There have been times and places when all human beings were equal. Sadly, such places and times are few and far apart. Yet, in many of those eras when humans were far too unequal, there was no common belief that humans are born inherently less than others- just a lingering belief that that was the way things should be, and always had been. We live in such a time. I now present to you the first in a series of short posts I will write about prejudices in our world today, why they came to be, and ponder why they still haunt us.
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| Adam and Eve by Titian |
Sexy/Pure: The Female Story
Today, females are generally expected to be "pure" in order to be accepted. So-called sluts are viewed as the exception, not the rule, and abstinence is encouraged by many who see themselves as patriarchs. Yet, if we look into the past, it doesn't seem to have always been that way.
For starters, we have the bible. It's an obvious culprit- an ancient book (I'm not here to dispute whether God wrote it or not, we all can acknowledge that it's old) that is still regularly consulted. Although its readers may have good intentions, its sheer age makes it a perfect preservation site for outdated prejudices.
Looking at the very beginning of the bible, to the tale of Adam and Eve, it is obvious that Eve is portrayed as the impure one. It's she who submits to temptation, therefore "sin", and takes that fruit from the snake. Adam is good and upright even after his ejection from Eden, whereas Eve is the first sinner of the pair, a fallen woman. If this truly was the beginning of humankind, the portrayal of Eve was no good omen for women of the future.
In Greek mythology, we hear even more cries shouting that women are the slaves of desire. One story depicts Zeus and Hera, king and queen of the Olympian gods, respectively, arguing over who possessed more capacity for lust and pleasure: man or woman. Eventually, the pair consulted Tiresias, a man who had once been turned into a woman. He reported that women were ten times as lustful as men. (Hera blinded him in rage at this, as she wasn't the most merciful of the Goddesses.)
Many other examples can be found throughout history of women being seen as uncontrollable sex-fiends: court records, literature, mythology, etc. Try finding some of your own information if you like- it's all out there. At some point, though, there was a change. Something happened that turned a woman from a "lustful animal" to a "pure angel". Our best guess is, it began partially with the Christian church.
Now, this isn't to say that the change was immediately, inherently bad. Church officials, when they began painting this image of the holy and innocent female, probably thought they were doing women a favor by giving ladies of status a more noble standard to hold themselves up against. Over time, the idea caught hold, and soon the tables were turned- the untrue stereotype of men being pure and upright while women were tainted and wild had turned into the untrue stereotype of men being slaves to their instincts, with women seen as innocent.
Wait- there's something strange here. Before, females were kept out of leadership positions because they were seen as sinners, more susceptible to temptation, whereas men were strong enough to keep their emotions at bay. Now, women must live up to an untainted standard, the phrase "boys will be boys" has fully integrated itself into the English language, the good, obedient wife is our societal ideal, and victim-blaming is common in rape scenarios. Despite this turnaround, women are still seen or treated as inferior by many. This switching may seem ridiculous, but with a bit of common sense, anyone can see that it exists. The question is, why?
-Lily
Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, the Book of Genesis
