In all times, and among all races, women show a desire to adorn themselves and be charming.[1] In the animal kingdom nature has distinguished the male with the greater beauty. Men designate women as the beautiful sex. This gallantry clearly arises from the sensual desire of men. As long as this personal adornment has a purpose only in itself, or the true psychological reason of the desire to please remains unknown to the woman, nothing can be said against it. When it is done with knowledge, the effort is called flirting.
Under all circumstances a dandified man is ridiculous. We are accustomed to this slight weakness in a woman, and find no fault with it, so long as it is but a subordinate manifestation. When it has become the all-absorbing aim, the French apply to it the word coquetry.
Woman far surpasses man in the natural psychology of love, partly because, through heredity and education, her native element is love; and partly because she has finer feelings (Mantegazza). Even in a man of the very highest breeding, it cannot be found objectionable that he recognizes woman as a means of satisfying his natural instinct. But it becomes his duty to belong only to the woman of his choice. In a civilized state this becomes a binding social obligation,—marriage; and, inasmuch as the wife requires for herself and children protection and support, it becomes a marriage right.
It is of great importance psychologically, and, for certain pathological manifestations to be later described, indispensable, to examine the psychological events which draw a man and a woman together and unite them; so that, of all other persons of the same sex, only the beloved one seems desirable.
If one could demonstrate design in the processes of nature,—adaptation cannot be denied them,—the fact of fascination by a single person of the opposite sex, with indifference toward all others, as it occurs between true and happy lovers, would appear as a wonderful creative provision to insure monogamous unions for the promotion of their object.
- ↑ This is not literally the case. “It is expressly stated, of the women of several savage peoples, that they are less desirous of self-decoration than the men.”—Westermarck, op. cit., p. 184. And the same writer (p. 182) says that “it is a common notion that women are by nature vainer and more addicted to dressing and decorating themselves than men. This certainly does not hold good for savage and barbarous peoples in general.”—Trans.
