Domestic Goddess

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The term "Domestic Goddess" relates to the worship of female deities, specifically those related to domesticity in the Greek pantheon: Hestia^[1], Aphrodite^[2], and Hera^[3]. These goddesses were believed to influence the issues of domestic life: respectively, the Hearth, Love and Beauty, and the Marital Relationship.

Contents 1 Usage in the Nineteenth Century 2 Usage in the Twentieth Century 3 Usage in the Twenty-First Century 4 References

[edit] Usage in the Nineteenth Century

In the 1800s, William Makepeace Thackeray used the term in his novel, Vanity Fair, to describe the character of Amelia: "a kindly, smiling, artless, tender, little domestic goddess, whom men are inclined to worship"^[4].

[edit] Usage in the Twentieth Century

In the 1960s, Helen Andelin used the term in her book, Fascinating Womanhood, to describe an ideal view of women's work in the home. In the 1980s, comedian Roseanne Barr took Mrs. Andelin's term and turned it to comedic advantage in describing her own experience as a homemaker.

[edit] Usage in the Twenty-First Century

Domestic Goddess was a planned cooking show hosted by actress and comedian Roseanne Barr. There was also a reality show based on the making of the cooking show called The Real Roseanne Show. Both the cooking show and the reality show were canceled due to Roseanne's emergency hysterectomy in the summer of 2003. No episodes of Domestic Goddess were filmed before its cancellation. The title of the show came from Roseanne's coined term "domestic goddess." It took the idea of political correctness, which often suggests terms that may be less offensive to replace other phrases, and turned it on its ear. At its core, it is another - no less valid - way of saying "housewife."

Nigella Lawson has also been nicknamed the "Domestic Goddess" after publishing a cookbook entitled How to Be a Domestic Goddess.

[edit] References