![]() They were raised with the understanding that their appearance was the primary defining quality that would tell society they were good and beautiful and thus worthy of marriage. “Wilder” and closer to nature when young and unmarried, women were “civilized” and controlled by their husbands when married. (1) Women covering their hair once married was yet another way men regulated the bodies of women. When married, by contrast, veiling and pinned up hair was the norm. Long, uncovered hair was acceptable for young women, as long as they were not too concerned with ornamentation. In the Middle Ages women were caught between conflicting messages regarding their appearance. Multiple women are shown with loose tangled hair that is grabbed by demons and twisted around demonic tails. One distinguishing feature these women share is long, loose reddish-blonde hair. These women are groped, prodded, and mounted by demons. Although there is a greater number of men punished, when women are depicted on the fresco, they are overwhelmingly punished sexually or with sexualized methods of torture. These implicit misogynistic societal views are visible within the imagery of Taddeo di Bartolo’s Hell fresco at the Collegiata church of San Gimignano. ![]()
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