what does a woman want?
by lavinia plonka

Back in the days when chivalry did not mean repression, King Arthur and his knights were out hunting. Just as he was about to snag a deer, a challenger appeared, full of righteous indignation, demanding battle. Arthur, who had gone out without his armor (where was his mother when he left?) begged off, saying it was unfair to be challenged when he wasn’t prepared. A deal was struck—if Arthur could answer a question within a year, the knight would let him go. If not, the knight could chop off his head. Arthur, thinking this is a piece of cake, said "Sure." The question was What does a woman want?

Needless to say, everyone had a different answer: nice clothes, kind words, wealth and security. They were all the wrong answers. Arthur’s knights traveled far and wide trying to find an answer. As the year was drawing to a close, a desperate Arthur encountered a horrendously ugly, mean old hag who said her name was Dame Ragnelle. “I know the answer,” she cackled, “but if you want it, one of your knights has to agree to marry me.” Arthur was horrified, but Gawain, his loyal friend, offered to make the sacrifice. ”What does a woman want?” she said, “A woman wants sovereignty – she wants the right to choose!

”When Arthur told the knight, he railed, “You’ve been talking to my sister!” and skulked away. Gawain married the hag. That night he went reluctantly to their bed. He couldn’t even look at Dame Ragnelle. When she entreated him to turn, he was shocked to see the most beautiful woman on earth. She said, “You can have me like this half the time. Would you prefer me beautiful in the daytime, so your friends can see me? Or would you prefer me like this at night, for your eyes only?” Gawain was tortured, and finally said, “Lady, it’s up to you.” Poof, the spell was broken, and henceforth she was beautiful all the time – because he had acknowledged her right to choose. That troublesome knight, Dame Ragnelle’s brother....had known of course, that it would take an honorable man to free his sister of this curse.

Since the story of Eve, a woman’s right to choose has been punished and compromised. It wasn’t until the last century that women remembered this most vital quality. From choosing to “have a room of one’s own” to having the right to vote, from choosing a career to having sovereignty over her own body, the last hundred years have been a flowering of a woman’s true power. If we want to keep that power, we must exercise it. If Dame Ragnelle had not taken matters into her own hands, Arthur would have been dead, and she would still be enchanted. She seized her opportunity to make it known what women want, and Gawain listened. If we don’t seize our moment right now, we will all become imprisoned in a world we did not create. It will not be a pretty sight. In order to have beauty 24/7 a woman must remember her right to choose. So get out and vote – don’t give up your sovereignty.