annej
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Posts: 11 
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Post by annej on Nov 18, 2015 23:52:32 GMT
Throughout the entirety of this article, this idea of a "model woman" is strongly emphasized. It represents all of the things that were expected of a woman back in the day, while also mentioning what was not expected. A woman was to be pure, like an angel. She had to be self-sacrificing, fragile, and under no circumstances was she allowed to be passionate about anything. I feel as though these woman, of the older times, were not respected. They lived to satisfy everyone around them, not to satisfy themselves. And if a woman was to stand up for herself, or go against the societal norms, it was unacceptable. That is why the fact that Charlotte Bronte incorporated these views on woman in her novel was so important. She brought up something that everyone else was afraid to talk about in hopes of challenging this "ideal Victorian woman" image. She created Jane to represent that importance of sticking up for yourself and following your heart, and Bertha to represent what would happen if you got sucked into these societal values. Even today, we still see a lot of these standards being set for women, creating, in a way, the "model woman" of today's society. Although it is not as extreme, many characteristics that were expected of woman back in the day, are still expected today. In what way do you guys think that this "model woman" has evolved to conform to today's society? Or do you think that the "model woman" is not seen in these times anymore?
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ruchi
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Posts: 14
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Post by ruchi on Nov 19, 2015 1:08:55 GMT
I don't think that society pushes women as much to be a certain "model woman" in our age, though there are certainly desirable characteristics that many may want in a woman. However, we have mostly moved past the idea of required perfect bodies and forced submissive character to become something more real, and in the process we have learnt to accept and love our differences. I think that we are mostly free to look and act the way we want, and aren't forced to conform in a particular way the way women in the past had to. This is the main difference that you mentioned in your thread- now we are allowed to satisfy ourselves first instead of satisfying everyone else. The idea of sticking for yourself and following your heart is not longer condemned, but is actually preached and applauded in the 21st century. How do you think Jane would feel about the absence of an expected model woman of our times?
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Post by hannahcherusseril on Nov 19, 2015 2:10:39 GMT
I really believe that Jane has this amazing strength that isn't directly incited by a single event. I feel like her strength is tested and emphasized a lot, but it is something that has always been a part of her. I guess you could say it was something she was born with. For this reason I think Jane would really flourish in the absence of an expected model woman. Without any type of restriction, someone like Jane would feel liberated to be her own person and to do whatever she wants. In the end of the novel though, Jane was able to avoid conforming to the personality of the model woman although she internally fought with the concept. While it would have been emotionally easier for Jane to have lived in a time without a model woman, she was able to go through a dynamic, complex, and ultimately beneficial coming of age process because of the time period she lived in. Without the idea of the model woman, Jane would hardly experience the intense growth that helped shaped her into a better person.
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Post by tatummcp on Nov 21, 2015 17:07:28 GMT
Anne, I believe that we definitely have "model women," but I also believe that most people know that they are just that, "model women" and are not realistic. In the 19th century all men believed that women should be angels as they had the most desirable characteristics, but today everyone realizes that all women are completely different and everyone has such a different taste/style that a characteristic desirable to one person could be completely different than a characteristic desirable to another person. So while we do have women that may be "model women" because they are extremely successful, I do not think there is a specific "model woman" with certain characteristics that the angel had.
Ruchi, I think that because Jane did not listen to society's demands and became a strong, independent, passionate woman even though they were not characteristics that a model woman had shows that Jane would not have acted differently if there were not a model woman. Jane was so independent that she did not pay attention to what society wanted and so whether or not there are things that society wanted a woman to have would not change what Jane did or the person she became.
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Post by RonaldRajan on Nov 22, 2015 2:24:38 GMT
Hey Anne! I think that in today's societies we see that women are still held to many standards to be considered a nice woman. This has changed from Victorian times such as in that past era women were supposed to be completely submissive to their husbands, while today it is general thought that each person should have their own opinions to be looked at in a positive way. Also I think that now, woman feel safer if they have to leave an abusive or unhealthy relationship because there are programs that help abused women, while in the Victorian era the level of support from society about a woman leaving a man was very low. How do you think that views on divorce led by the wife have changed over the years?
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Post by ronaldrajan on Nov 22, 2015 2:35:02 GMT
I don't think that society pushes women as much to be a certain "model woman" in our age, though there are certainly desirable characteristics that many may want in a woman. However, we have mostly moved past the idea of required perfect bodies and forced submissive character to become something more real, and in the process we have learnt to accept and love our differences. I think that we are mostly free to look and act the way we want, and aren't forced to conform in a particular way the way women in the past had to. This is the main difference that you mentioned in your thread- now we are allowed to satisfy ourselves first instead of satisfying everyone else. The idea of sticking for yourself and following your heart is not longer condemned, but is actually preached and applauded in the 21st century. How do you think Jane would feel about the absence of an expected model woman of our times? Rucci, to answer your question I would like to say that I think Jane would be very proud at how much society has changed and how we do not have a set expected model women as the Victorian Era did. Sure, people still use waste trainers and wear Spanx, but society has changed to become more excepting of one another and individuality. Also, Jane would be proud because it gives women more options and variety in life rather than always pretending to be a certain way. |
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