The Cross-Dresser in All of Us

Occasionally you might run into a man dressed up as a woman walking down the street, or see a man in a dress, but this is certainly not a normal sight. However, there is no denying that men and women adopt the others genders characteristics to get ahead in certain situations.

In the business world, women who demonstrate assertiveness can sometimes be labeled as a bitch. However, a man who displays similar behavior is called a good businessman. One might question why a woman would attempt to mimic a man’s behavior knowing this. The answer to this question lies in how a woman is treated in the work world without mocking a man’s behavior.

I have had limited experience in the work world but my internship does give me a little bit of insight. Starting at the end of my spring semester sophomore year I was lucky enough to land an internship with a nationally respected company. Going in on the first day I was nervous and intimidated. I figured that working hard and being myself would hopefully be enough to get through the workdays. I smiled a lot, and was helpful to my co-workers.

Looking back I realize that my relationship with my co-workers was not ideal. Yes they enjoyed my company and knew I was a hard worker, but I’m not sure if they had complete faith in my abilities. I was often called “sweetie” and other endearing terms. At the time this didn’t bother me, I actually appreciated it because it made me feel more welcome in the office. I realize now that if I would have been more assertive I might not have been the “little sister” of the office and would be thought of as more of an equal.

Parental Control

As we see in Charlotte Temple’s tale, even those coming from caring parents concerned with their child’s well being, are still in danger of falling victim to betrayal. It almost seems like no one is safe. The question then becomes what can a parent possibly do to protect their children when simply caring about them is obviously not enough.

When considering this question I began to think of the way and myself my parents raised me. The more I think about it the more I realize that my parents never flat out said “no” to me. This wasn’t because they were laid back and this certainly wasn’t because I was an angel growing up. My parents were on a level of parenting others may never reach.

My parents raised me in way to know the right thing to do without having to ask. They never had to prevent me from running away with a rake because I have been taught to not be attracted to these types of men. I would never try to leave the house in an outfit that maybe be considered less than tasteful because my parents taught me to have a more wholesome style.

Now, looking back on all this I feel almost manipulated! How dare they raise me to be a levelheaded woman!

Thinking back to your question on how contemporary parents can save their sons and daughters from a “treacherous heart” I would have to they should do exactly what my parents did. By teaching their sons and daughters morals a parent can relax and know that when faced with tough decisions, their children will know the right one to make.

THE cause of female depravity

Right before I sat down to write this post I watched the most recent episode of “Gossip Girl”. Every time I see that show I am absolutely disgusted at the behavior of the characters, but for some reason, I continue to tune in every week. There is something about their manipulative and conniving behavior that attracts me. Its difficult to admit but part of me even thinks that living this bitchy lifestyle could be pretty entertaining. (Luckily I have been raised with good enough morals to keep me from doing this)

There is no doubt in my mind that if the author of “The Cause of Female Depravity” was to pick a subject from modern times to write about, “Gossip Girl” would surely be it. I know that what the characters are doing on the show is wrong. They betray trust, lie, hurt people, and are extremely materialistic. However, the show idolizes this type of lifestyle and transforms it into something that seems so glamorous. They make underage drinking and relations with members of the opposite sex look completely normal for highschoolers, when in fact they are not only too immature to handle these things, but it is also illegal.

Therefore, I believe the author would consider this show, which convinces its viewers to see this sort of behavior as anything other than wrong and pathetic, to be the cause of female depravity.

Deep Down, We All Know That Sucks...

There is no denying that the recent texts we have been assigned to read for class have been anything short of entertaining. Each story could be transformed into a modern daytime soap opera. Every story is so over-the-top and dramatic it is almost annoying. However, coming from a girl’s perspective, I have a slight suspicion that some of us still have similar feelings towards heartache.

I am not suggesting that women today behave in such extreme ways. We aren’t (for the most part at least) ripping off our clothes and mangling our flesh like Mary-Ann Mooney in “Innocence Betrayed”. Over the years we have learned to keep most of our “crazy” hidden; not only to keep up our own reputations, but to avoid scaring other people. While reading “Innocence Betrayed” on the outside we all laugh at this pathetic girl who is driven to the brink of insanity over some slime-ball guy who charmed his way into sleeping with her. However on the inside, at least for me, I completely sympathize with Mary-Ann. Even today I hear similar stories of these types of men manipulating wholesome girls into doing things that typically go against their morals. The times might have changed, but a sad story is still a sad story.

Pick me, Choose me, Love me!

The emergence of the romantic novel in print culture at this time is caused by gradual revolt from the traditional patriarchal structure of society. By illustrating what love and romance can be like, readers are beginning to ask why they cannot have those wonderful feelings for themselves. Women are beginning to stand up to society and resist arranged marriages in hopes of finding a true love like they read about in novels.

It is surprising to me that women have any desire to search for love. In almost every single text we have read the female characters falls into a depression if not death after being mistreated by a man who they thought was in love with them. Personally, the texts scare me into wanting arranged marriages again! I admit that allowing my father to choose a husband for me would certainly take a lot of pressure off of me, but is it worth loosing the opportunity to find a soul mate? The truth is heartbreak is not the end of the world, even though it surely feels like it at times. But these texts don’t give the other side of the story. We never see the women learning from her mistakes and finding a new love that was better than the previous man. We see the heartbreak as the absolute end. By showing a more positive side to the end of relationships, perhaps women today would feel more confident in perusing the next.

The Modern Day Rake

When I first began thinking about a modern day “rake” the movie Cruel Intentions came to mind. In the film, the lead male character, Sebastian, makes a game of tricking girls into losing their virginity. Sebastian is a wealthy socialite from the upper eastside who has always had everything he wants: the trendiest clothes, the newest car, and all the girls. The plot of the movie surrounds a bet Sebastian has made with his equally manipulative stepsister, Kathryn. The bet consists of taking the new girl in towns’ virginity before the summer is up. Sebastian does everything he can to persuade her to let go of her virtue, and to a certain extent, succeeds.

Sebastian, the “rake” seemed similar to Florio in “On Seduction”. In both cases, the male character was attracted by the female innocence and set out to conquer her. In the earlier text, Belinda’s “artless simplicity made the conquest easy to this skillful deceiver”. In Cruel Intentions, the innocent female seemed to have a stronger personality and was more certain of her morals, making it difficult for Sebastian to use his wit and manipulative charm to win the bet.

Being a native of Dallas, when thinking of modern day rakes in my life the yuppies in uptown are the first thing I think of. These men are always attempting to impress girls by flaunting their cars, clothes, and cash. It seems pretty pathetic to me. They do everything they can to flatter a girl in hopes that they will get the girl to come home with them at the end of the night. These men seemed similar to the rakes descried in “Melancholy Tale of Seduction”. In this text they are described as not “having the merit of a coward, for he attempts the life of his enemy; nor had you the tenderness of a brave man, for he weeps over the wound he has made.” This description of a self-centered man can certainly relate to not only the men of the past, but men today as well.

Lessons for the Ladies

In recent texts, we have been introduced to the male’s definition of how a woman should act and be educated. It is obvious that men have strong opinions regarding how a woman should behave; unfortunately they obviously do not have the female population’s best interests in mind.

In “An Address to the Ladies” written by Alphonzo, the author attempts to convince the female reader that he is giving her advice, as a friend, when in reality he is suppressing the entire population. Alphonzo states that the kitchen is where women belong while academics belong to men. He goes on to say that men will find it unattractive if a woman tries to invade their “department”.

Throughout the text Alphonzo describes the perfect woman as one who is quite, mild, and sentimental and encourages women to act accordingly. He believes education is unnecessary as long as they can present themselves in a respectable way. Learning arithmetic is completely unnecessary because it will never be useful to them.

After reading these texts I have been inspired to continue working hard and furthering my education. When a person says I can’t do something, it only encourages me to do more!