Tess of the d'Urbervilles: The Scarlet Alphabet

"You are mighty sensitive for a cottage girl!"
-Alec d'Urberville

How many times in literature have we seen a women experience the trifecta of feminine woe: pregnant, deserted by the father, and then rejected by the community. Two examples that come strikingly to mind are Fantine in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables and Hester Prynne from Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Now add to that list Tess Durbeyfield. Now, in Tess's case, she didn't willingly subject to this treatment but experienced it just the same, victimized by Alec who so bluntly stated, "You are mighty sensitive for a cottage girl," (p. 45).

And thus, Tess was thrown to the other side of an "immeasurable social chasm," (63). Not only does she don the proverbial scarlet letter, she is also forced to witness, helplessly, the death of her child. Yet, although she acknowledges that she faced "a long and stony highway which she had to tread, without aid, and with little sympathy," (71), Tess faces this with dignity and strength, and makes a robust recovery. In truth, by the time she leaves to become a milkmaid at Talbothays Dairy a year later, Tess is essentially free of the stigma and shame of her past and is all the more wise for her experience.

In the eyes of Tess's 19th-century society, however, Tess can never truly shake off the mantle of her misfortune. Tess is fully aware of the fact that she "could never conscientiously allow any man to marry her now," (117). This reminds me of one scene in the documentary Half the Sky. The story follows a young woman in Sierra Leone who is raped by her uncle. Rape is horrifically common in Sierra Leone, where 26% of victims are under age 12, and only 1% of perpetrators are prosecuted. This young woman is seen by her community as being in the wrong. Her father is ashamed, and she is blamed for having provoked the rape. Journalist Nicholas Kristof helps the victim seek justice, but in most cases the victim is kicked out of the house and receives no more education.

How is it that in Sierra Leone, it's ok to rape, but not ok to be raped? Why do the Alec d'Urbervilles of the world get off unscathed while the Tess Durbeyfields are forced to pay the consequences alone?

Tess is able to build a future for herself; a different one, perhaps, from the one she expected, but a future nonetheless. It is imperative that we seek to ensure futures for people like Tess, and to change a society that can so callously throw aside its women.

Survival of The Prettiest: Fertility

"Unlike with women, fertility is not written on the male body."
- Survival of the Prettiest by Nancy Etcoff, Page 72

This book was a fascinating read. It radically altered my views on beauty and, on a more personal level, self-esteem and the adolescent social environment. All because Nancy Etcoff provided the unexpected and insightful realization that attractiveness IS fertility. Everything we consider to be physically beautiful is related to our ability to reproduce.

With this concept comes a certain sense of indignation. All of our immense feminine efforts to enhance our "beauty" are really just attempts at broadcasting to our fellow humans that we are reproductively "open for business." These visible markers of fertility, whether natural or purchased, consequently affect the way we're acknowledged and assessed by the outside world.

As Etcoff describes, "fertility is not written on the male body." This is a powerful insight into interactions between the sexes and cultural attitudes toward gender roles. This fight for a fertile façade is one-sided, and that presents an intriguing imbalance. If women are the only ones expected to present an eternally beautiful exterior, what does that mean for our female expectations in the workplace, the home, the political sphere? 

A Norwegian proverb states, "That which is loved is beautiful." But beauty, in its raw, carnal and instinctive form, has nothing to do with love. This doesn't mean that nubile beauty is something to be ignored, repelled, or scoffed at in favor of more lofty forms of human appreciation. Rather, it's an aspect of human interaction of which we must be both thankful and wary. 

Gender-Based Violence

International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day!
This expression is displayed on my Sierra Club calendar, on the Amnesty International website, on the Google home screen, and in my school agenda. What exactly does it mean? We have an internationally recognized day for honoring women. If this inspires further awareness of global gender inequality and inspiring role models such as the women in the film Half the Sky, then by all means, let's celebrate. But it's interesting to note that we're devoting one out of 365 days to recognize half of the world's population. Does this mean that all the other 364 days are International Men's days? By trying to promote equality for women, are we not emphasizing the lack thereof? This calls to mind the concept of other calendar events, things like Black History Month. I absolutely support further acknowledgement of and education about African-American history, but again, this draws into contrast the other 11 months of the year- are those White History months?
I am glad we are spending this day drawing attention to women, because the more people pay attention, the better chance we have of improving equality. But I hope that we can move towards incorporating our awareness into everyday life. Happy International Women's Day, and may it last for 364 more.