Cleopatra and Marie-Antoinette -- what do they have in common? The answer: Male-shaped portrayals that overshadow their significant achievements by emphasizing beauty or ignorance instead. A lot, I know, but let me explain:
Sticking to the examples of Cleopatra and Marie-Antoinette, I’ll begin with Cleopatra as being stripped from her image as an accomplished woman to a beauty-queen. Cleopatra established historic and powerful alliances, boosted Egypt’s economy, and strategically moved Egypt forward with success. But shifting our focus from Cleopatra’s resume to what we think of when we hear the name, is a beautiful young woman. However, she was so much more than just a beautiful face. She was a leader, a successor, and a woman who strived and worked hard to accomplish what she deliberately planned out for her country. She, like many women in history, has been shoved into the category of a woman recognized for her looks rather than achievements and what she has done for history. When we think of Alexander the Great, in contrast, we don’t remember him for his marvelous curly hair, but rather for his impressive wars. Unfortunately, women aren’t being credited in the same manner for what they deserve to be remembered for.
Don’t feel too guilty though, because it’s not just you who thought of her this way: it’s our society. It’s systematically woven sexism in our history. Even the internet sees Cleopatra as a model rather than for her accomplishments. You can Google it right now: type in “Cleopatra” and find in the images of beautiful actresses and paintings of who we thought she was. Now Google “Cleopatra coin” and find a much less idealized version of what she actually looked like. This “Cleopatra coin” was a Tetradrachm during her reign, serving as money, ultimately displaying that she, in fact, wasn’t as beautiful as history painted her out to be.
Moving on to the second example, Marie-Antoinette, the Queen of France. She left King Louis XVI in search for a better husband and was forced to take on a big role in politics during the Revolution because of King Louis XVI’s personal vulnerabilities and lack of political influence. Both are quite bad-as$ moves for a woman of her time to do. But her famous quote “let them eat cake” is what we associate with the queen, although she never actually said that. Yes, you read that right: Marie-Antoinette never said “let them eat cake.” There is no evidence that Marie-Antoinette said that phrase, and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau fabricated the term in 1765, 24 years before Marie-Antoinette supposedly said the line in 1789. She was an easy target and hated in France (although her spendings weren’t as drastic compared to other French royalties during her time), so it wouldn’t be surprising if the words were put in her mouth. This example reminds us that we don’t remember Marie-Antoinette as a woman working hard to, amongst other things such as trying to form alliances with Austria, keep French nobility on their feet in the midst of the Revolution. Instead, we remember her as naive and clueless.
Shedding light on this historical sexism is crucial not only for feminists but also for enhancing our understanding of history in general. It represents a systemic issue regarding the portrayal of women and challenges the inaccuracies that have shaped our perception of history. These portrayals ultimately constitute historical inaccuracies rather than reflecting achievements of women. So, next time you see a dolled-up art piece of Cleopatra or someone using the phrase “let them eat cake” against Marie-Antoinette, you can loudly exclaim “false!” and educate the truth.
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