Women have evolved immensely throughout history. Today in time, women are given the opportunity to choose their own careers which in return allows them to sustain themselves. Women are also allowed to make choices concerning their body. During the Victorian era, there were two types of women, the ideal woman and the ruined woman. Women would prefer to be the ideal women so that they would not be shunned by society. Any woman having premarital sex would be considered ruined. Today premarital sex is not an issue. However, if a ruined woman from the Victorian era had to be compared to a ruined woman from today, the closest resemblance would be a pregnant teenager. People frown upon the issue of teenagers getting pregnant at such a young age. Usually a pregnant teenager brings shames to her family’s name the same way a ruined women from the Victorian era would. In the poem “The Ruined Maid” ‘Melia the protagonist is a ruined woman. She demonstrates her status by the type of clothes that she wears, the way she acts, and the fact she clearly states that she is ruined. 16 and pregnant make teen girls look like they are ruined woman as well. Many of the relationships shown on those shows do not last past the reunion special that is shown at the end of the season. Once the baby’s daddy leaves the teen mom, she is left with a child and a ruined reputation. The teen girl now has proof that she is tainted. While both issues are consequences of sex, they both are very different issues. Women in the Victorian era were having sex in order to stand up for themselves. Women were tired of playing the role of the perfect women. Prostitution allowed women to work and depend on themselves.
Women do not have to prostitute themselves anymore in order to sustain themselves. They are allowed to work and choose a career. However, now with the media, reality TV has become a popular career to pursuit. Many young Americans would dream of becoming reality TV stars as it would be easy money and they would not have to work too hard for it. Many of the popular reality TV shows feature women that are willing to do inappropriate things. Women are often not depicted as being classy and wholesome but rather being “slutty”. The more skin they show the better rating the TV show will have in return. Due to number of reality shows such as Jersey Shore, the Real World, the Bachelor, the Bachelorette, and Big Brother women are often shown as being accessories to men. The girls on these shows do whatever is in their power to get guys to buy them drinks, and eventually have sex with them. Not only are these shows giving viewers the wrong idea of what is acceptable but they also throw away many years of hard work that women have put in, in order to make the world know that they are more than just objects. They are just like everybody else and deserve to be treated equally.
The poem, “The Ruined Maid” by Thomas Hardy, discusses how ‘Melia has been ruined and how she now owns many fines things. ‘Melia runs into an old co-worker in town and they both discuss how she looks so different since she left the farm. She explains to her friend that it is because she has been ruined. The friend continues to give ‘Melia compliments and ‘Melia does not say thank you, but continues to say she has been ruined. Due to this respond, the vibe given is that she is trying to warn her friend that being ruined is not a good thing. Her friend does not seem to understand. She is just so fascinated by the way she looks and wants to join her. ‘Melia is trying to protect her friend as she knows that living the life of a ruined woman is not easy. Her friend most likely lives at home with her parents and works at the farm. ‘Melia most likely does not have a family as he was shunned due to the lifestyle she chose.
The differences between a Ruined Woman and a Country Girl.
This poem reminded me of the reality TV show 16 and pregnant. In 16 and pregnant, high school girls are filmed throughout their pregnancy and a few months after they give birth in order to show viewers how difficult it is to raise a child at such a young age. MTVs main purpose of the show was to stop teen girls from becoming pregnant. The girls that are being filmed are paid plenty of money to be well off. When viewers find out how much these teen moms are making money they are encouraged to get pregnant and apply to be on the show as well in order to make money.
Teen Mom, Amber Portwood.
Both ‘Melia and 16 and pregnant try to warn people to not follow their footsteps. ‘Melia seems to tell her friend that even though her life looks glamorous, she is still indeed ruined. Her life may look better but she could be suffering from the shame of being ruined. Even though ‘Melia gives constant warning to her friend, the friend cannot help but only wish to be her. 16 and pregnant is also another cautionary tale, as it shows young teenagers struggling to raise a baby, continue to go to school, and work. Young girls do not want to be in the same situation as the teen moms but once it is known how much money is being earned, it becomes very tempting to fall into their footsteps. Amber Portwood is one of the teen moms that earned the most money on the show. Amber does cause most of the drama for the show as she has been to jail and rehab during her time on the show. NBC news stated that she makes $280,000 a year. If MTV really wanted to warn young teens to stay away, they would not be rewarding someone for their terrible behavior. Even though ‘Melia and 16 and pregnant are both cautionary tales, they do not do such a great job at warning people. If ‘Melia really did not want her friend to follow her footsteps she would tell her how she has suffered being a ruined woman. She could possibly dress worse and talk differently. 16 and pregnant would not pay the teenagers so much money. If they were to be paid they could possibly give the babies a college fund that way the mother is not being rewarded for their mistake and viewers would not be want to follow their footsteps. Money is a powerful influence that can influence anyone to choose between wrong and right.
Work Cited
16 and Pregnant. MTV. June 11 2009.
Hardy, Thomas. “”The Ruined Maid” (1866; Published in 1902).” “The Ruined Maid” (1866; Published in 1902). The Victorian Web, 24 Jan. 2006. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/hardy/poems/ruinedmaid.html>.
Leech, John. The Great Social Evil. N.d. The Victorian Web. 13 May 2004. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://www.victorianweb.org/periodicals/punch/49.html>.
Serpe, Gina. “‘Teen Mom’ Amber Earns $280K a Year from MTV.” TODAY.com. NBC, 04 Jan. 2011. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40853908/ns/today- entertainment/t/teen-mom-amber-earns-k-year-mtv/>.
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