Queen sheba was the sovereignruler of the ancient Ethiopia and was tricked into motherhood by King Solomon. As aresult, Queen Sheba became a single mother as well as ruler of a nation. The queen revealed that her inner beautywas the most important theing that she brought int the table , as she was not known for her external beauty. King Solomon had numerous wives, yet he was drawn to a woman like Sheba because of her strong personality.
Back then, before men had discovered their role in creation, they praised women and regarded them as goddesses and demigods. As such, there were many goddesses of things such as the sun, moon, rain, and fertility among others. They were all worshipped and showered with gifts whenever people needed favors from them; women were held in high esteem.It was not long after the story of creation spread widely that gender roles began to shift.Men seized what they perceived to be rightful or dominat position in the society and began oppressing and disregarding women , subjecting them to the wife related chores and undermining their place in leadership. However, some of them with strong and distinct qualities of leadership would compete with the male counterparts for positions of power, challenging their superficial patriarchal norms and male privilege that still prevails today..
One of such women was the queen of Sheba who in her home of origin Ethiopia was known as Makeda. She was the only daughter of his father and had two brothers. Regardless of being the last-born daughter, she inherited the kingdom from his father who deemed her as the only responsible for carrying along his legacy and true to his fathers’ word, she was an exemplary and reputable leader of Sheba. During her time as queen, marriage was held in high regard, and most of the children born out of wedlock were considered a curse or a bad omen in the society and would sometimes be subjected to torture and suffering. As such, women were strongly advised to get married to beget children out of their legally acknowledged husband as women who sired children before getting married were seemed unacceptable and could not hold high positions in the society.
Makeda, however, after visiting King Solomon, she sired a child of him through the king’s trickery , “ ..and he permitted to drink the water , and after she had drunk he worked his will with her and they slept together” (Budge ,31). She did not marry after the birth of his son Menelik1 but remained a single mother and continued to govern her kingdom regardless of the view the society held regarding such women. The queen did not deny her son or offer him to adoption homes to hide it from the society, as others could have done to help them retain the kingdom. The queen was courageous enough to boldly accept her son and make the father known to people(Budge ,37). Instead, she raised him in the palace and when he was of age, he sent him to his father in Jerusalem with the ring she had been given by the king on her visit. We could deduce that the society allowed her to control ruling the kingdom because they probably could not get a leader of her like in the kingdom. Notably, the queen had been selected by her father other than his brothers who did not deserve to lead due to their ineffective leadership skills, ..“ I will choose Makeda. The people love her.”Her father attributed her qualities as the reason she was fit for the position, and it could be possible that they were the same that allowed her people to continue entrusting her with the throne despite being a single mother.
In the kingdom, the queen of Sheba was highly respected and was regarded as a goddess or a great god because of her wisdom(Cushman, 335). She was capable of making swift decisions affecting the kingdom, and for that, the people cherished and adored her. For instance, when she received an invitation note from King Solomon of Israel, her advisors and her subjects were wary of what would happen to her if she left the boundaries of their kingdom. They were worried about her safety, but she decided to gather more wisdom and any other benefits that they would come along and bring it to her people , “ they were also worried about their queen’s safety”. On arrival to the kingdom, she engaged the king in an intellectual battle that showed how courageous and witty she was..“ but I do have riddles to ask you”. For a person to lead effectively, wisdom is a necessity to ensure the proper running of a nation or a state , which she possessed in bulky.
The queen of Sheba was also described as a lovable person in the society, “ the people love her”. In return, she loved the people she governed and would listen to her concerns and address them promptly. People loved her as she had an organized way of operating the kingdom. In addition, she was described as a kind leader who executed her duties excellently and treated her workers with kindness and respect, “ She is kind to everyone..”
It was expected that now the queen had a young son, her leadership would decisions would be impaired since she would shift the attention to the young one. However, her mother was so much in fond of her grandson such that she could spend more time with her when the queen was busy with the administrative work , “ the Queen Mother Menalehush loved her little grandson and called him Menelik”. Additionally, in as much as she did not have a mate, she had people around her, such as her bothers who could help with the raising of the young son into a responsible man(Pritchard et al, 90). However, bearing a son came with many responsibilities mentally, emotionally and physically as she wanted to prepare her son to become the heir to the kingdom. She wanted the seed begotten of the wise king to continue ruling the kingdom. She would have ample time with her son and guide him on matters of leadership, but this did not affect the execution of her duties to the kingdom.
Why the queen rejected King Solomon firmly and strongly
The queen of Sheba had received the news of King Solomon’s wisdom and the god he worshipped. She, therefore, longed to meet him and gauge his administrative skills as well as confirm the stories she had only heard , “ Queen was struck dumb with wonder at the things she heard from the merchant her servant, and she thought in her heart that she would go to him”. Upon meeting him, she was impressed by his wisdom and contented with the things she had wanted to affirm(Cushman, 337). The king was equally pleased with the queen’s intellect, strength and overall personality, such that he admired her sexually and he later made advances to her (Scott, 60). The queen of Sheba, on the other hand, was aware of his love and lust for women and thus she was not willing to be one of his many concubines. Additionally, in her home country, Ethiopia, the only women that were fit to lead the country ought to have been pure without a previous sexual encounter, “ the queen who governs our kingdom ought to be unmarried and pure”. Therefore, she considered that the people of her kingdom would dethrone her if she engaged in such an act.
Besides, her kingdom was one of the richest with a plethora of items to trade including spices. Many of the neighboring countries would come to her country for labor relations and strengthen trade relations enriching them further , “…the port of Sheba was busy from morning until night. Ships came from many distant places”. She thus considered herself self-sufficient if inheritance of the riches of the king was anything to go by. However, regardless of the much wealth her country had amassed through trade and other activities, King Solomon was superior to many of these nations and referred to them as subordinates and that had made it possible to command the queen through a letter to come to his palace(Budge,37). Therefore, the queen considered herself unworthy of the king and preferred to remain in the position of a subordinate without involving issues such as affairs. She is quoted telling the queen not to sleep with her because she was unmarried, as she knew that he had the authority to do so as well as destroying her kingdom through the war at will(Cushman, 336).
After the conception and the birth of her son, the reasons for the adamant refusal of the king Solomon’s proposal became apparent, as it had appeared to him in a dream while he spent with the queen. In the dream, light originating from Jerusalem went to Ethiopia, shone brightly for a long time, and did not come back.“ and when Solomon the King saw this vision in his sleep, his soul became disturbed….and he woke up with an agigated mind”. The was naturally wise, “ wisdom that God had given unto him”. Thus, he was able to interpret that dream and realized that the Ethiopian dynasty would be governed by his generation for years to come beginning with the child that the queen had just conceived. The queen had seen such a thing coming and had wanted to prevent in any way she could because that meat that she had entrusted her throne to a foreigner(Cushman, 339).
The modern view of make-up and how it has affected the view of female identity
Every culture in every tradition had their view on the beauty of a woman. Most of them had accessories that they used on women to complement their beauty. All women had to be beautiful, but the definition of beauty was relative depending on their cultural beliefs. In some cultures, beauty was a determinant of several factors such as the amount of bride price among other things. Women were and are still made to believe that they should possess physical beauty and attractiveness as an asset. Emphasis is typically put on the feminine body shape, color, and smoothness of the skin(Howarth, 90). However , not all women possess these qualities . For instance , Queen Sheba was not physically attractive but had exceptional qualities.
In the modern world, as we continue to experience many changes the society has also changed the way the view beauty as opposed to the traditional ways. Technology has played crucial parts in influencing women and raising standards, which has led to women feeling inadequate, and thus fail to appreciate their natural skin(Howarth, 90). Many images in the media which have been edited and photo shopped have created an image that shows that all women need to be beautiful and if they do not feel sufficiently beautiful, they could enhance their skin through makeup to feel beautiful and accepted in the society. Notably, the use of paints and dyes among other coloring matter is not a new method to modify the body in many cultures, but the rising use of make-up especially in the western world has been on the rise since early 1990’s. The makeup trend among many women has spread across the whole world since many women want to feel socially acceptable and conform to the societal needs as well as reducing the anxiety they feel about their facial appearances.
It is becoming apparent in the society that beauty, especially for the women, is a prerequisite in many aspects of the society and many professions as well(Howarth, 92). The influence from the mass media has conditioned people to think that every woman has to look pretty, thus, if a woman is not physically attractive, she is felt like an inadequate citizen. It has also led women into believing that their beauty is related to make up which is further linked to success and more opportunities, “ women who use makeup are more successful and have more ooprtunies in life”. Besides, they are consistently put in checks by how they are capable of copying and reflecting the beautiful models that have been proposed by the mass media. Their male counterparts seem to express their love and adoration for the beauty of women, but at the same, they judge and condemn women that use makeup insisting on their natural beauty which they do not appreciate terming most of them ugly(Howarth, 82)
Both women and men who are against makeup have hadseveral perceptions and criticisms. They have expressed skewed views regarding the use of make-up and seem to change the attitude they hold against such women, “ Women who use makeup usually suffer low self-esteem and use it to boost their confidence”. In their argument, they review the achievements of the women leaders who were successful without enhancing their beauty but using their competencies and skills. In addition, they argue that natural and artificial beauty does not necessarily equate and translate to the accomplishment of success in the social settings but requires the possession of inborn or acquired qualities that enable one to accomplish specific goals when granting the opportunity. They often support their evidence by looking at the current women in leadership in the business world who do not enhance their looks to succeed.
It is imperative that these anti-makeup protestors realize that their medieval leaders such as the Queen of Sheba had distinctive characters such as wisdom among others that allowed them to leave lasting impacts through transformative leadership in their societies and kingdoms. As much as they did not use makeup to enhance their beauty at that time, such women of her cadre used accessories that identified their class and made them more noticeable. Such accessories were held in high regard, and all women were seen as less inadequate and financially strained for failure to possess them(Escobar,70). Therefore, as much as the society blames the modern woman for enhancing her looks through makeup, it should be noted that the traditional women also had a different perception of beauty.
Thus, women have a right to choose whatever they want with their bodies and faces without being subjected to judgments, belittlement and being undermined in various fields such as politics and psychological suffering. They need no to be condemned and judged as they are conforming to the forces of change in the society, which is inevitable. The view on whether to make up one’s face or not should not be a subject to discrimination because women too hold different opinions regarding the same. It should not be a measure of some one’s ability or inability to perform a particular task(Howarth, 85)
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Feminists in the society have reacted to the issue of women being imposed to the supposed appearance norms that force women to comply with the set standards of beauty in the society for them to become acceptable. The society seems to force them to wear makeup to hide their defects and imperfections which is the classic definition of beauty. Their objection is valid, but at the same time, it makes the women who cannot live without makeup feel as if they live a life dictated by a deceitful conception of beauty(Howarth, 89)
. They live with the guilt of feeling that they rely so much on it to battle the feelings of insecurity or boosting their confidence levels. Thus, we could deduce that the society’s perceptions regarding the women who use make up has been negative and they have been on the receving end in battling issues such as shaming and comparisons with the traditional woman who did not use make up. However, they society should let the woman be in embracing the technology in ways of enhancing their looks for different appearances as well as the professions. Makeup should not be a measure of a woman’s intelligence or lack of it, as it was apparent in Queen Sheba’s case who needed not to enhance her looks to get the massive recognition through her exemplary leadership
Works cited
Budge, Ernest Alfred Wallis, ed. The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Menyelek (I): Being the" Book of the Glory of Kings"(KebraNagast)...Routledge, 2001 ,.P 37
E. A Wallis uses his extensive study to describe the early life of queen Makeda and her journey to meeting the witty king in Jerusalem where she engages him in riddles to gauge his wisdom. He also provides details on his son growing up in the palace and his quest to meet his father whereby the queen offers directions to him to go meet king Solomon.
Budge,Queen Of Sheba. ROUTLEDGE, 2016, P 34-39.
Budge who is a renowned scholar recounts the provides the traits of the queen of Ethiopia, which aided her in leading the kingdom
Cushman, Beverly W. "The politics of the royal harem and the case of Bat-Sheba." Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 30.3 (2006): 327-343.
Cushman analyses critically the life , politics of queen Makeda as well as the heirs of the throne . The analysis provided describes the perception of the society on the leadership of a young woman who impacted the dynasty positively. The author however does not rely on other studies other than his own attracting bias.
Escobar, Arturo. The making of social movements in Latin America: Identity, strategy, and democracy.Routledge, 2018,. P 56-89
The author outlines the social movements among the native Americans who were opposed to imposed changes that required them to conform to the new lifestyles to gain acceptability in the society.
Grogan, Sarah. Body image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in women and children. Taylor " Francis, 2016 ,. P 26-37
Grogan uses well designed research studies to show how women and children are dissatisfied with their bodies and physical appearances thus ought to enhance them to look better and boost their confidence. He also focuses on his self-conducted research to show the society has set beauty standards for all women in which they should adhere.
Howarth, Caroline, et al. "“It's Only Other People Who Make Me Feel Black”: Acculturation, Identity, and Agency in a Multicultural Community." Political Psychology 35.1 (2014): 81-95.
Howarth explores he tales of an African woman who is made to feel inadequate due to her skin color , though she feels adequate enough. She explores the lives of such other people who are driven by the society to enhace their looks so as to fit in
Pritchard, James Bennett, and Gus Willard Van Beek.Solomon " Sheba.Phaidon Press, 1974.p 89-97
Scott, Art. "The Queen of Sheba’s Visit to King Solomon."Vancouver, Canada 16 (1999) P59-72.
Scott analyses the visit of the queen to Jerusalem, starting with the letter from the bird, the preparation and the reception she received in Jerusalem as well as her stay and departure. The article however conceals some details such as the king’s trickery among others. This omission reduces the reader’s credibility in the article
