Hi, I'm new here, but I just thought I'd post this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1042702/Time-Warp-Wives-Meet-women-really-live-past.html
These British women live like people did in the 1930s, 40s and 50s respectively. I do not have a problem with them doing this, but why only do the good parts? In the 1930s there was the Depression. In the 40s there was World War II. In the 1950s, and the rest of these time periods as well, women had less rights than they do now. Why would you want to act this out? I could understand if it was only at a convention or something like that, but every day? Also, I believe this is an example of white privilege. I could never do this, being Black and living in Georgia. I would hate it.
Thoughts?
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that was fascinating; thanks for sharing!
I hate it when people hark back to the "morality" of earlier times. what a fallacy. Like you said, they are ignoring everything about those eras that doesn't fit into their pastoral fantasies. Racism, war, crime, (i suppose sexism isn't really given much consideration regardless)...
I console myself with the idea that perhaps these are just really elaborate sub/dom roleplaying fantasy lives and they don't ACTUALLY buy into it on a philosophical level.
the clothes are kinda cool, though.
These women were on a documentary on tv over here. It didn't explain much, from what I gather it's a style statement most of the time, tough some of the women did express some worrying ideas about what the 'perfect' wife should be. While I love a lot of vintage fashions and hairstyles, I would never dream of living back then, for all the reasons mentioned above. Yeh the dresses are cute but my freedom is a helluva lot more fun.
I did note in the tv show one woman had a good career as a singer and admitted she was lucky to be able to do that as back in the 40s and 50s it would have been so taboo for a married woman to have a career. Also one of the women hid a microwave under the counter in her perfect 1950s kitchen!
These women seem to confuse their love for certain artists (Sinatra) and styles (T-strap mary-janes and peter-pan collars) with the necessity to make their husband's lives perfect. Creepy. There were millions of people in the 50s, 40s and 30s who did NOT live as these women are living. Why didn't they choose those lives?
Literatebrit, this is totally an excersive of privilege, doubly so that they are using their privilege to live the lives that the privileged would.
Wow, literatebrit, that was a weird article. I do think this phenomenom is completely based on white, upper class, heterosexual privilege. These women have the privilege to know nothing about history except for what fashions were in style and don't consider what it was like for "other" people back then, whether that be single women, women in abusive relationships, poor people, people of another race or lgbt people (or any combination of these and other factors).
I think the "Time Warp Wives" are all colluders. This is what Renee, over at Womanist Musings, said about a colluder, which I think is apt.
"Her socio-economic position is not representative of the majority of women but when you are a classist elitist, it is quite easy to ignore the plight of the under/working class as you rush by to get your next hit of starbucks."
Or in the case of the "Time Warp Wives" vintage dresses and antique appliances.
http://www.womanist-musings.com/2008/08/colluder-of-week-noelle-mccathy.html