U4: Compared to men, women in power were rare in history and often scandalized as witches or “femmes fatales.” Can you think of any examples? How should we reevaluate these women?
Compared to men, women in power were rare in history and often scandalized as witches or "femmes fatales". Can you think of any examples? How should we reevaluate these women?
The story of Cleopatra illustrates how a powerful woman can be stigmatized with sexual seduction.
Born in a royal family, Cleopatra was well-educated when she gained access to the throne. She not only mastered several languages, but also received education in mathematics, philosophy and astronomy. During her reign, she was a capable, clear-eyed sovereign, enjoying great prestige and controlling virtually the entire eastern Mediterranean coast [1]. However, she was portrayed by the ruling Roman regime as an evil seductress. Along history, countless commentators have fixed their eyes on her affairs with two Roman generals — Caesar and Antony. Even in modern media representation, she still lives in sexy actresses or models. So I take her case as an example of misrepresentation of women's power.
In the past centuries, the patriarchal society have looked down on women, asserting that their power either comes from sexual appeal or leads to destruction. Therefore, a way to reevaluate powerful women on a fairer basis is to unify the standards with the evaluation of powerful men. When we talk about a successful man, usually we don’t place too much attention on his physical appearance. Even if he looks attractive, we won't attribute his success to his charm. We would judge him by the social or technological progress he has made. On the contrary, the success women are more or less linked with their appearance. The key is to break this tie. We must come to realize that women can also do great things, and their capability has nothing to do with their beauty. Of course, we must remain morally correct when it comes to evaluating these powerful women. History has picked their flaws in the strictest manner, and our job is to value their talents and contributions. Only after this step can we form an overall evaluation of powerful women.