Who thinks a dog is impure or obscene because its body is not covered with suffocating and annoying clothes? What would you think of the meanness of a man who would put a skirt upon his, horse and compel it to walk or run with such a thing impeding its limbs? Why, the 'Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' would arrest him, take the beast from him, and he would be sent to a lunatic asylum for treatment on the score of an impure mind. And yet, gentlemen, you expect your wives, the creatures you say you respect and love, to wear the longest skirts and the highest necked clothing, in order to conceal the obscene human body. There is no society for the prevention of cruelty to women.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Clothing norms shame the human body while accepting animal bodies as natural, revealing a double standard against women.
- In plain terms
- We call bodies obscene but don't shame animals, showing bias against women.
- What can you take from it?
- Social norms often target women's bodies unfairly.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why are women's bodies policed?
- How do clothing norms reflect power?
Another view
The comparison to animals oversimplifies human cultural norms.
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