Sarah Hale and the Ladies Magazine
Sarah Hales was an editor of the most successful woman’s magazine in the 19th century known as Ladies Magazine. She expressed her ideas of women’s sphere by explaining the role of women and how they can contribute to society. Hales also later became editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book when Louis Godey consolidated magazine. She expressed how women’s roles should extend outside the domestic sphere to society and public life in general. Hales showed how women could change the future by influencing the young and improving characters of their husbands. She has borne out ideas through her education, and through articles, she published it as an editor for her magazine. This essay is about the ideologies represented by Sarah Hale in Ladies Magazine and later in Lady’s Book.
According to Sarah, women’s sphere was not a vacation but a value system taking care of the household by taking care of the husband and children. She expressed that women should help improve their husbands’ character by providing comfort and support. She also explains that children’s roles should be shaped directly through discipline. Developing the young generation and improving the integrity of men is the only way that women can contribute to society by influencing their husbands’ actions. The appropriate behavior of women should include disciplining their children, which shapes the next generation’s morals and minds. Women’s activities should also involve teaching the young how to be responsible for being pillars of national glory. The character of women seen what children become in society and the morals and values of their husbands.
Ladies magazine took a new turn after consolidation with Philadelphia publisher, and it became more like a business and publicity in the hands of Louis Godey. The magazines started promoting products such as fashion dresses in fashion plates, and as time went on, changes continued increasing. Although Sarah Hale continued publishing her articles in the Lady’s Book, women’s sphere took on material substance and graphical shape. Later the first quarter of the magazine was covered with fashion plates making the intangible virtues of Ladies magazine change to the fashion magazine.
In American culture today, Sarah Hale’s point of view still exists, where some women are still considered caretakers of children, and others have no direct role in society. Although it has come a long way, and women have gotten more rights and responsibilities in society. Women still participate in superior functions by invisibly improving and uplifting the character of their husbands and molding their children’s nature. Men always are grosser sex, where they still drink, abuse women, and most of them are money-minded, not even taking time to take care of their families. Women writers can now express their ideas anywhere they want, which is acceptable to society at large.
In conclusion, Hale’s vividly outlines the significance of women extending their roles from the domestic sphere. Women’s role in society has always been an essential aspect of society. Their contributions to directly influencing their children through discipline and education also improve the characters of their husbands. The community should embrace the totality of women’s roles and refrain from viewing women as objects of beauty and men’s pride. Women should be encouraged to take more responsibility in contributing to social development, and society should embrace women’s rights and freedom in totality.