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| Screenshot from Sex and the City |
In class, we have discussed Evelina and the titular character’s misadventures upon entering
society. We have often stated the extreme nature of the novel; how it is so far
and different from what we experience in modern society. Is it really all that
different?
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| Screenshot from Sex and the City |
It is while watching one of my guilty pleasure TV shows, Sex and the City, that I realized,
though we may not necessarily acknowledge it, we live in a society that heavily
revolves around first impressions and attracting the opposite sex. We, as
members of this society, are constantly attempting to modify our true nature in
order to impress new acquaintances. The society in which Evelina takes place is quite evidently more severe than ours.
Etiquette is the most important quality a woman should possess. She must be
approachable without being too friendly; she must seem interested, but not too
interested. This list goes on and on. Women are consistently altering their
personalities in order to please men. Not convinced it still happens today?
Think about it. Before going on a date, women dress up and groom themselves
with the general goal of pleasing their date. Once on the date, they usually
act more polite, more reserved, more intelligent and funny. Again, this is with
the goal of impressing their date. Why are women so intent on acting
differently in the presence of men? Why are women still consumed with the idea
of pleasing men?
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| Screenshot from Sex and the City Season 3, Episode 1 |
For those who are unfamiliar with the premise of Sex and the City, it is a 90s sitcom featuring four women in their pursuit of love, sex and marriage. Centuries later, marriage is still depicted as a young woman’s ultimate goal. Girls are raised within a society that strongly believes that their lives are essentially meaningless should they end them alone. In London, Evelina is molded into a polite, submissive girl, aiming to please the men she encounters with the hopes that one of them will propose. In a time where we pride ourselves on the modernity of our lives, why is the institution of marriage still considered an important goal to be achieved and not simply a choice for one to make? Marriage is still looked upon as a natural step with the progression of a relationship. The women in Sex and The City, like many women around the world, factor money, physical appearance and charm into choosing their partners. In Evelina’s time, men would take women’s dowry, looks and personality into consideration. The components that make up many relationships today remain the same they were roughly 400 years ago.
Is it normal that this particular social institution has refrained
from evolving in such a long period of time?
I totally agree with your interpretation. I think that today's standards are extremely difficult for women and begs the question of how we have evolved as a society since the 16th Century. Women are expected to conduct themselves in a certain manner and we, as men, are quick to judge the slightest of transgressions they commit. Men continue to hold women on an unattainable pedestal, something that is not fair to them whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I have seen the show a few times and the comparison is rather strong. Society's view of marriage and the qualities one holds in a partner is much the same as in the past and we must ask ourselves if we even marry for love anymore?
Great work and I really enjoyed reading your post
It's disturbing to have to face the double standards our society has created for women. Much like Evelina, we have to be both modest and sexy. I think using "Sex and the City" as an example to back up the argument being made here was perfect. This show is much like modern day women's entries into the world, even if it is a different world, they still face many of the struggles Evelina faced. Knowing what to say in new situations, not appearing too harsh, upfront, rude, but not stupid. Really, I find it ridiculous that even though it seems like we may have moved eons away from Evelina's world, it is still as if women have not yet been able to break out of the double standards society expects.
ReplyDeleteExcellent parallel, and great screenshots too!
In society today the advertisements and publicizing of women are everywhere. We see pictures in the subway and on billboards as we drive from one place to another. It is truly inescapable and as the young girls with in this society watch t.v. and see the pictures they can't help but be pressured to be that "perfect woman". I agree that in Evelina the books and rules of proper conduct were just as bad and that things haven't changed much. It's an interesting point about how the world revolves around such trivial things. I also believe that there is a lot of pressure on men as well because you see those Abercrombie & Fitch models in the magazines, as well as whatever else and they are portrayed in just as unlikely way as women. The idea of the "macho" man always needing to be the protector and always needing to be strong is just as difficult to live with I think. I wouldn't know of course, but the images society labels on each gender is truly ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much with sharing your opinion! I liked how you related it to "Sex and the City". It brings about a lot of points that are very easy to relate to in our generation.
As much as this television show is yours, mine and the next's guilty pleasure, I think that the fact of wanting to please the opposite sex, IS a guilty pleasure in itself.
ReplyDeleteI only recently started dating when I reached my second year of college. Before that, I didn't feel like I had time to waste on silly little dates. At the time, I much preferred just to keep on eating dates. But like Charlotte, Miranda, Samantha and Carrie from "Sex and the City," once you start, you kinda can't stop. You hate, despise and fear the rejection; the awkward possible connection and the realm of attraction you may or may not feel towards your dates. You hate it so much when they suck and when they fail, and you hate it even more when you're not dating for a while and you want to be. Why is that? Because despite all of the nasty aspects; awkward ones, the unusual tastes in food and music you might find - you love, with all of your heart, the getting ready stage.
You love painting your nails; straight ironing your hair; wearing the tightest jeans or the prettiest dress; you adore going out to dine, the first handshake, the first kiss. You suffer on your way home too, the dates perfection floods your mind - it's beauty in it's natural form! You want it back. You want it to happen again because...well, because that's kinda what makes you a woman almost. You find yourself addicted to getting ready and trying to impress someone you will still only know a microscopic fraction of by the end of the evening.
So, I think it's fair that this particular social institution has refrained from evolving in such a long period of time. But to wonder if it's normal? That's an entirely different story.