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According to Beauvoir, this concept called the Eternal Feminine is a social construct and it defines the ideal woman concept from the point of view of the public eye. In all societies, women are objectified as feminine, silent, harmonious, sensitive, caring, and emotional. She states that this concept reflects women as passive but does not reflect the truth. In addition, this perception ignores the individuality of women and it also means standardization. This perception puts women under certain behavior which is expected by patriarchy. Both men and women have the freedom to define themselves as they wish. However, men have to show how women should behave throughout history.
According to Beauvoir, this is wrong and is used to control women’s behavior. De Beauvoir mentions an example: “They have made dressing and housekeeping difficult arts. The man barely has to care about his clothes; they are comfortable, adapted to his active life, and need not be original; they are hardly part of his personality; what’s more, no one expects him to take care of them himself” (Beauvoir, 2009/2011, p. 371). From this point of view, we can say that the ideal female myth emerged as a result of patriarchy and somehow positioned the woman to the other position.
As an example of the ‘Eternal Feminine’ concept of Beauvoir, the concept of ‘Harem’ in the Ottoman Empire can be given as an example. Ottoman Harem is a symbol of the power and wealth of the Sultan and it can be defined as a special room in the palace. It was comprised of wives, female servants, and female relatives of the sultan. The women who lived in this place were seen as the property of the Sultan. Women living in the harem were tasked with entertaining the sultan, doing household chores, and serving men in the palace. Women were always expected to be beautiful and cheerful. Those women were expected to have education such as sewing, cooking, and dancing. They were entirely ruled by patriarchal rules and their behaviors were determined by men who lived in the palace. They were expected to behave feminine, silent, harmonious, sensitive, caring and emotional. Also, these women have to be compliant and obedient. Considering that the Ottomans were completely male-dominated, it is possible to say that the Harem concept is also very sexist and discriminatory. Also, it is a well-known fact that women in Ottoman were discriminated against because of their gender roles and they were expected to behave according to gender roles.
References
- Beauvoir, S. d. (2009 / 2011). The second sex (C. Borde & S. Malovany-Chevallier, Trans.): Vintage. Volume I (Facts and myths): Introduction (pp. 16 – 22); Part 3: Myths, Chapter 3 (pp. 147 – 151); Volume II (Lived Experience): Part 4: Toward Liberation, Chapter 14: The independent woman (pp. 370 – 372 = /…/ „her fatigue are multiplied as a result“; pp. 383 – 384 = „Indeed, for one to“ /…/).
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