Mannish Woman/Womanish Man tea towel
Haec Vir or Womanish Man is a pamphlet from 1620 on the vexed theme of gender identity, a subject of controversy during the Jacobean period.
A fascinating document that suggests issues of gender identity, appearance and behavour ,and the controversy that they can arouse, is not unique to our present time.
The missive prior to this one expressed disapproval about the violation of expectations expressed through female cross dressing, and this rebuttal can be considered as an early example of the assertion of women's rights and freedoms. The blunt verdict is that "“To conclude Custome is an Idiot."
For more background and analysis i can recommend Katrina Marchant's (aka Dr Kat) Reading the Past episode on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDBejwjH0ls
It's a hidden slice of history that resonates again today, which she examines much more fully than i can.
The full texts of both pamphlets can be found here:
Hic mulier: or, the man-woman and Haec-vir: or, the womanish-man (archive.org)
