Bookworm

The evolution of feminism

Feminist. What do you think when you hear this word?

Some people imagine the "bra burners" of the 70's ,or the "radical feminists" of today who "hate men." But when I think of feminism, I see something a little bit different.

I just finished reading "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory, and it really gave me a lot of insight into the life of a 16th-century woman. It was not pretty. While this book is historical novel, and not a completely accurate word-for-word transcript, it is based on facts, and on the customs of that time period.

This book, by the way, has been made into a movie that will hit theaters soon. The movie will be starring Natalie Portman and Scarlet Johannson.

The book follows the life of Mary Boleyn, a young girl from an aristocratic family who spend the majority of their time scheming about ways to get more money, more power... more of anything. Mary is married off at age 14, but when the king of England takes a liking to her she is forced by her family to become his mistress. Mary, a clueless and naive girl, is helped in her conquest by her brother George and her sister Anne.

Gregory does a great job of showing the conflicting feelings Mary has toward her sister, who is her greatest rival but also her flesh and blood. Mary and Anne will always shove their triumphs in the other's face, but they also know the other will be there for help and guidance. While Anne definitely has a wider evil streak than Mary, they are both very influenced by their no-nonsense parents and uncle, who make it clear that the girls will not be welcome as members of the family if they should fail.

For a while, Mary is the king's favorite. She feels guilty about the way the queen is pushed aside, but she loves being lavished with gifts and affection. But when Mary is pregnant for the second time with the king's child, he starts to become bored and look elsewhere. He sets his sights on Anne, the passionate and fiery younger sister. First the Bolyen family just tell Anne to keep him occupied until Mary is well; but the king becomes so entranced by her that she is pushed to the forefront and Mary becomes the other Boleyn girl.

Reading this book would make any 21st century woman feel grateful to be living in this time period. Women have absolutely no rights in the 16th century. Even worse, baby girls are not welcomed into the world; they're seen as a disappointment. And it doesn't matter how highly regarded women are in society. The queen herself is ousted from her position when the king is tired of her, and she loses all her rights, even those given to her by birth. Women can have their children taken away from them, they can be forced away from their husbands, or be forced out of marriages with men whom they love.

While "The Other Boleyn Girl" was an interesting book, I found it disturbing that these events really happened; that women were accused of crimes they didn't commit just to be rid of them, that women could make no choices on their own, and that they were seen as nothing more than playmates or sexual objects.

While we have advanced in many ways in today's society, it seems that the U.S. is still lagging behind. After all, Anne Boleyn's daughter Elizabeth become queen of England, and we have yet to have a female president. We still objectify women on magazine covers and in movies. And some women can still be bought with expensive gifts and clothing.

Reading "The Other Boleyn Girl" made me grateful for how far we've come, but it also showed me that we've still got room for improvement.