Originally Posted by
YYCWoMaN
Historically, women had VERY limited options to provide for themselves if they became widowed, outlived their families or fled their childhood homes ~ and in many places on this planet (to add a 'travel' angle
) the circumstances for women are similar to the historical roots of prostitution. There was a market for their services then, all through history and there still is; and just like any other commodity if you remove the demand you diminish the stakeholders....
Your comment made me flash on the movie,
Dangerous Beauty, about maybe the most powerful (non-royal) women of her time, Veronica Franco (1546-1591)…poet, wit, and courtesan to the rich and famous….Left without a dowry, she was too poor to re-marry but had much influence until—if the movie is to be believed—moral outrage in the wake of the Black Death put the courtesan culture out of business.
And since this thread remains in “Women Only”, here’s some fashion trivia: I believe that high heel shoes were first made popular in Venice, where they were needed so that women could keep their hems dry and free of the filth thrown into the canals.