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"After tea"
"After tea"
by: Lina Bernatska
“Remember the ladies” Abigail Adam’s
The men did just the opposite, in this case it ended up working in the ladies favor.
Since the founding of the country, women were largely excluded from areas of political power, education, and the Declaration of Independence. They were confined to the domestic realm, justified by the republican motherhood and the cult of domesticity. Women decided to make their own spaces in which they could inadvertently grow their rights. In the Early Republic, the Republican motherhood assigned women to raise informed and virtuous future citizens, aka their sons. This ideology gave them some freedom as they were expected to pass on their “education” to their children. Salons allowed women to host discussions on politics, philosophy, and culture, under the guise of educating their children. These informal gatherings in private homes allowed them to intellectually exchange ideas and influence cultural life. During the Second Great Awakening, a religious Christian revival, women were brought together in sewing circles in order to “perform community labor.” This allowed them to improve their lives by socializing, exchanging ideas, and getting out of the house. In these circles, they stressed moral reform and social responsibility backed by religious motivation to eradicate sin in society. In tandem and immediately following the Second Great Awakening, the cult of domesticity developed which emphasized the home as a moral, spiritual sphere that was distinct from the working world of men. Women’s clubs in the antebellum, gilded age, and the progressive era aided to progress society. During the antebellum period, many women gained organizational experience through these groups in which they called for reforms in education, self improvement, abolition, temperance, labor reform, and women’s suffrage. In fact, many future suffrage leaders gained experience by participating in and advocating for the abolitionist movement. Societies of women transformed domestic spheres into a powerful, positive network in which they helped shape American culture and reform as well as subtly expand their rights in the political world. They were able to transform in this way because these spaces aligned with traditional gender expectations, and therefore men did not see them as a threat and often dismissed them. This lack of scrutiny allowed women greater freedom to organize and discuss controversial ideas and tightly-knitted networks without immediate opposition. These spaces also redefined women’s roles by demonstrating their potential in education, organization, and the influence they can carry outside of the home, justifying their future participation in public life. In the end, these spaces acted as stepping stones taken by women in order to achieve national suffrage as stated in the 19th amendment; a result of the women’s suffrage movement propelled by many influential women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul, who gained insightful experience through their participation in these circles.
Dangerously Desired: The Weaponization of Beauty Standards Against Women
by: Grace Mueller
Would you: break your bones, chemically burn your skin, or alter your body permanently in the name of beauty? For centuries, such practices were not only customary but also expected of women and girls across the globe.
Maybe you don’t consume arsenic or stuff your face in order to be paler, but you don’t need to associate with the periodic table to feel the effects of unrealistic beauty standards. Chances are you have, however, put on a filter, or attempted to Photoshop or AI your pictures at some point. Perhaps not as extreme as deforming your body parts, but although the tools have changed, they still have an impact on how women perceive themselves, contorting their minds more than their figures.
That said, let’s get into the specifics of what global and historical perspectives of the ideal female body can teach us about our current standards.
An extreme beauty practice that deeply reflected patriarchal society was the millennium-old foot fetish of Chinese lotus feet. Confucian-era footbinding involved the tight binding of young girls’ feet to limit growth to about 3 inches. Physically, it caused permanent, severe injuries, including broken bones, infections, and reduced mobility, serving to restrict women to the domestic sphere and signify subservience.
Initially, you’d only see aristocratic women with lotus feet, mainly because they could afford to not work or be on their feet all day. However, women of lower social classes subsequently joined the bandwagon even if they actually did have to be on their feet all day. It eventually became the only way to guarantee future success and marriage, since men saw bound feet as more desirable and attractive, and normal feet as kind of despicable. It was common for mothers to bind their own daughters’ feet, as it was so essential for living even somewhat decently.
Now the million-dollar question: why would an entire culture be comfortable hobbling half its population? The Marxist-feminist answer is that footbinding made women incapable of labor, reinforcing male dominance in production and wealth accumulation. Moreover, because women were heavily dependent on men, their lack of education, property rights, and career
opportunities was the main reason lotus feet persisted as long as it did.
A couple more notable practices were from the Victorian era, which, like the Chinese, emphasized a pale, “natural” look, to distinguish upper-class women from laborers. To achieve this translucent appearance, instead of using cosmetics, women would snack on arsenic wafers; they would also use drops of belladonna to dilate their pupils and make their eyes look bigger. As you probably guessed, both of these products were highly toxic; belladonna was known to cause blindness, and continued consumption of arsenic was fatal.
Women still had their classic lead powders to conceal blemishes; however, obvious makeup was considered vulgar and associated with actresses or prostitutes (according to Queen Victoria). The only thing more outrageous than women having skin issues like freckles and pimples was unnatural women, so logically, they just got better at hiding makeup. Businesses would sell products discreetly to wealthy clients, and most hid their makeup in old prescription bottles.
The Victorian obsession with a natural yet corpse-like pale look shows how social control can be exerted through moral shaming. By labeling visible cosmetics as "vulgar" or "dishonest," the patriarchal structure of the time created a psychological trap: women were expected to meet an impossible standard of porcelain perfection, yet were morally condemned if they caked on too much paint.
Throughout both these eras, femininity was classified as fragile, modest, and gentle, with an emphasis on domesticity and submissiveness. These standards shifted the burden of class onto the woman’s body, ensuring that her time, health, and reputation were constantly managed and only valued as an ornamental object of status rather than a person.
Although footbinding and arsenic wafers belong to the past, modern society has developed new methods of female oppression. Beauty products are still advertised to make your skin look “flawless,” and high-end makeup companies are known for digitally editing their models. Hair companies will even use wigs to showcase their products’ effectiveness, setting false precedents as to what women actually look like. This influences a woman’s perpetual dissatisfaction with her appearance, which the beauty market can easily exploit to push products as “solutions” to imperfections.
But just like in the past, when people questioned harmful beauty practices, today there’s a growing movement encouraging us to embrace real, diverse, and authentic beauty. Thus, understanding this history helps us see how important it is to challenge these unrealistic ideals and celebrate ourselves just as we are.
womensagenda.com.au/latest/beauty-or-bondage-the-illusion-of-empowerment-in-beauty-standar ds/
herhalfofhistory.com/2024/08/15/13-4-chinese-footbinding/
www.prestonparkmuseum.co.uk/article/16976/The-history-of-Victorian-makeup
“Denied at the Ballot”
by: Elisa Nikovic
[ Virginia Louisa Minor, Born in Virginia on the 27th of March, 1824, was a suffragist known for her case with the Supreme Court, Minor v. Happersett. In 1852, Minor had her only kid. In 1866, Virginia Minor had helped found the Woman Suffrage Association of Missouri which she would soon be declared the first president of. At a St. Louis suffrage convention 3 years later, Virginia Minor held a speech encouraging women to strive for equality. In 1871, Minor resigned from the group due to its association with another organization. In 1872, once Virginia Minor had attempted to register to vote, she was denied on the basis that she was a woman. This event prompted her to file a civil lawsuit where she used the 14th amendment to her defense. This case marked one of the most prominent and important Supreme Court decisions regarding women’s history in the U. S. and the fight for suffrage. In this article, the court case and ruling will be talked about in further detail. ]
For over a hundred years women had fought for their rights, publishing documents such as the Declaration of Sentiments, hoping for the same freedom that was given to white men succeeding the statement “all men are created equal.” Resorting to any endeavors necessary to require that freedom. Whether it was clothing or protest, all were efforts to gain rights. Following the Civil War, in an attempt to guarantee and protect the rights of freedmen, the 14th amendment of the Constitution was ratified on July 9th of 1868. This declared that anyone who had gone through the process of naturalization or had been born on American soil was a citizen of the United States and entitled to the rights of one. This contained the right to vote. Following this amendment the 15th amendment was ratified. This protected African Americans from discrimination when voting. However, women were yet to gain suffrage. Thus, the suffrage movement began.
Due to the 14th amendment declaring that anyone born on American soil or had been naturalized is a citizen and therefore guaranteed the rights of one, many women from 1868 onwards to 1875 in a movement following the “new departure strategy” used the 14th amendment to vote, declaring that they were citizens and were allowed to vote as a result of that. Some women had successfully voted. However, the majority were not successful and had been fined. One woman, Virginia Minor, an officer in an organization named the National Woman Suffrage Association and the first president of the Woman Suffrage Association of Missouri, had been turned away at a poll and brought the issue to the Supreme Court. In this she argued, similar to other women at the time, that the 14th amendment had protected her right to vote as she was a citizen. However, the Supreme Court ruled against her, concluding that the states would decide if women could vote and voting was not a guaranteed right that comes with citizenship. This ruling showed the deep gap between how women were viewed in the U.S. and how men had been viewed. When it had come to women, the rights guaranteed with citizenship were no longer guaranteed.
“She Changed Lives. History Changed the Subject.”
by: Nora Kovacevic
Throughout history, many women have made significant contributions to help advance us to where women rights stand today. However, they seem to be forgotten or rarely taught in our education systems. This leads us to wonder why such important figures of our history don’t seem to have enough relevance that they be brought up in modern education. One of the many women who haven’t reached household popularity is Urani Rumbo.
Urani Rumbo was an Albanian woman, born on January 20th in 1895. She was born and raised in Gjirokastër, southern Albania. She was raised by her father who was a school teacher along with her mother who was a house wife (as per the norm of the time) along with her three brothers Kornil, Thanas, and Dhimitër. Throughout her childhood, she focused on making an education for herself, going to the school of Filates where she educated herself there. In the school of Filates she learned to read and write in many languages including Greek, Albanian, French and Italian. From the age of 15, she was very smart and despite the views of women educating themselves at the time, she still remained educated anyway.
Urani Rumbo was a very smart women and used her wisdom to benefit many women in Albania. She decided that she would create a school for young girls, so that they could receive an education like she did. She ended up founding Koto Hoxhi, a primary school. She later became the director of the school, leaving a lasting impact on the students. She also voiced the importance of education on young girls in newspapers so that she can open the Albanian community’s eyes on something other than the traditional standard. She even directed training courses on agriculture and theater, inspiring many to follow their passions despite what others may think. Traditionally, Albanian women were only meant to be housewives, but she wanted women to have the opportunity to more than just that, so she founded Lidhja De gruas. Lidhja de gruas was a feminist organization that targeted the restriction of women to household chores, as well as illiteracy. She changed the game for thousands of Albanian Women, and inspired change to still happen today. After all that Urani Rumbo has done throughout her career, she left a legacy for Albanian women to thrive even after her death. Today, there is some biographies written about her, showcasing her life story even though the media fails to push them far. The school she founded is still here today, giving education to many young girls and will continue to do so for centuries to come. The Women’s union feminist organization still stands and proves the importance of women’s rights and everything she has done has impacted the people generations after her, serving as a reminder to all women that they matter and they deserve to be educated.
While Urani Rumbo was such an impactful person, many of us have never heard about her or her story. When we see the school she created, and the masses of women who became educated because of it, we fail to see that she was the woman behind the scenes who made it happen. Urani Rumbo remained largely unheard of because she lived in early twentieth-century Albania, a society that was dominated by strict patriarchal norms that limited women’s access to education, public influence, and historical recognition. Although she founded a school to educate girls and actively worked to improve women’s rights, her efforts were marginalized by male controlled institutions and later excluded from mainstream historical narratives. Her lack of recognition reflects a larger pattern within feminist movements, where the voices of women are often silenced or overlooked, especially when they come from smaller nations. Urani Rumbo’s story demonstrates how women’s contributions to social change are frequently erased, not because they lacked impact, but because history has consistently failed to value and preserve women’s activism.
Urani Rumbo’s life and work serve as a powerful example of how women’s contributions to social progress are often overlooked despite their lasting impact. Through her dedication to education and women’s rights, she helped transform opportunities for countless Albanian women and challenged the restrictive norms of her time. Her lack of recognition is not a reflection of her importance, but rather of a historical pattern that has silenced many women’s voices. By acknowledging figures like Urani Rumbo, we not only honor their legacy but also take an important step toward creating a more complete and inclusive understanding of history that isn’t biased to patriarchal means.
Sources:
History Back
NCRI Women Community
Pantheon World
Infinite Women
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