The things I think about when I am unwell

A few weeks ago I was unwell and had time to think about a whole matter of things. One thing (and this really happened, I think I was slightly delusional as I felt compelled to try and figure this out)  that occurred to me is the cultural shift, particularly in fiction towards unmarried females and their role in the family.

The maiden aunt has changed faces over the last hundred years. No longer is she Great Aunt Sarah who comes over on birthdays and receives a lift to weddings.  She lost her sweet heart in the war and looked after mother for years afterwards. At a wedding she may have a glass of sherry and toast the couple, but after the obliged turn around the dance floor by a young male relative she is content to sit in the corner. Similar to Grandma she offers surprising words of comfort during hard times to a broken protagonist, being the right balance; familiar yet not as personal as a parent or friend.   

No, today she is Sara (no need for Aunt, she isn’t going to be told what her role is in life by anyone). She doesn’t have a partner as she is too busy with her career, and the implications are that even if she did settle down she would not get married. Her behavior and attitude is remarkably close to that attributed to males, but she is not quite a 'ladette'. She will interrupt others, not apologize for her input and empty adjectives will not be found in her vocabulary  . She visibly flouts language theorists, from Lakoff to Zimmerman & West without a second thought. And why should she?

Why has this change occurred may be asked, examples of her were not found in the sixties and seventies when feminism was, arguably, at its most visible peak. Mostly because of  social change, with public figures such as Dr Lucy Wolsey being open about not wanting to follow the traditional role of mother it has become more acceptable for other women to be honest about their choices. Because of greater acceptance by a larger proportion of society, she is no longer a "ball breaker" or labelled as vulgar for not talking in a 'ladylike' manner . It is simply accepted as being her personality.

The disappearance of Great Aunt Sarah marks the change in not only our society but also our language, showing how out of date some of the theories haunting lexis information hunters can be. Sara doesn't apologize for her language, why should we?