COVE

Character's writing:

This is a photo of my friends and me right after we were released from prison for the unlawful education of young women in my hometown of Manchester. These young girls deserve the right to be educated and we took it upon ourselves to do so. The oppression of the men is starting to get out of hand and it is our duty as women to rise above it and be treated as equals. The fact that we were arrested for educating this generation's youth is appalling and I am sad to say that this will be the way of things for quite some time if we do not continue to teach them. Although they did not keep us in prison for too long, we are still being watched to make sure that we are not up to anything suspicious. The oldest girls that we were teaching have now been given the responsibility to take care of the younger girls and to make sure that our teachings move forward into the generations to come. If they are able to accomplish this, then I will have hope for the future of women in this city. I can not help but worry that all of the progress that we have made may be for nothing and all of our accomplishments be shunned. Nevertheless, it is important that we keep our chins held high and that we keep pressing forward and hopefully someday we will achieve equality for all women in Britain. 

Editor's analysis:

The women displayed above had a very noble cause. The spearhead of this operation, Beatrice Watson, is the one who wrote this little entry and she was very passionate about the liberation of women in Manchester. In the Victorian era, male oppression was at an all-time high because of the idea of gender roles holding back these countless women from doing things that seem commonplace in today's society. Although they had good intentions in mind, they had already grabbed the attention of just about everyone around them because of their streamlined apparel. There is an obvious lack of color in what they are wearing and definition as well as no figure-altering devices such as a corset. It was evident to them that they had the attention of just about everyone that they encountered on a daily basis because the goal of the New Woman was to make a statement for change. They were bound to get caught and one would think that they had anticipated this from the start which, maybe they had, but in the end, it halted their plan and it would take some time longer to see the results that they had worked so hard for. If only she could be around to see just how much progress has been made for women in today's society. Most of these small things that had been denied to women because of gender roles are now largely available because of women like them who had the passion and desire to spur change in their community.

Citation: “The New Woman of the 1890s.” Lily Absinthe, 24 Jan. 2021, lilyabsinthe.com/adams-atelier-where-history-meets-fashion/fashion-history/the-new-woman-of-the-1890s/.