Victorian spinsters with a badass attitude
Shockingly funny answers why some women chose to remain unmarried
A public historian of Victorian pop culture, Dr Bob Nicholson, came across an odd magazine article from 1889 in which Victorian-era spinsters were questioned why they shunned marriage.
As is well known, Victorian society expected women to consider marriage and servitude to their husbands the only purpose in life. Yet many women remained unmarried, perhaps a source of perplexity for some folk, particularly the men who published Tit-Bits magazine.
Tit-Bits magazine crafted a contest with a prize for the best answer to the question:
Why am I a spinster?
What is a spinster?
The origin of the word spinster refers to an unmarried woman, perhaps past the usual age of marriage during the Victorian era. These women were often a source of shame for their families, often the subject of public ridicule.
Modern reference to the term implies a much more derogatory definition, pointing to stereotypes of women who are thought to be too…
