Pham 1

Linh Pham
UWRT 1102
Professor Grants
26 February 2015
Proposal Essay: The Geisha, The Girl and The Society
My obsession with finding strong independent female figures solely based on the fact that
I am a feminist. I love the idea of strong independent women but then along that line, but that
does not mean that I am man hating. Some of my personal research led me to geisha. They are
trained to be submissive towards men; however, they are strong and independent women outside
of their work. So my question is if there will ever be a fine line between feminism and being a
lady.
Geisha are beautiful, they are considered the guardian of the Japanese history. This idea is
intriguing to me because most Asian culture are predominantly male based. Historically, geisha
are males but overtime, the gender role changes and it is now a business run by women for men.
And for women to be composed of talents and skill are simply amazing. They are talented in
music, dancing, acting, and mannerism. Geisha are respectful of their male clients because they
know that their clients are also respectful of them. I think nowaday, people are just too asking for
respect rather than earning respect for themselves.
One of the most important aspects in my opinion of being a female is to exert herself. I
believe that being physically beautiful is a confidence boost; however, being both spiritually and
emotionally strong are what make a complete beautiful woman. I acknowledge that women and
men are equal, but I believe that equality should only be gain by earning respect and integrity not
by being angry towards the other gender.

Pham 2
Outline
Geisha are the ideal representation of real beauty standard. They are also perfect to represent the
real idea of feminism. Since they are strong and independent but they also know how to be
submissive.
I.

Highly secretive and formality

A. Strict rules (House of Pleasure Quarter)
1. They are not allow to contact family (PBS
documentary)
2. The guests must be invited to be accompanied by
geisha.
B. The importance of preserving culture (PBS documentary and
library documentary)
1. Intensive training
2. Their training include how to entering and exiting a
room properly

II. Elegance in terms of body image (House of Pleasure Quarter)

A. Conservative
1. Traditionally dressed in yukata and kimono
2. Mannerism
B. Graceful movement (Library documentary)
1. They pay close to how they should approach clients
2. Respectful of their male clients
III. Intelligent and strong minded
IV. Conclusion
Geisha are the perfect representation of beauty and feminism. They earned their respect
and income based on their skills and their intelligent. Despite not having formal background,
these women are educated and are aware of their own life.