In the eighteenth century, beauty standards were the main “vehicle” for how women were perceived. Their very essence and inner worth was thought to be tied to their outward physical appearance, and as such, women’s education generally focused on the pursuit of beauty ideals and perfect manners. Mary Astell (1666-1731) and Mary Leapor (1722-46), two authors from this period, both challenged these ideals, arguing that the focus on beauty diminished women’s opportunities to receive a formal education. Astell’s A Serious Proposal to the Ladies and Leapor’s The Power of Beauty opposed the beauty manuals of the time period, such as The Ladies’ Book of Etiquette, by Florence Hartley. Astell, a middle class London intellectual, took a religious position against these beauty expectations, claiming that women’s continued ignorance was an affront to God and his plan. She argued that women were offered the same mental facilities that men were and should they choose to pursue them, they would no longer be meaningless shells, but capable of surpassing men. Leapor, a housemaid from the country, posed a more secular argument, describing the unequal fetishizing of beauty and the condemnation aimed towards women that did not neatly follow the ideals set for women at the time. She further claimed that men’s perception of women was a vitol stumbling block in achieving equality. Despite their different class standings in life, they both revolted against the standards of female beauty and education, showing the expanse and importance of the topic.
