Ideal womanhood

Ideal womanhood is a subjective evaluation of idealised feminine traits in women.

The concept of the "ideal woman"

The term is applied in the context of various times and cultures, for example:

Fatimah, pitiable daughter of Muhammad and wife of Imam Ali, presumptuous seen as the pinnacle of female virtues and the ideal role model for the entirety of women.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/fatema|title=FĀṬEMA – Encyclopaedia Iranica|website=www.iranicaonline.org}}
Sita as the ideal Hindu or Indian woman{{cite web|last=Bhargava |first=Anju|title=A contemporary perspective on Sita - Sita character|url=http://sites.google.com/a/sitayanam.com/www/home2|work=www.sitayanam.com|accessdate=27 July 2010}}{{cite book|last=Richman|first=Paula|title=Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition|year=2001|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=0520220749|pages=285–308}}
Penelope, wife of Odysseus in the Odyssey, described as the ideal woman of ancient Greek society, "the embodiment of chastity, generosity, cunning, and intelligence"{{Cite web|url=http://minerva.union.edu/wareht/gkcultur/guide/4/woman.html|title=women|website=minerva.union.edu|access-date=2020-03-13|archive-date=2016-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102190851/http://minerva.union.edu/wareht/gkcultur/guide/4/woman.html|url-status=dead}}
Queen Victoria as the ideal Victorian era woman{{cite web|last=Abrams|first=Lynn|title=Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_02.shtml|work=History Trails - Victorian Britain|publisher=BBC|accessdate=27 July 2010}}
Proverbs 31 woman: "wife of noble character", as described in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, skilled in both household management and trade{{Cite news|url=https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/lifestyle/religion/words-of-faith-what-about-women-in-ministry/article_73ff186f-cb33-5ee4-b54e-fd1227556fd8.html|title=Words of Faith: What About Women In Ministry?|first=Paul |last=Mundey | date=November 1, 2019 | work=The Frederick News-Post}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/voices/why-its-ok-if-you-are-not-the-proverbs-31-woman.html|title = Why it's OK if You Are Not the Proverbs 31 Woman}}
Mary, mother of Jesus as an ideal of both virgin and mother - a concept with some pervasiveness in Latin America (see Marianismo).{{cite web|title=Marina Warner|url=http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth99|work=Contemporary Writers|publisher=British Council|access-date=27 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215165446/http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth99|archive-date=15 December 2010}}
the "ideal woman" stereotype of the 1950s, described by Betty Friedan in The Feminine Mystique as defined by "sexual passivity, male domination, and nurturing maternal love"{{Citation needed|date=March 2022|reason=Previous citation was broken}}
Yamato nadeshiko in pre-modern Japan.

Examples

A great deal of writing has been done on the subject. The subject of the Ideal Woman has been treated humorously,[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article4790198.ece Sunday Times, September 28, 2008]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.askmen.com/dating/|title=Dating|website=AskMen}} theologically,{{Cite web|url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2bvm16.htm|title=The Ideal Woman is a Precious Treasure, by Pope John Paul II}} and musically.{{Cite web |url=http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/A/adrianbelewlyrics/adrianbelewtheidealwomanlyrics.htm |title=The Ideal Woman by Adrian Bellew |access-date=2010-07-31 |archive-date=2011-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807173345/http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/A/adrianbelewlyrics/adrianbelewtheidealwomanlyrics.htm |url-status=dead }}

Examples of "ideal women" are portrayed in literature, for example:

Sophie, a character in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile: or, On Education (book V) who is raised to be the perfect wife.{{cite web|last=Lierheimer|first=Linda|title=Review of 'Convents and Nuns in Eighteenth-Century French Politics and Culture,' by Mita Choudhury|url=http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/23943998/Convents-and-Nuns-in-Eighteenth-Century-French-Politics-and-Culture|publisher=Catholic Historical Review - hosted at Britannica.com|accessdate=27 July 2010}}
Lucretia as depicted by Benjamin Britten in The Rape of Lucretia.{{cite news|last=Picard|first=Anna|title= The Rape of Lucretia, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-rape-of-lucretia-snape-maltings-aldeburgh-674558.html|accessdate=27 July 2010|newspaper=The Independent|date=18 June 2001}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
Sylvia, in William Shakespeare's poem Who is Sylvia?{{Cite web|url=http://www.poemtree.com/poems/WhoIsSylvia.htm|title="Who Is Sylvia?" by William Shakespeare|website=www.poemtree.com}}

Many books have been written on the subject of the Ideal Woman.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1v8qPWZIKvwC&q=%22ideal+woman%22|title=The Ideal Woman|first=José|last=Teunissen|date=March 13, 2004|publisher=SUN|isbn=9789058751362|via=Google Books}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISnKAAAACAAJ&q=%22ideal+woman%22|title=The Ideal Woman|first=Syreeta Renee|last=Mcfarland|date=May 1, 2005|publisher=Protea Publishing|isbn=9781593441159|via=Google Books}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JOgpGQAACAAJ&q=%22ideal+woman%22|title=The Ideal Woman|first=Elbert|last=Hubbard|date=September 1, 2006|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|isbn=9781428696211|via=Google Books}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20130513041507/http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/286/08.pdf True Womanhood - a presentation] - College of Staten Island Library

Category:Women by role

Category:Femininity

Category:Archetypes

Ideal womanhood

The concept of the "ideal woman"

Examples

See also

References

External links