How are Pedophilic Beauty Standards Engrained in Lady Audley's Secret?

    The novel, Lady Audley’s Secret, presents fascinating characters that push the boundaries of Victorian gender roles. Mary Braddon revolutionized the publishing process by releasing bits of her suspenseful story in newspapers and magazines that kept the public on their toes and excited for the next publishing. The story follows the barrister, Robert Audley, as he investigates the disappearance of his friend, George Taboys. Within the many twists and turns, Braddon made a point of writing complex, strong-minded, and independent female characters which demonstrated her controversial and progressive views for the Victorian Era. Even with these forward-thinking narratives, it's difficult to not notice how beauty ideals play a major role in the female characters and how they are perceived in the story. 

    One passage, in particular, stands out to me as the reader is introduced to Lucy, “That very childishness had a charm which few could resist. The innocence and candor of an infant beamed in Lady Audley’s fair face and shone out of her lar and liquid blue eyes. The rosy lips, the delicate nose, the profusion of fair ringlets, all contributed to preserve to her beauty the character of extreme youth and freshness. Her fragile figure, which she loved to dress in heavy velvets, and stiff, rustling silks, till she looked like a child tricked out for a masquerade, was as girlish as if she just left the nursery” (p.34). The main objective of this passage displays to the reader her youth and beauty, but why does Braddon emphasize this in terms of childlike features and characteristics?

   When examining this question, it is essential to look at the broader social and political influences of the time, and how they are represented in the character of Lady Audley. The Victorian Era presented a turning point for women within the realms of history; Queen Victoria was positioned as the perfect monarch as she was an exemplary ruler as well as mother. Family life was of the utmost importance to Victorian women as their main objective was to find a husband, have children, and raise them to be proud British citizens. Not unlike today’s beauty standards, women sought to keep a youthful appearance. But Braddon seems to point out some other characteristics that include fair skin, a petite figure, bright-eyed, and a fragile appearance that nod to the Victorian ideal of girls marrying young. 

    Along with this Victorian ideal, girls were meant to be subservient to their husbands. The text that describes Lady Audley reminds us of her childlike features, but then later on in the text, Robert no longer finds her attractive when he sees that she's ambitious, sharp, and earnest. This may be seen as uninteresting to our subconscious, but it makes me think about pedophilia within women’s beauty standards. The submissive behavior, delicate features, and sheer youth of the characters deemed desirable in Lady Audley’s Secret reveal how the Victorian age leaned into pedophilic ideals. 

    Unfortunately, I would also argue that these beauty standards have trickled down through the generations and have presented themselves in other times in our history. Even in modern times, it's not uncommon to see school girls fetishized, no body hair is expected, as well as lack of sexual experience being sexualized among men. Fortunately, many women today are tired of trying to please men who expect them to maintain a childlike appearance. Lady Audley's Secret is not the first, and certainly won't be the last, publication to reiterate these childlike beauty standards. Moving forward, feminine beauty will be seen as those who embrace their age, dress for themselves, and live without the antagonizing words of sick men.

Works Cited:

Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth), 1835-1915. (18 C.E.). Lady Audley's secret. New York :Federal Book Company,