Youthful Obsessions

In “Only Women Bleed,” Peggy McCracken discusses the value virginal women’s blood had over non-virginal women’s blood in the medieval period. She states “the intact virgin’s body incarnates a unique purity and the virtue of the body guarantees the virtue of the blood,” thus implying that once a woman has lost her only virtue-purity, she is no longer of value. Interesting enough, a girl becomes a commodity to men when she starts her period, and after she is sold off/bargained for/what have you, she sheds blood once again on her wedding night, she sheds also her purity and virtue, thus rendering her blood tainted. This idea can be observed with Daenerys, once she gets her period she can now has obtaining exchange value that her brother can abuse for his own in creating a bond with the Dothraki people, which is valuable to him.

Her value is lowered, yet she remains as one other source of profit, her fertility. She grants men the promise of promoting their bloodline, and once she has successfully produced children and raised them to the appropriate age (with the aid of her tainted breast milk!), she has proven of value and can now expire.

This concept is reiterated by Cersei’s constant fear of the younger and prettier queen that will one day come to replace her. She is plagued (pun intended) with nightmares involving her uncontrolled bleeding and shamefulness she feels towards her own body. She becomes winded more easily, and cannot fit in her older dresses, constant reminder that her body is aging. She is resentful of Margaery’s youthful beauty, as she reminisces and clings to a younger, more beautiful image of herself. Cersei also mentions a Maiden’s Day, which was a celebration that only virgin maids could attend, further revealing the praise of the virgin female.

If we associate virginity with youth, and if virginity measured a woman’s value, then in order to put this in a more current context, we could relate this concept to the pedophilic nature of our society. Young girls are taught that “daddy” is the only man you need, and similar ceremonies are still present in our society today such as ‘Purity Balls’ and the ‘Silver Ring Thing,’ which are eerily similar to the Maiden’s Day celebration Cersei spoke of.

Likewise, society has created an unobtainable set standard of physical perfection that is associated with youthfulness. Women are still only a commodity based on the agreeableness of their appearance. Men show off their ‘trophy wives’ and replace her with a new one when they are no longer to their likings. Anorexia, and other eating disorders determinant the youth of our nation, while plastic surgery keeps its economy afloat.