As one of historyâs most iconic female rulers, Queen Cleopatra is often seen through a lens created for her by society. From Roman historiography, Latin poetry, Renaissance and Baroque art, to Hollywood films and pop music videos, the world has been utterly enthralled by her. What makes her so fascinating? What do the many different images of her tell us about our own society? Has the worldâs reaction to powerful women really changed that much?
Horaceâs ode 1.37 sums up the worldâs views on Cleopatra better than any article I could possibly write, which is hardly surprising given his work has lasted over a thousand years and Iâve been writing this column for a few weeks. She is simultaneously âa maddened queenâ, a âdeadly monsterâ and âa gentle dove.â When reading the poem, itâs impossible to tell if Horace is terrified of her or admires her – frankly, I think itâs a bit of both. There is nothing quite as captivating as a powerful woman.
Yet, strong, independent women are often picked apart in a variety of different ways. A personal favourite is when strong women are called intimidating. After all, thereâs nothing more scary than an outspoken woman with opinions, right? Strong women are not scary, they are formidable. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the most influential American lawmakers in history, was only 5â1â and yet she was a force to be reckoned with. Being both powerful and a lady are not mutually exclusive attributes. The Notorious RBG was the epitome of that fact; âMy mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.â
A key way that women, and particularly women in power, are belittled is by increased scrutiny on their appearance. This scrutiny far exceeds the levels experienced by their male counterparts. We are told we must âdress the partâ, but what exactly does that mean? Itâs like the whole âsmart casualâ issue, but much, much worse. If you wear a pared back pant-suit, youâre boring, but if you wear something more feminine, itâs unprofessional and you wonât be taken seriously. Women in power are made to feel like they operate in a manâs world, and are pressured to give up some of their femininity as a result. You canât easily picture a female Prime Minister in a floral dress, can you?
Take Britainâs two female Prime Ministers; Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. You may not agree with their politics, but both women were subject to intense levels of scrutiny and pressured to fit a certain mold. Thatcher was taught how to make the pitch of her voice lower, because she would be taken more seriously as a result (in no small part, Iâm sure, to the fact that the lower your voice the more you sound like a man). Theresa Mayâs shoes, on the other hand, were the subject of great debate. When she came to visit The Oxford Union last year, she told a story about how she happened to ride a lift with a young woman in the Parliament buildings who said to her âYour shoes are the reason I got into politicsâ. Putting aside how you may feel about Theresa May, or the Union, she candidly and humorously addressed the fact that she is no stranger to being the only woman in a room full of men, noting how when she was a member of the Union as a student it was seven men to every woman, ânot that I was complainingâ (cue silence while the room tried to work out if our ex-Prime Minister really did just make that joke).
Oh and letâs talk about that Daily Mail headline;
Because, of course, when two political leaders sit down to discuss one of the most important issues of the time, letâs focus instead on their legs. My favourite part of this headline, however, is the idea of âstilettos at dawn.â Stiletto heels are actually named after the thin Italian dagger, a stiletto, funnily enough. Take my word for it, a stiletto heel can be used as a weapon if needs must, so âstilettos at dawnâ is no laughing matter.
The paradox of this heightened scrutiny is that women feel that they must strip back their femininity in order to be taken seriously, and are then criticised for appearing too masculine. Itâs that time-old adage, you canât be both smart and pretty (ladies, I say âoh yeah, watch us be bothâ). My personal hero for breaking this mold is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She talks about how thereâs a âfalse idea that⌠if you care about makeup and skincare thatâs somehow frivolousâ. When AOC was sworn in to Congress, she wore a white pantsuit, red lip and hoop earrings, tweeting âLip+hoops were inspired by Sonia Sotomayor, who was advised to wear neutral-coloured nail polish to her confirmation hearings to avoid scrutiny. She kept her red. Next time someone tells Bronx girls to take off their hoops, they can just say theyâre dressing like a Congresswoman.â What might seem like a simple accessory has huge implications. In Horaceâs poem, it is implied that Cleopatraâs most desirable traits are those which are more masculine. She chose the âmanlyâ option to commit suicide, and âshowed no womanish fear at the swordâ. I can only speak for myself, but the bravest people I know are women.
Women are pushing back against the boxes we are pressured into. Take Jessica Ardern, current Prime Minister of New Zealand; not only did she have a baby whilst in office, but she has also led one of the most successful handlings of the Coronavirus pandemic, and she has the highest approval ratings of any New Zealand Prime Minister, ever. Thatâs one thing that Horace does convey well, that women are not two dimensional. We are complex. As AOC says, âthere is power in femininity.â Cleopatra could have been all that we have imagined her to be over the years; powerful, ruthless, beautiful, brave, intelligent, and she could have been all of them at the same time. Let Queen Cleopatra, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, serve as a reminder and an inspiration to us all that women can and should hold positions of power. Let her be an example that women do not need to check boxes to belong.