Beauty: Liberation and/or Confinement in The Life and Loves of a She Devil by Fay Weldon

Year 2024, Volume: 16 Issue: 1, 247 - 273, 30.05.2024

Emine Şentürk

https://doi.org/10.46655/federgi.1343110

Abstract

This essay critically examines the transformation of the protagonist, Ruth Patchett, in Fay Weldon’s novel The Life and Loves of a She Devil (1983). The transformation that Ruth undergoes can be viewed in two ways: both in terms of her role in society and her physical appearance. Initially a submissive housewife, Ruth evolves into an independent businesswoman who undergoes extensive cosmetic procedures to conform to prevailing beauty standards. This article reveals, through an analysis of Ruth’s liberation from traditional domestic obligations and her response to societal constructs of beauty, the marginalization she experiences as a result of her deviation from societal norms. Ruth’s rebellion against the idealized attributes of a housewife reflects her pursuit of qualities associated with appealing femininity. Hence, this article highlights how Ruth transforms herself into a seductive object of the male gaze to remake herself into a powerful subject. Through this transformative journey, the article elucidates the interplay between societal ideals of beauty, female liberation, and implications on personal fulfilment. Although Ruth’s transformation into the ‘ideal’ woman endorses the patriarchal codes of ideal and standardised beauty, this essay argues that the same transformation reverses the process to reveal how female empowerment can be achieved through the manipulation of standards.

Keywords

beauty, confinement, liberation, transformation, The Life and Loves of a She Devil

Fay Weldon’ın Bir Dişi Şeytanın Hayatı ve Aşkları Romanında Özgürleştirici ve/ya Sınırlayıcı bir Kavram olarak Güzellik

Abstract

Bu makale, Fay Weldon’ın Bir Dişi Şeytanın Hayatı ve Aşkları (1983) isimli romanındaki Ruth Patchett karakterinin dönüşümünü eleştirel bir şekilde incelemektedir. Ruth’un dönüşümü hem toplumsal rolü hem fiziksel görünümü açısından çift katmanlı olarak incelenebilir. Başlangıçta itaatkâr bir ev kadınını temsil eden Ruth, yaygın olarak kabul görmüş güzellik standartlarına uyum sağlamak için estetik ameliyatlar yoluyla fiziksel bir değişim geçiren bağımsız bir iş kadınına dönüşür. Bu makale, Ruth’un geleneksel ev işleri sorumluluğundan kurtuluşu ve toplumsal güzellik kavramına verdiği tepkiyi inceleyerek toplumsal normların dışına çıkması sebebiyle ana karakterin dışlanma deneyimini ortaya koymaktadır. Ruth’un idealize edilen ev kadını özelliklerine karşı isyanı, aynı zamanda çekici ve büyüleyici bir kadınlık kavramıyla ilişkilendirilen nitelikler arayışında olduğunu da yansıtmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda bu makale, ana karakterin kendisini erkek gözünde çekici bir nesneye dönüştürmesini tekrar bir özne olmak için nasıl kullandığını vurgulamaktadır. Ruth’un dönüşüm yolculuğu aracılığıyla, çalışma, toplumsal güzellik idealleri, kadın özgürleşmesi ve kişisel tatmin arasındaki etkileşimi gösterir. Ruth, fiziksel acılar yaşasa da mutluluk arayışı ailevi, maddi, sosyal ve cinsel başarı vaat eden bir arayıştır. Ruth’un ideal kadına dönüşümü, ideal ve standart güzelliğin ataerkil kodlarına hizmet ediyor gibi görünse de, bu çalışma aynı dönüşümün, bu standartların tersine kullanılarak kadının güçlenmesini ortaya çıkardığını ileri sürmektedir.

Keywords

güzellik, sınırlama, özgürleştirme, dönüşüm, Bir Dişi Şeytanın Hayatı ve Aşkları

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