8.13.2010

Spinster

Urban Dictionary has a lot of disturbing definitions of spinster.
Dictionary.com defines it as the following:

–noun
1.
a woman still unmarried beyond the usual age of marrying.
2.
Chiefly Law . a woman who has never married.
3.
a woman whose occupation is spinning.

I am clearly not earning a living spinning. Besides, the word spinster to define one whose occupation is spinning makes me think she's pretty ghetto fabulous. Also, can men not be spinsters if their occupation is spinning? But I digress...

I have a Great Aunt, Ellen, who is where ellenjane came from (my former internet alias if you will). She never married, moved to be near her sister and their three kids, 2 girls and a boy. She never learned to drive, never held a job outside of holding down the household of my mother's mother.
Whenever my mom talks about her she calls her my spinster aunt. I don't know why the word spinster is necessary. When years and years and some more years have passed and I have never married will my mom introduce me or refer to me as her spinster daughter?

What would the harm be in simply referring to Ellen as her Aunt. I should think that now many people would wonder what spinster meant, perhaps they think my Aunt was a ghetto fabulous spinner way ahead of her time, rapping and spinning while occasionally doing some break dancing.
These are just thoughts wandering around in my head because of another conversation I've had recently that is closely related to the idea of a spinster.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think that's just a carry over from older generations. Women didn't used to be considered as individuals. It was always so and so's daughter, or someone's wife.

You spin all you want dear, you'll always be fabulous...

Etepay said...

not just fabulous, but ghetto fabulous, don't sell her short jake! lol.

My dad's aunt never married, she was a career woman and said she just never found anyone to meet her expectations. I knew what spinster meant, but I never considered her one, nor would I consider your aunt Ellen.

I think people just need to take a step back and let everyone be so ghetto fabulous.

O.K. I've used my quota of fabulous today, I have to quit.