stitch'n'bitch, feminism, and evil fairies
liberty is a better husband than love to many of us. - louisa may alcott
when you think of the word "spinster" what is the first thing that comes to mind? maybe some frumpy woman with deep wrinkles on her face and an unloved look in her eye, seated at her spinning wheel as if her very fingers were bound to their filaments?
amidst done up, pearl-clutching brides-to-be with large feathered hats absorbed in austen, and their aristocratic husbands, who were also considerably young and well-to-do themselves, the average citizen would scarcely afford a glance at the dowdy crones of tall spires and skeletal frame. spinsters were considered undesirable and far too old for marriage, and thus they had no husbands; they were married to their work, just as the flywheel was married to the footman and the orifice to the maidens.
because of their unmarried status, these women would often be accused of being lesbians, just as gay men would be called bachelors—isn't it interesting that spinster has negative connotations, but bachelor has a positive one? anyway, because these women were in opposition to the patriarchal idea of women marrying off incredibly young and serving their husbands, they were often feminists. many female social activists have embraced the notion of these self-reliant women—and in turn the imagery of the spinning wheel itself in art and literature can be a sort of feminist and or lesbian symbol.
thus, sleeping beauty. the audience proceeds to sigh and throw tomatoes at me. i'm sorry!
i'd like to specifically talk about the scene where maleficent hypnotizes aurora into touching the spindle, since that scene is very interesting to me. here we have the unquestionably heterosexual woman, being lured by a queer-coded villain (i promise i'll get into this), into touching a symbol of feminine autonomy and perhaps love towards the fairer sex? alright then. also, i think, with this context, the male ruler of the kingdom ordering all spinning wheels to be burnt is also very interesting. obviously, disney's male villains are blatantly queer coded already; they're flamboyant, effeminate, and often possess traits associated with gay men, but what of the women?
take for instance the evil queen, who i would argue is disneys first major villain. she's the sole ruler of her kingdom, is cold and makes demands of others, and once again there is that imagery of temptation with the main heterosexual heroine. the apple; an emblem of forbidden knowledge and corruption, and lo, the spindle; female agency, power and homosexuality, what have you. they are undeniably masculine in role and character, starkly contrasted against the hyper-feminine damsels they so loathe and seek to kill. they were spinsters, just as the men were bachelors. in short, they "never married."
the action of sewing itself is also associated with queerness, too. the "sewing circle" of old hollywood, coined by alla nazimova and then later used by marlene dietrich, referred to the period's female actresses who, not only embraced the limelight, but embraced each other with passion and sexual fervour, too. i just want to get this out of the way, i don't have that sort of prejudice at all! i might even be attracted to women too, myself. but that's beside the point. i guess the point i'm trying to make here is that it's definitely more intimate when you can relate to your favourite actor or actress. especially when they're glamorous and sexy and open.