our androcentric culture-第21章
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spreading antlers or trailing plumes; no monstrosity of crest and
wattles; to win her favor。
She is only temporarily interested in him。 The rest of the time she is
getting her own living; and caring for her own young。 But our women get
their bread from their husbands; and every other social need。 The woman
depends on the man for her position in life; as well as the necessities
of existence。 For herself and for her children she must win and hold
him who is the source of all supplies。 Therefore she is forced to add
to her own natural attractions this 〃dance of the seven veils;〃 of the
seventeen gowns; of the seventy…seven hats of gay delirium。
There are many who think in one syllable; who say; 〃women don't dress to
please menthey dress to please themselvesand to outshine other
women。〃 To these I would suggest a visit to some summer shore resort
during the week and extending over Saturday night。 The women have all
the week to please themselves and outshine one another; but their array
on Saturday seems to indicate the approach of some new force or
attraction。
If all this does not satisfy I would then call their attention to the
well…known fact that the young damsel previous to marriage spends far
more time and ingenuity in decoration than she does afterward。 This has
long been observed and deprecated by those who write Advice to Wives; on
the ground that this difference is displeasing to the husbandthat she
loses her influence over him; which is true。 But since his own
〃society;〃 knowing his weakness; has tied him to her by law; why should
she keep up what is after all an unnatural exertion?
That excellent magazine 〃Good Housekeeping〃 has been running for some
months a rhymed and illustrated story of 〃Miss Melissa Clarissa McRae;〃
an extremely dainty and well…dressed stenographer; who captured and
married a fastidious young man; her employer; by the force of her
artificial attractionsand then lost his love after marriage by a
sudden unaccountable slovenlinessthe same old story。
If this in not enough; let me instance further the attitude toward
〃Fashion〃 of that class of women who live most openly and directly upon
the favor of men。 These know their business。 To continually attract
the vagrant fancy of the male; nature's born 〃variant;〃 they must not
only pile on artificial charms; but change them constantly。 They do。
From the leaders of this profession comes a steady stream of changing
fashions; the more extreme and bizarre; the more successfuland because
they are successful they are imitated。
If men did not like changes in fashion be assured these professional
men…pleasers would not change them; but since Nature's Variant tires of
any face in favor of a new one; the lady who would hold her sway and
cannot change her face (except in color) must needs change her hat and
gown。
But the Arbiter; the Ruling Cause; he who not only by choice demands;
but as a business manufactures and supplies this amazing stream of
fashions; again like Adam blames the womanfor accepting what he both
demands and supplies。
A further proof; if more were needed; is shown in this; that in exact
proportion as women grow independent; educated; wise and free; do they
become less submissive to men…made fashions。 Was this improvement
hailed with sympathy and admirationcrowned with masculine favor?
The attitude of men toward those women who have so far presumed to
〃unsex themselves〃 is known to all。 They like women to be foolish;
changeable; always newly attractive; and while women must 〃attract〃 for
a livingwhy they do; that's all。
It is a pity。 It is humiliating to any far…seeing woman to have to
recognize this glaring proof of the dependent; degraded position of her
sex; and it ought to be humiliating to men to see the results of their
mastery。 These crazily decorated little creatures do not represent
womanhood。
When the artist uses the woman as the type of every highest ideal; as
Justice; Liberty; Charity; Truthhe does not represent her trimmed。 In
any part of the world where women are even in part economically
independent there we find less of the absurdities of fashion。 Women who
work cannot be utterly absurd。
But the idle woman; the Queen of Society; who must please men within
their prescribed bounds; and those of the half…world; who must please
them at any costthese are the vehicles of fashion。
OUR ANDROCENTRIC CULTURE; or; THE MAN~MADE WORLD
X。
LAW AND GOVERNMENT。
It is easy to assume that men are naturally the lawmakers and
law…enforcers; under the plain historic fact that they have been such
since the beginning of the patriarchate。
Back of law lies custom and tradition。 Back of government lies the
correlative activity of any organized group。 What group…insects and
group…animals evolve unconsciously and fulfill by their social
instincts; we evolve consciously and fulfill by arbitrary systems called
laws and governments。 In this; as in all other fields of our action; we
must discriminate between the humanness of the function in process of
development; and the influence of the male or female upon it。 Quite
apart from what they may like or dislike as sexes; from their differing
tastes and faculties; lies the much larger field of human progress; in
which they equally participate。
On this plane the evolution of law and government proceeds somewhat as
follows:The early woman…centered group organized on maternal lines of
common love and service。 The early combinations of men were first a
grouped predacityorganized hunting; then a grouped
belligerency;organized warfare。
By special development some minds are able to perceive the need of
certain lines of conduct over others; and to make this clear to their
fellows; whereby; gradually; our higher social nature establishes rules
and precedents to which we personally agree to submit。 The process of
social development is one of progressive co…ordination。
From independent individual action for individual ends; up to
interdependent social action for social ends we slowly move; the 〃devil〃
in the play being the old Ego; which has to be harmonized with the new
social spirit。 This social process; like all others; having been in
masculine hands; we may find in it the same marks of one…sided
Specialization so visible in our previous studies。
The coersive attitude is essentially male。 In the ceaseless age…old
struggle of sex combat he developed the desire to overcome; which is
always stimulated by resistance; and in this later historic period of
his supremacy; he further developed the habit of dominance and mastery。
We may instance the contrast between the conduct of a man when 〃in love〃
and while courting; in which period he falls into the natural position
of his sex towards the othernamely; that of a wooer; and his behavior
when; with marriage; they enter the; artificial relation of the master
male and servile female。 His 〃instinct of dominance〃 does not assert
itself during the earlier period; which was a million times longer than
the latter; it only appears in the more modern and arbitrary relation。
Among other animals monogamous union is not accompanied by any such
discordant and unnatural features。 However recent as this habit is when
considered biologically; it is as old as civilization when we consider
it historically: quite old enough to be a serious force。 Under its
pressure we see the legal systems and forms of government slowly
evolving; the general human growth always heavily perverted by the
special masculine influence。 First we find the mere force of custom
governing us; the _mores_ of the ancient people。 Then comes the gradual
appearance of authority; from the purely natural leadership of the best
hunter or fighter up through the unnatural mastery of the patriarch;
owning and governing his wives; children; slaves and cattle; and making
such rules and regulations as pleased him。
Our laws as we support them now are slow; wasteful; cumbrous systems;
which require a special caste to interpret and another to enforce;
wherein the average citizen knows nothing of the law; and cares only to
evade it when he can; ob