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Women And Honor: Some Notes On Lying By Adrienne Rich

Decent Essays

Adrienne Rich asserts that women's dishonesty is not equivalent to men's dishonesty. Men's trust is in their word, and lying is simple deceit. Rich argues in her essay "Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying" that women lie with more than words, and for a different purpose. She claims that women lie with their silence and their bodies in an attempt at self-preservation.

Rich writes that "[women] have been expected to lie with [their] bodies, to bleach, redden, or unkink or curl [their] hair," lying about having hair which better fits men's expectations, "pluck eyebrows, shave armpits," lying about being hairless, "wear padding in various places or lace [themselves]," lying about their body shape to better fit men's expectations, "take little …show more content…

These expectation of women to not be truthful are held in place by a strict patriarchal society. If a woman does not obey society's rules, she is ridiculed or punished. A woman shamed and considered disgusting if she dare not shave, even though shaving has no actual effect on a person's health. Women are made fun of and put on public television to correct their wardrobe if it does not emphasize the correct aspects of her body. Women are called lazy if they do not manage their hair or wear makeup. These seemingly mundane punishments may not present actual threat to women, but they create a hostile environment for women who do not conform to society's wishes. Rich also a more severe punishment for not adhering to society's rules, "clitoridectomies for 'lustful' nuns or for 'difficult' wives." (415) This mutilation of one of the most sensitive parts of the entire human body is in retaliation for simply not following the patriarchal pattern set for women. Rich asserts that "[women] tell lies [to...] men who have power over [them],"such as, "bosses, prison guards, the police," and that, because of these instances, women, "forget [they] are living or that lying becomes a weapon [women] carry into relationships with people who do not have power over [them]." (416) Rich is reiterating how the expectation of women to lie leads to other dishonesties. She states that "lying ... becomes an easy way to avoid conflict or complications," such as how women respond to personal inquiries (i.e. "how are you") with " fine", or other dismissals, to avoid having to be honest of their emotions, because women are expected to simultaneously be mature and in control of their emotions, and be a ridiculous emotional

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