. When I was reading “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus” by John Gray, I noticed how he claimed that women need to be listened to to be validated. That obviously means having someone to talk to. What better place to go to than another woman who makes you feel validated. The world needs more women w...
Read more

A Tribute to My Seniors

-
Image
  Before I start, I’d like to say that this is a very personal post, dedicated to a few very special individuals.  Anderlin, Sharan, Shane, and Mugunthan.  Technically they are my seniors, but they have become something more. These guys are the reason I made it through the year and have become irreplaceable brother figures to me. I may not call them ‘Anna,’ but the respect they earned from me is immeasurable. I still remember the first time I saw them. I was at an ethnic walk practice. It was only my second day there and I wasn’t very confident yet.  The four of them weren’t around on the first day of practice.  That’s when they arrived. They appeared, walking in a straight line. They looked so majestic and powerful that they scared me. They came to stand in front of me and I remember chills running down my spine. None of them were laughing at the moment (you’re not allowed to laugh or smile during an ethnic walk.) I was so intimidated by them. There aren’t wo...
Read more

Just Say "I Loved You The Way That You Were."

-
Image
This is another lyric from The Tortured Poet's Department The Anthology. It's from the song "Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus." The lyrics that I want to talk about read "If you wanna break my cold, cold heart just say, 'I loved you the way that you were.'"  These lines touched me. I feel like Taylor is telling us that her lover didn't like the way that she changed. She says that telling her that he loved the way that she was in the past is basically telling her that he doesn't love how she is now. I mean, she could have had her reasons for changing. She has the eyes of the world on her and wouldn't do things without thinking things through.  Yes. People change. If someone can't stick around to learn why, did they even love you to begin with? (I'm not commenting on Taylor's relationships here. I'm speaking in general.) I think that people have to be given the benefit of the doubt here. If some part of their character has c...
Read more