I am weirdly interested in the idea of Stepford wives. I have not watched either of the movies and all of my knowledge about them has come from the Stepford Wives Organization (http://www.stepfordwives.org/). Stepford wives believe in having the husband be the center of the family. The women clean the household and stay at home unless told by their husbands to get a job. The man makes all the decisions in the household and can pretty much regulate the wife's beliefs and life.
Now before you go judging me hardcore for taking interest in this style of living, get this straight: I could NEVER be a stepford wife and I disagree with the idea of such strict gender roles. However, what I find fascinating about this way of life is that it actually seems to work for people. I would think that it would crumble nearly immediately for most people. There is so much pressure on both the man and the woman in the relationship (I say man and woman because they believe in "traditional" marriage). The man has the responsibility to think for two people. According to the Stepford Wives Organization, the man decides everything right down to what the woman wears and cooks. The man even tells the wife what and how she should think. I cannot imagine how such a responsibility could be doable.
It does not seem much easier for the wife either. I would scream if I were told to believe what my (future) husband believed. Cooking and cleaning constantly in the household would be incredibly bleak and boring. Women are also expected to spend their time trying to look pretty and "should accommodate our husbands by allowing them full access privileges to our physical assets". Such an attitude towards sex makes me cringe. The idea of enjoying sex while your partner is not doesn't seem possible to me. A woman is not like a store that is constantly open. If she doesn't want sex, there should be no question about what will happen.
On one side, I love the idea of taking care of a house and family. Keeping everything clean and perfect seems so wonderful. However I do realize that day after day, month after month, year after year, that could get quite boring. What will I have to say for myself by the time I'm old? What life accomplishments will I have amassed? For me at least, being a Stepford wife wouldn't cut it.
Most importantly, my main issue with this way of living is that the partners are not considered equals. They do not have an equal say in the issues of the household, or anything for that matter. When I decide to live with someone for the rest of my life, I want to be able to talk to them freely about anything. They must realize that I am not perfect and I will accept that they are not equal. For me, a couple must be good friends too. This does not seem to be the case in the Steford
RSS Feed