You've come a long way, baby

Remember that slogan from the 70's?

I got my hair braided yesterday, and to pass the time I read the biography of Isabella of Castile.

Women were treated shamefully during the fifteeth century. Especially royal women. They existed for two reasons: to be used for political purposes (thru marriages and alliances), and to breed. Specifivally to breed sons.

To protect the line of succession both the wedding night and live births had to be witnessed.

Especially distasteful is the wedding night ritual.

After having sex, the groom would present the witnesses with the bloody sheets from the bed. These sheets would be placed on display and paraded around as proof that the woman had been a virgin, and that the marriage had been consumated.

All virgins don't bleed.

Some non virgins do.

Yep, we've come a long way.

That was their logo. It said You've come a long way baby.

Saw your pic in the gallery.

You really do look like one of the Bear Fans, a la SNL!!

:hi:

That is an honor to hear that. We are what we are. Really.

She was also the mother of Catherine of Aragon, who was Henry VII's first wife.

Hers is also a great story.

another tragic story.

Juana inherited mental illness from Isabella's mother.

I know he was royal of course, and it was another politically arranged marriage.

:hi: Catwoman, who shares my affinity for historical biographies.

Her husband was Philip the Handsome of Austria (1478-1506), only son of the Emperor Maximilian I.


http://www.xs4all.nl/~kvenjb/madmonarchs/juana/juana_bio.htm

:hi: Catzies.

I think you will enjoy the bios on that link.

Not the display of the sheets part, but women were sometimes scorned for not "proving" they were virgins on the wedding night. :(

Because she didn't put up with crap like that. She ruled for 40 years and never married or had children despite all her male advisors telling her to do otherwise.

She's my hero!!

however her decision resulted in the end of the Tudor reign.

Listen to FYR be Le Tigre

"You've really come a long way baby
It's you, not the world, that's totally crazy..."

Love 'em!

I can't remember his name. I once worked at the place that still advertises Slims.

OTOH a woman came up with this crap:

I can bring home the bacon
And fry it in the pan
And nevah nevah let you forget you're the man
Cuz I'm a woman!

Eeecchh.

It was for a nasty, cheap cologne. 'Member which one?