Unkempt, unruly, bad-mannered, and lascivious, the blowsy woman has long been dismissed for her sluttish ways and refusal to behave nicely. Originating from the 18th century blowze, the word blowsy has been used to malign a woman as a beggar, wench, and – of lower social ranking to the beggar himself – a beggar’s female companion. I think it’s time her virtues were re-evaluated.
What a blowsy woman really is, is a woman of appetites – for food, drink, sex, and all that life can offer. She’s not perpetually mid-diet, turning down dessert and pounding her joints on a treadmill to burn off the few calories that may have slipped in somewhere between the no-fat-gluten-free muffin and the salad, sans dressing. Her drinking is not a glass of wine with lunch and her love affairs are not discrete. Nor are they with her husband. But the real problem in all of this – the thing that has brought her so much suspicion and derision – is that she doesn’t care. She doesn’t have time to be forever presentable and polite. Her waywardness is too time-consuming and, frankly, too much fun. Who can be bothered with etiquette and preserving your looks when your lustiness might take you somewhere far more exciting? read on
