Charlotte Perkins Gilman
American · 19th–20th century
American author and feminist activist best known for the short story The Yellow Wallpaper (1892), depicting a woman's descent into madness under patriarchal medical treatment.
Connection to Taylor Swift
The Yellow Wallpaper's depiction of a woman confined and driven mad by patriarchal control parallels the cultural mechanisms Taylor satirizes in Blank Space, the labeling of assertive women as 'insane.'
Notable Works
- The Yellow Wallpaper, Herland, Women and Economics
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
The Yellow Wallpaper
Angela & Uncle Jerry reference The Yellow Wallpaper as a companion text to The Madwoman in the Attic discussion. Uncle Jerry describes the protagonist 'crawling around scratching at the wallpaper' and says 'let her out of the room for goodness sakes,' connecting it to the broader theme of women being confined and labeled insane for stepping outside cultural norms — the same dynamic he sees Taylor satirizing in Blank Space.