Living in Confinement

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Women's inequality has served as a problem all up until the 21st century. In the 1950s, many magazines published ads that weren't exactly subtle about the sexism and limitations of women. One such ad has a picture of a working woman during the time of World War II and says “Turns out you gals are useful after all!” (Iulian). Another is a ketchup endorsement with a picture of a woman holding a ketchup bottle and the caption “You mean a woman can open it?” (Iulian). Clearly, even just a couple decades ago, females weren't viewed as equal to their male counterparts. Going even further back, women in the 19th century were limited with their decisions, strengths, and marriages. Although women are seen as more equal today, there are still a few differences left.
One of the restrictions of the 1800s that women faced revolved around appearance. Women of that time had a cookie cutter look they needed to adapt to and only dressed up to please their husbands. In A Doll’s House, Nora mentions several times that her husband has played an active role in choosing what she wears, and she’s even come to expect it from him. When talking about the party they’re going to attend, Nora asks, “Torvald, couldn't you take over and decide what I should be and plan my costume?” (Isben Act II 1040). Although she is fully able to pick out her own clothing and dresses, she still relies on her husband to decide for her. This can also be seen in the speech “Disappointment is the Lot of Women” when Lucy Stone refers to women as being a “walking showcase,” meaning that they are only around to look pretty (Stone). Although girls are perfectly capable of dictating their own choice of clothing, men felt they needed to intervene and make sure their wive's choices m...

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...gain the foothold they needed to be seen as equals. Women are definitely progressing and breaking away from the limitations that have trapped them for so long.

Works Cited

Cather, Willa. "A Wagner Matinee." Read Book Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour" The Story of an Hour. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. World Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell Inc., 2006. 1018-79. Print.
Iulian. "35 Extremely Sexist Ads That You Should See." Neat Designs RSS. Neat Designs, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Stone, Lucy. "Disappointment Is the Lot of Women." Aquinas History. Aquinas, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
"Synopsis for Frozen." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
"When Did Women Start Shaving Their Pits?" Mental Floss. Mental Floss, Inc., 13 Aug. 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

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