How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Yet great blame has been placed upon those women who enjoy being pretty in both their clothes and ornaments, and it is said that they do this order to attract men to their love. (2.62.1)
Many women get criticized for putting on makeup and dressing nicely because men say they're just trying to make people fall in love with them. Or in other words, women make themselves look pretty because they have huge egos. Christine de Pizan, though, says that this isn't the case: women want to look good because of the sad fact that people won't pay attention to them if they don't.
Quote #8
I can assure you that all these women have not acted this way because of foolish love, but that many people, men and women, take delight in coquettishness or in beautiful or rich clothes and cleanliness and in stately and dignified things. (2.62.1)
It's unfair to say that women try to look good in order to make men attracted to them, since men do this sort of thing all the time, too. You think that dudes go to the beach in Speedos or talk about having two tickets to the gun show just to impress other dudes?
Quote #9
Thereupon the emperor had Martina stripped nude, and her lily-white body dazzled the spectators because of its singular beauty. (3.6.1)
People during Christine de Pizan's time were obsessed with pale skin because it represented delicacy. It also meant that a person hadn't spent much time in the sun. Nowadays, pasty-whiteness isn't a particularly hot commodity. But in de Pizan's time, tanning was associated with peasants who had to work in the hot sun all day.