Jadea Washington
Power.
Here we are now, at the end of our journey through the astute Ella Hepworth Dixon’s The Story of a Modern Woman. Engaging, witty, raw, and ever so powerful because it’s just powerful enough, Dixon gives readers a looking glass of their own, depicting the social tribulation and blossomings of a Victorian Modern Woman. In the tale she discovers the meaning of love and laughter, as any woman should, however, driving her conquest is a fuel which burns brighter than any other: power. Dixon’s theme centers around three different types of power mastered by the Modern Woman, and I am obliged to elaborate.
“Power, to put it plainly, was what the modern woman craved.”
Sex.
The first notable species of power in this tale is born from our animalistic nature. It is intrinsic, biological, primitive, and physical. It is arguable whether any human being is not aware of these kinds of urges, specifically sexual. During the Victorian Era, the man is easily seen as the dominant sex. He is stronger, he is smarter, and he is always in control. He marries so he can have a body to his own sexual disposal. Woman does her part, submitting to his will while always maintaining that perfect shine in her complexion and the kitchen. The modern woman, however, has caught on. She is able to recognize her own power within this system. In the book, Mary Erle recalls a time in her youth when she was first enlightened.
“There is the desire of the young girl to coquet, to play with, to torture, when she first learns of the all-powerful influence which she possesses by the primitive fact of her sex…. She stands on her little pedestal and looks down on mankind with a somewhat condescending smile…. It is the woman’s first taste of power” (Dixon 64).
Here Mary, undoubtedly along with any other female of society, acknowledges this innate superiority of her sex. Men need something from her and she is the only one who can give them such precious nectar. With this strength comes a high-risk-high-reward lifestyle. Man knows an unparalleled reward (sexual pleasure) is on the horizon when dealing with women, so he henceforth willing to risk almost anything for it. When a women becomes aware of this, she as been given a beautiful tool.
Trendy pop group Maroon 5 has recently released a music video to their song Animals in which a man is overwhelmed by his animalistic desire and enters a raunchy daydream on the hunt for pleasure. At the first bloody glance, it may seem like the ‘typical’ relationship between male and female: predator and prey, but simply take note of how extreme our predator’s actions become. His mind is completely taken up with this woman, “ you’re still in my head, forever stuck,” making it difficult for him to function as an individual, “you’re like a drug that’s killing me,” also driving him to “smell your scent for miles” (free tip: Major histocompatibility complex), stand in the rain for hours, and even follow her into a club and face negative social scrutiny.
Despite all of this hunting, the “prey” is always alert and aware. The woman in the video, like Mary, understands her role in the conquest. Ultimately, it is Mary’s decision that allows Vincent Hemming his wish for love, lust, and marriage. This is the Modern woman, in charge of her sexual prowess. Here lies power in a chic new outfit.
Beauty.
Closely related to this biological power is the power of beauty in a culture of judges. The pursuit of an attractive aesthetic has always been dubbed as vain and shallow among men and women alike, yet we are all inclined to strive for this outer beauty. Sex is power and physical attractiveness leads to sex, hence, beauty is power. The modern woman may also find power in this notion and use it to her advantage, much like Lady Jane in Dixon’s story. Lady Jane is described as “sixty-five and irresistible” (Dixon 70). Clearly a woman of social prominence, Jane knows what she wants and exactly how to get it. It is said she maintains enough physical appeal to please the prime minister, yet carries enough wit to suffice a guardsman. She has just enough understanding of the community’s social weavings to know how to untangle a path convenient for her.
Lady Jane’s beauty is a ubiquitous entity throughout the novel. At one point, she simply comments on a conversation, receiving the dialogue mark: “said the pretty woman in a bored tone. She had had enough of what she called intellectual conversation” (Dixon91). The narrator implies she is nothing but a pretty woman incapable of achieving competency of any sort in an intellectual realm, however, our insight on her character tells us otherwise. Earlier, she made a dull proclamation on bathing “with the air of one who is accustomed to have her least brilliant observations received with attention” (Dixon 90), indicating to the reader she is perfectly aware of her dullness. Lady Jane makes the choice to use her beauty rather than her brains because she has recognized the rules of the game. The game and the rules have been unspoken rulers of society since the birth of its culture, and instead of fighting against them, she has chosen to master the craft.
This idea is equally as prevalent among contemporary women. We all crave beauty in some way, and we know there are “those girls” who seem to be immune to fortune simply because they are stunning. Kendall Jenner is an appropriate figure of this idea. Jenner is young, beautiful, and born into a world of celebrity status. She recently posted a photo on Instagram that reads, “don’t cry over boys. do some squats and make them cry wishin they still had dat ass.” Recognized mostly for her beauty, Jenner is implementing it in an advantageous way. Boys will want her if she’s beautiful, and if boys want her, she has power. If girls envy her, she has power.
What I find exceedingly interesting about this post are the responses. It often seems, particularly in this feminist manifesto cookin’ up a storm these days, that wishing for beauty is not something women should aim for. We’re perfect and beautiful the way we are, right? Yet more than 953k of Jenner’s 16 million followers have “liked” the post, implying some sort of agreement with it. If you scroll through the comments, you’ll find girls preachin’ bout dat ass, supporting this power/beauty movement. Beauty can be empowering if you use it the right way, strengthening the self rather than others. Here lies the modern woman in a new pair of Lulu Lemon leggings.
“It is never too late, and she is never too tired when she comes back from a ball to light all the candles again in her bedroom and examine herself critically, anxiously, in the glass… someone – no matter who – has told her she looks charming” (Dixon 63).
Intelligence.
The third type of power I noticed residing within the text is probably most renown among our contemporaries. This is the strength of knowledge and intellect – an “internal beauty” of sorts. I found this type most exemplified in the character of Alison Ives. Alison is a product of Lady Jane who values beauty, “Don’t imagine I’m going to give up the only old-fashioned quality we modern women have got – our vanity” (70), as well as the importance of knowledge and wisdom through experience. She has bridged the divide and knows power does not lie solely within fronts and appearances. Alison lives a fulfilling life that is regretfully cut short. Ultimately, this Modern Woman recognizes the utter importance of implementing female, as well as human, power in the right ways. This is attainable through betterment of the self with knowledge and skill.
Many women in contemporary society have grasped this concept and run with it like the string of a kite on a perfectly breezy afternoon. Angelina Jolie, for instance, is a woman of grace and beauty, yet she has pursued an acting career, creating a net worth of $145 million, a fortune unthinkable to the modest Victorian woman trying to get into art school. Her celebrity influence is highly respected, not only because of her beauty and wealth, but also because of her personality. She is strong, well versed in culture, and has had her fair share of strife. Nowadays, we value this intellectual and social prowess much more in a woman, possibly because it has been so much harder to obtain for the sex. Once again, the product of high risk is high reward.
Despite this apparent societal preference toward intellectual power, I would argue that all women are strong. The internal struggles and desire for power are not reserved for the female sex alone. These are human issues. On the brink of death, the noble Alison proclaims, “If we were only united we could lead the world” (164), and many would whole-heartedly attest to that. Here lies the Modern Woman perhaps in a cardigan or sweater… whatever suits her fancy.
Works Cited:
Dixon, Ella Hepworth. The Story of a Modern Woman.Canada: Broadview Literary Texts. 2004. Print.
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