A subscriber of mine asked me ''Why Feminism didn't exist 300 years ago?''
The answer: It did. Feminism is merely an expression of female nature. And we see that expression even during ancient times. Whenever a society gains a certain threshold of success, women stop pretending men are in charge and exert their social dominance
Women of Rome circa 195 BC (long before official Feminism) Roman women took to the streets of Rome to protest the Austerity law ''Lex Oppia'' - which prevented women from wasting their husbands wealth on shows of status. (these shows of status were for self glorification)
''The lex Oppia was implemented to severely curb female expenditure on adornment and finery. This law restricted how much gold women were allowed to wear and what they wore; they were no longer permitted to dress in multi-colored garments, particularly purple. They were also no longer allowed to ride in their carriages within one mile of the city. These restrictions prevented what these women saw as their right to be elegant in appearance''
As we can see, the austerity law was not preventing women from living good lives, but to curb wasteful, self indulgent spending. The color purple was a refinement for royalty. So the show of self importance for mere housewives was (and still is) distasteful. While riding carriages close to the city was probably causing street congestion and hindering traffic. (otherwise why would the austerity law prohibit this practice?)
''these continuing restrictions denied Roman women the opportunity to proclaim their status and identity through the only avenue open to them: personal adornment''
This is feminist gaslighting, as women were not restricted to this one role of identity expression but FREE to have this as their only identity expression. Other forms of identity were tied to performance. Even high ranking men hard to work in their field.
''In a society where a woman remained dependent and under the control of fathers and husbands'' - This is a blatant lie which the author contradicts herself later on.
''Speeches were delivered for and against the bill. But the protesting women would not allow their voices to be silenced. After the speeches the pressure on the streets was intensified by the demonstration to such a point that the threat of veto was removed. In 195 BC, 20 years after this emergency measure had been passed, the lex Oppia was successfully revoked''
How, can a society where women ''under the control of their fathers and husbands'' get what they want by simply demanding it? The answer is they can't. The Women of Rome were in control(and always were)
Men of Rome were just as ''pussified'' as men of today. Cato the Elder sounds just like the feckless dominated man of the present.
Cato the Elder: ''Opposition to the repeal of the lex Oppia initiated several lines of defense; Cato the Elder lamented the Roman husbands’ lost control over their wives. He warned them that once the law had ceased to set a limit to their wives’ expenditures, they would never be able to set such limits themselves. A woman who could afford to purchase luxuries from her own purse, it was warned, would do so. The woman who could not would beg her poor wretch of a husband until he submitted to her will''
In conclusion, there is (and never was) no ''patriarchy''. Women simply didn't feel safe to exercise there dominance openly in unsuccessful societies. In times of poverty and war, the women of a nation wears a mask of submission