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“It drives you crazy, doesn't it? To be the smartest person in the room with no real power because of that smelly clam between your legs. ” (season 2, episode 2) This is arguably the best line in the whole season of American Horror Story: Asylum, spoken by Sister Mary Eunice while she was possessed by the devil. American Horror Story is no stranger to tackling social issues like race, religion, class, etc. Feminism, in particular, is a theme reoccuring the most, especially in this season.
In episode two, “Tricks and Treats,” we see three female characters fall victim to religious hypocrisy, internalized misogyny, and the vilification of female sexuality. The season takes place at Briarcliffe Manor, an insane asylum bought by the Catholic church, in 1960s Massachusetts. Feminism has been interpreted in my many different ways by many people.
In a brief definition, feminism is the equal social, political, and general rights of women equal to those of men. There is debate about whether or not there is still a need for feminism in modern times because of how far society has “evolved”.
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“ Ok, let me say I’m extremely satisfy with the result while it was a last minute thing. I really enjoy the effort put in. ”
Women still suffer inequality to this day, so there isn’t much to debate. To give background, the season focuses on the stories of the staff and “patients” at Briarcliffe Manor. (I use term patient loosely because of the treatment they endured at this institution. ) Pieces of each characters story is presented through a series of flashbacks focusing on different storylines each episode. Sister Jude Martin, the ring leader, and Sister Mary Eunice, her subservient subordinate, maintain Briarcliffe which was founded by the Monsignor, Timothy Howard.
(Mad) scientist Dr. Arden, the Nazi war criminal, along with the psychiatrist Dr. Oliver Thredson, aka the serial killer Bloody Face, both “treat” the patients at Briarcliffe. Usually with some kind of mutilation in the name of research. The main focus of the season can be argued as being the women on cast, Sister Jude, Sister Mary Eunice, Lana Winters, and Shelley. All of these women fall victim to an oppressive institution or societal mechanism that harm women, and in some cases, are fatal. Sister Judith Martin became a nun after her life fell apart. She was rejected by her fiancé after he gave her syphilis, leaving her unable to have children. She quickly developed an alcohol problem due to his rejection and heartbreak. In her downward spiral, Jude drank, smoked, and seduced younger men and had several one night stands.
One night, her advances were spurned, and out embarrassment Jude drove home a drunken mess. She wasn't paying attention and drove right into a little girl who was (oddly) riding her bike alone at night, and left her for dead. This incident haunted Jude, and the guilt drove her to the nunnery. Sister Jude is a victim of sexism in the workplace, but she is also a hypocrite, and a perpetrator of misogyny herself. Internalized misogyny is the sexist behavior exhibited by women towards other women. Women suffering from internalized misogyny distrust other women, devalue other women, and perpetuate gender biases in favor of men. They are women who dislike other women. (“Internalized Sexism”) Jude shows this behavior in the episode, and a good portion of the season. Just like many conservative and religious women like herself, Sister Jude is very critical of other women, and especially critical of their sexuality. Sister Jude is very cruel with her treatments. For example, as a punishment for having relations with another inmate, Jude orders a female patient to be sterilized. The girl slowly bleeds to death due to the lack of quality healthcare at Briarcliffe. She also has Lana Winters committed because of her sexuality, and orders her to shock therapy. Later on in the episode, a Father Timothy and Dr. Thredson are performing an exorcism on a patient, and in trying to help, Jude is told to “stay in a woman's place”. Jude is constantly underestimated by the men she works, and while this season takes place in the 1960’s, these attitudes are still prevalent in present day.
The viewer would almost feel bad for her if she weren't such a hypocrite. It can be interpreted that the other women remind Judith of her previous sexual freedom that she is ashamed of, so she was harsher on them. She projected her shame and insecurities on other women, as is common in female misogynists. Lana Winters is an ambitious reporter who goes to Briarcliffe for her latest scoop. Bloody Face, an infamous serial killer who targets women and skins them alive, had just been committed to Briarcliffe. Well, a suspect anyway, the audience later learns that he’s innocent and that it was Dr. Thredson all along. Lana goes to Briarcliffe to get an exclusive story on bloody face, and in doing so she antagonizes sister Jude with her persistence and confidence. Jude being the misogynist she is, feels threatened by Lana’s strong personality. She commits her under the pretense of curing her homosexuality. This is an example of Lana being victim to the vilification of female sexuality. This can be sexuality or sexual orientation. As previously stated, Sister Judith arranged for Lana to forego electric shock therapy. And as previously stated, yes, she does this because Lana is a lesbian, but she also does is to keep her from spreading the truth about the asylum.
After she’s admitted to Briarcliffe, Jude confiscates her notes from Lanas unauthorized investigation. She tells Jude that she doesn’t need the notes, she’ll never forget. So, in typical Judith Martin fashion, she figured that shocking her brain would make her forget. Homosexuality used to be considered a mental illness. Mental hospitals were given agency to cure their patients and rid them of their affliction however they saw fit. Patients weren’t even allowed to leave. Aversion therapy, lobotomies, and castration were all ways gay men and women were “treated” for this perceived mental illness. (Scot) Conversion therapy was basically “pray the gay away” on steroids. Shelley is an inmate at Briarcliffe wrongfully imprisoned for simply having sex. She is a victim of toxic masculinity, male aggression and the demonization of female sexuality. After a life of being forced to suppress her sexual urges, Shelley is forced into a marriage with an abusive and neglectful man. He was an avid cheater, and so when shelley had had enough she decides to have an affair of her own. When her husband discovered this, he had her thrown into Briarcliffe under the pretense of being a nymphomaniac. The time period being the 1960s, and Briarcliffe being ran by the Catholic church, no one questioned him.
Our resident Nazi Dr. Arden, in all his sexual frustration, attempted to rape Shelley, telling her that it it’s impossible to rape “whores”. When Shelley laughs at his size, his ego was so bruised that he mutilated her. He cut off her legs and horribly disfigured her face, making her unrecognizable. “Men like Sex and no one calls them whores. I hate that word it’s so ugly. I’m simply into pleasure,” (Tricks and Treats). This quote from Shelley shows that she is in fact not crazy and doesn’t belong at Briarcliff. She is fully sane and aware of her feelings and actions. Women like Shelley have been made to feel crazy by men and gaslighted for centuries. Shelley’s character may have been short lived (thanks to Dr. Arden), but she held great significance. Not only does American Horror Story: Asylum have feminist themes, the show also has themes and displays of sexism. The episode “Tricks and Treats” shows the audience the backstories of Sister Jude Martin, and the patient Shelley. The flashbacks into Judes past show the reason she is the way she is. She is cruel and harsh to her female patients because, in a way, she sees herself in them. She sees her promiscuous past and it brings her great shame. We are also shown that Shelley isn't some sex crazed maniac. She was, along with plenty of other “patients”, wrongfully imprisoned. We aren't given much backstory on Lana Winters in this episode, but we see the extent of Jude’s cruelty and bigotry when she orders her to shock therapy to cure her “affliction”. This episode showed the many ways men oppress women, but it also shed light on how women oppress each other.
Feminism And Misogyny in American Horror Story: “Asylum”. (2024, Feb 26). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/feminism-and-misogyny-in-american-horror-story-asylum-essay
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