Journal Entry:
I need to decide on a hairstyle for the wedding. I am starting to get awfully worried about all of the planning. It by no means will be a large wedding, but I hope to show off some sort of class. I want people to know I am worthy after all this time. I feel like my glory days are past and yet love still lingers. I always felt like I was behind my sisters. I would try to do anything to somehow fit in, but I was always just worn-out thirty-year-old Fanny. I want that to change. I want to prove myself. It may seem foolish, but they have unconsciously made me feel so lowly, as a housewife and caretaker. I want to provide for them and serve my sisters, but the mental strain it has put on me is not good for my soul. I long for more. Edward sees this in me and tries to recover my lost spark, my lost beauty. He sure does a great job. I want to be beautiful for him at the wedding. I want to be holy and beloved. I am deserving of this, I know it. For this, I am determined to put on a good look. My hairstyle needs to be perfect, and I need a good dress. I hope my sisters will be able to celebrate me. I know it's a shock that I am getting married, but this is my moment, not their moment. I have been waiting for this and it's time I shine in the spotlight.
Editorial Commentary:
The picture above is a typical Victorian evening hairstyle. It was common in this age for women to wear this hairstyle for formal events and outings. In addition to hairstyles, there was certainly an acceptable form of dress for women. Fashion or choice of clothing signified "someone's status in life", and "what kind of person they would like others to think they are" (Fenn). This is evident in Frances Lormier's writings as she wants people to know that she is deserving of the bride position. The Victorian era became an era of social influence, where If one did not fit in, they would be cast aside. As one can see, Fanny was easily influenced, even to get married and to be a "traditional" and domestic woman in this time period. In addition, Fanny mentions that she believes that her time has passed. It was definitely unusual for women to get married as late as thirty, and it is safe to say that Fanny felt like an outcast and unworthy of love in this Victorian society. Whether she is getting married for love or for societal pressure is unknown, but most likely, Fanny is influenced by a combination of both. Many women struggled with their identity, and the pressure men put on them certainly did not help. This era also surged things such as sexualized images or pornography, where women were being compared to a magazine. The "New Women" grappled with wanting to be loved and wanting to be desired. The "Old Woman" however, just wanted a stable household and the promise of a good life, and Fanny seemed to line up with these desires.
Fenn, V. (2020). Sex and sexuality in Victorian Britain. Pen & Sword Books Limited.
1880's hairstyle. https://fashionthroughherstory.com/2014/01/26/1880s-evening-hairstyle/