THESIS:

Although women and feminism are sometimes overlooked in the discussion of Egyptian art, The presence of  Feminism and women in Ancient Egyptian culture is not only reflected in Egyptian art, but adds an entire new layer of importance, depth and value to the artwork.

STATEMENT ONE:

Feminism was subtle  integrated in the fashion of the men in Ancient Egypt, showing their respect and need for feminism in their own everyday lives.

• Egyptian clothing was about class. The clothes that everyone wore reflected which social class they belonged to and the status that they held in society
• The basic attire for All men in Ancient Egyptian society was a wrap skirt around their waist,because it was fashionable (Fun fact :the color of the skirts were preferably white to reflect cleanliness)
• Depending on how rich a man was, their skirts would be decorated with various amount of expensive jewelry and beads.

• The clothes were mostly made by women – this meaning that behind the scenes, women dictated what looked fashionable and therefore played a enormous role in the unique appearances of ancient egypt
• Men (including the Pharaohs) also wore makeup to darken their eyes
• To conclude the various integrations of femininity into the men’s fashion wear in Ancient Egypt ( jewelry, skirts, beads, makeup) showed that men valued the balance of masculinity and femininity. The combination of both was seen as  a sign of strength, status, and appealing to the gods.
• The presence of femininity in egyptian fashion reflected a major Egyptian value as well. ““One of the central values of ancient Egyptian civilization, arguably the central value, was ma’at – the concept of harmony and balance in all aspects of one’s life”
• Take the painting below for example Depicts the process of Egyptian Afterlife
  • The men are all wearing skirts or dress – not one pair of pants is in sight
  • Each male present has an adornment of some sort, whether it be jewelry or extra fabric, which signifies their individual role and power in their Human life.
  • Each males as well can be seen wearing eyeliner.
  • All of the men present in this painting ( with the exception of the scribe) are gods. They are looked up to and respected by everyone living in Egypt. However even the Gods of ancient egypt cannot deny the need for femininity and balance in their everyday lives, as depicted in the painting.

SOURCES

• https://www.historyonthenet.com/egyptian-clothing
• https://www.ancient.eu/article/623/women-in-ancient-egypt/

STATEMENT TWO:

Women’s role in everyday life was essential to the society functioning as well as it did. These depictions of women in action through ancient egyptian art are necessary to show that ancient Egypt didn’t just consist of the conquering of other nations and how strong the pharaoh or any man’s masculinity was. On the other hand it displayed just how strong the women were as well

• Women were mainly in charge of the household duties ( cooking and cleaning, raising the children) while men were in charge of going to war and handling“ affairs of the state” In terms of social status however, the roles of both genders combined displayed what was valued in the social scale for Ancient Egypt. Long story short, to be viewed as a wholesome balanced family in ancient Egypt you can’t have one without the other.
• Women has the same rights under the law as men.
• Women handled their own individual property
• Woman decided who they wanted to marry and also decided if they wanted divorces or not.
•  Women were also goddesses, One goddess that we can mention is Bastet. This goddess specifically looked out for the good of women and protected all the affairs of women
• Women were also priest who could interpret dreams (Dream’s were very important on the religious scale)  dreams were considered to be portals to the after life.
• Take the statue below for example

• • It promotes the equality between both the male and the female in the family
  • If you look even closer the man is leaning back and the woman is holding up
  • In other words, she is so much more than just his support system, she is an equal, she is strong and powerful. Without her he wouldn’t survive.

SOURCES

• https://www.ancient.eu/article/623/women-in-ancient-egypt/
• https://www.ancient.eu/Bastet/

STATEMENT THREE

There were many queens in ancient Egyptian history, but Queen Nefertiti is the the default queen that most people refer to. The reason being she as a queen arguably contributed more to ancient Egypt legacy than some other kings and pharaohs.

• – Nefertiti, whose name means “a beautiful woman has come,”
• She ruled alongside her husband Akhenaten, and made decisions for the well being of Egypt
• She and her husband started the religious revolution in creating the Atens clan.

The carving below displays Nefetari alongside her husband with their children.

-As stated before they are equals

– She Is seated on the throne alongside her husband. This suggesting that no decision can be made without her.

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