Fortune is the half-master of our actions, but she leaves the other half, or nearly so, for us to govern.
—Machiavelli, The Prince
Almost every girl encountered this question: how should she dress to become the center of attention, stand out among so many equally young and beautiful women, and catch the eye of her "target"?
That "target" could be the man she loved, or an emperor, king, prince, duke, wealthy bachelor, or any other "marriageable prospect."
Marrying a young man with no material foundation, nothing but sweet talk or a handsome face, for the sake of love was undoubtedly unwise. Many other girls thought the same way, and even if they had not at first, their parents and relatives would persuade them otherwise. As a result, successful men were surrounded by countless female suitors. They did not need to spend effort pursuing women the way men who had yet to make something of themselves did.
In Cinderella's story, the girl who danced with the prince would unquestionably become the star of the ball. To win that place, girls did not merely scheme against one another; they also "mutilated" their own bodies. Corsets harmed the body no less than cutting off one's toes—perhaps even more. They were practically murder weapons. Perhaps that was why aristocratic women found childbirth so difficult.
Josephine was a woman of the Bourbon dynasty era. It was not much of a problem when she was young, but as she grew older, the damage beauty had inflicted upon her body began to surface. In the Bible's childbearing contest, Jacob initially favored the young and beautiful Rachel over the older, uglier Leah. But Leah could bear children while Rachel could not, and his affection gradually shifted toward Leah.
Taking part in this "competition" made some people deeply unhappy,