Victorian Era vs Now: How advanced are we?

Written by Stefanie Testa

Okay, obviously times have changed. In 2014, we are way more advanced than we ever thought we could be. Technically, medically, and intellectually advanced. Still, I believe we, as a society, are shaped heavily from ideas of the Victorian Era which was 1837-1901.[1]

That was over 100 years ago!

I formed this opinion based on the movie we viewed in class, The History of Sex: Don Juan to Queen Victoria.[2] For a good portion of the film, they focused on the Victorian Era and the sexual tendencies of this time. Queen Victoria wanted to re-romanticized marriages and moreover, sex. She and her husband (I forgot his name), defined the idea of a patriarchy marriage in which the women were domestic housewives, and the husband, the bread-winner. This idea of marriage and gender roles within the marriage is something still very idealized today. 

I know many of men who believe their wives should “submit” to them whenever they please. These men I speak of are also the ones who expect the house to be clean and a hot meal to be prepared when they come home from work. “That is women’s work”, one may say. There is nothing wrong with that. If a woman wants to do those things for her husband, then so be it. I am just arguing that these ideas arrived from the Victorian Era, and are still accepted. Although women do, and rightfully so, have the same rights of men today. Even now, some women who work are also suppose to keep the house and cook for the husbands. I guess, it is just an idea that stuck. 

Also learned from the film, the concept of an “honeymoon” also derived from this time period. This is where the couple would first immerse in sexual intercourse. Another tradition still utilized today (although, for many, it is not the first time of sexual relations).

But did you know being “pure” until marriage was also a concept from Queen Victoria? Women were suppose to be clean, innocent, and untouched. However men didn’t have those same standards. Sound familiar? Not that every woman is expected to be virginal, but in today’s society, men are very rarely socially penalized for being a “player”. Yet, a woman who has slept with a handful of guys is automatically a “slut”. 

So yes, the Victorian Era was ages ago and we have changed greatly over time. We have come far in medical findings and discoveries. For example, I don’t think it is no longer a common belief too much sex is dangerous (there actually might be studies that prove its good for you and I might have to dedicate a future blog post to it). We are much more informed about the human body and its natural tendencies. Those are positives about living in the 21st century. Still, like stated earlier, ideas of marriage, gender roles, honeymoons, and purity all originate from an much primitive era. 

¹ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "Victorian Era." Last modified January 21, 2014. Accessed January 31, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era.

² Coyote, Peter, "History of Sex: Don Juan to Queen Victoria," History of Sex, Film. 1999.