As far back as Ancient Greece we have believed that women are inherently weak. Today, we celebrate male athletes whose genetics give them an edge over their competitors and yet a female athlete whose body naturally produces testosterone isn’t just accused of having an unfair advantage, she’s accused of not being a woman at all.
We may no longer believe that period blood contains poisonous ‘menotoxins’ or that menstruating women drive dogs mad or kill bees and crops, but the long history of fear and taboo surrounding menstruation contributes to the shame and stigma that is still attached to it today.
According to Gloria Steinem, patriarchy is defined by control of reproduction. Attempts to exert that control are a big part of the conflicting messages pregnant women receive about what they can and can’t do with their own bodies.
The overwhelming and insidious expectations placed on young women have been a constant within Western patriarchal society.
An older single man is called a bachelor but a woman becomes an old maid, a spinster, something seen as undesirable and sad.
Women have been defined by the reproductive possibilities of their bodies for thousands of years. In todays workplaces many women are still passed over for promotions because the chance that they’ll have children makes them less desirable as candidates.
From Ancient Greece up until the present day, the idea of the hysterical woman has been with us for very long time, changing to represent the biases and fears of particular times in our history.
The ‘Damsel in Distress’ narrative highlights how our culture has pathologized women and positioned men and marriage as a cure.
Mythogyny
“Mythogyny” takes a contemporary look at longstanding and oppressive beliefs about women in order to show how the underlying ideas are still with us today.
