Opening Up Space: A Lovely Technofeminist Opportunity

Lola Montez Introduction

Lola Montez, who was born Eliza Rossana Gilbert on February 17, 1824, was a very interesting and largely studied figure. According to one biography, Montez was known to be a serial liar, therefore her fascinating life is a tangle of complex falsities and is very difficult to trace (Seymour, vii). Montez was an Irish born dancer known best for her jaw-dropping beauty which captured the hearts of many noble and important men from all around the world (Seymour, 1). Although she had two husbands prior, her most notable suitor was King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Lola, who was commonly characterized by her hot temper and inability to remain in one place for too long, challenged all the expectations of what it meant to be a woman in the Victorian age (Seymour, 11). She defied conventional femininity in many ways, from being a chain-smoker, to wearing provocative clothing, and everything in between. Perhaps one of her most notable deviations from womanhood, however, was that she was a female author in the early 19th century. 

The Arts of Beauty; or, Secrets of a Lady's Toilet by Madame Lola Montez reads like an instructional guide for women on how to fit Western standards of beauty. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of female beauty like hair, blemishes, and eyes, with a chapter at the end dedicated to the "Fifty Rules in the Art of Fascinating". It also offers commentary directed to both men and women, seemingly in a parody style, yet supporting gender-normative standards of the time period. This text is intriguing to work with because of its seemingly anti-feminist viewpoint, yet Montez was known for being provocative and unconventional in a way that has led our group to believe there might be more to this text than what meets the eye.

Below, you can find the excerpts from The Arts of Beauty; or, Secrets of a Lady's Toilet, that we have chosen to analyze in this entry. 

Continue through our pages, to explore and learn about some key themes discovered in this text. 

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