Rhetoric and Civilization

Sprezzatura in Women

The idea of the “ideal” man made me wonder what the evolution of the “ideal” woman was. Being a woman myself, I have tried to be something that society wanted me to be for much of my life.  Women in the renaissance had their “ideal” roles just as the men did. The roles of women were not as prominent as men, in fact they were supposed to be seen and not heard. Women in the renaissance were supposed to always dress a certain way that was dictated by their class. This way of life for women has evolved in history.

The Renaissance Woman

Flash forward to the 1950’s where the “ideal” woman is a housewife. She tends to her husband’s every need and makes sure her children are fed and washed, her needs come last. There was a little bit more autonomy with the sales of makeup. Women would often try to make a little extra cash by walking around neighborhoods and sell cosmetics to other housewives. Only the most progressive women had the courage to do this because a woman was a housewife first.  

A magazine that many women read

The 1980’s is where we see the working woman fully emerge. Women were still expected to be mothers and wives, but they were also given the option to have a job if they wanted to. Women got to do it all. They were still expected to maintain their appearance even though a vast majority of them worked and were the main nurturers of their children. 

A working woman in the 1980's

In 2019 the “ideal” woman is whatever we want it to be. There are so many accepted ways to portray your feminism in today's society. It’s not perfect but it is much better than during the renaissance where women were seen and not heard, and even if they did have their own ideas they often came from a man and the woman had nowhere to express them. Today we have women in positions of power in our government. A woman could be a housewife or a senator. It is up to her to decide, not the man, like it has been in the past. 

Our female senators in 2019