11 women who achieved world fame by posing as men: Joan of Arc, J.K. Rowling, Charlotte Bronte, etc

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Women's lot is never easy, because many women had to hide, use various tricks and tricks just to do what they like and what they like. And today we will tell you about several famous and not so famous women who in their work were forced to pretend to be men.

1. Charlotte Brontë

The famous British writer who lived in the 19th century and wrote the legendary novel Jane Eyre was one of many who chose to use a different gender pseudonym for her work at the time. The girl signed herself as Carrer Bell during her early days, and the first copy of this book was printed with a man's name on the cover.

Her sisters, Emily and Anne, followed in her footsteps, also using pseudonyms. All of them jointly wrote a single collection of poetry, which was dated by male names.

A little later, one of them will write that they chose male names, because in those days they looked at women who are engaged in creativity and author's work with condemnation. Therefore, the sisters, who wanted critics to adequately assess their work, were published under false names, hiding under them for a long time.

2. Eliza Servenius

The first woman to disguise herself as a man to go to war is not at all a character in the cartoon Mulan, but quite a real person.

Eliza Bernerström disguised herself as a man to join the Swedish army when her country fought Russia in 1808-09. At that time, she worked as a maid and met the soldier Bernard Servenius when he was serving in Stockholm. They fell in love and got married, but when the regiment left to fight, Eliza decided to follow her lover.

She decided that she wanted to live and die with her husband, so she changed her gender and enlisted in the army, trying to keep her true self a secret for the sake of love.

She reportedly collected ammunition and distributed it to fellow soldiers. It was believed that her husband was killed in action during the Battle of Ratan Savar, but it was later revealed that he was a prisoner of war. After the war, they reunited in Stockholm. Eliza is not the only woman to serve in the Swedish army, but she is one of the few who have ever been recognized for her bravery in battle.

3. Rena Kanokogi

A girl named Rena Kanokogi in the early 60s of the last century wanted to take part in a judo tournament that took place in the city of New York. She managed to do this by dressing as a man. As a result, she won first place, but her award was canceled when local officials and athletes found out that she was in fact a woman.

However, this did not break her, and she continued to go about her business. The girl moved to Asia, where she began to professionally engage in this sport. It is curious that she did it on the same level as the men, attending the same classes with them at the Kodokan Institute in Tokyo.

Rena would later become known for being the first lady to host the Women's Judo World Championships, which took place in Madison Square Garden.

4. Malinda Blaloc

Another woman who participated in the war as a man was Malinda Blaloc. She was married to a man named Keith, who fought in the twenty-sixth regiment in Carolina. Therefore, the girl, worrying not only for her betrothed, but also for the fate of America as a whole, decided to go after him. She enlisted under the name Sam in about 1862. The pair eventually deserted and joined the ranks of the scouts on the side of the Union.

5. Nora Vincent

A girl named Nora Vincent was a popular journalist who had to spend over a year undercover. To do this, she used the identity of a man named Ned. She wanted to know if people would treat her differently if they considered her their gender. For this, she not only changed her image, but also prepared herself well: she attended vocal lessons in order to be able to speak with the desired timbre and intonation, and also put on a special belt, which made her pants look more like men's.

After she got ready, the girl joined the ranks of bowling players. As a result, she made friends with the local men, trying to find out what they were talking about when there were no girls around. However, she was quite surprised by what she learned and what conclusions she made.

In her interview, Nora noted that the men from the bowling team, thinking that she was of the same sex, made friends with her very easily and quickly, without being shackled by prejudices and skepticism, as if she met them while being in his real role.

6. Catherine Switzer (Catherine Schwitzer)

In 1967, the so-called Boston Marathon was held. A girl named Catherine Switzer also wanted to take part, however, in order to get on it, she signed not with her full name, but only with her initials, because women were not allowed to take part.

It is curious that after the truth was revealed, the girls began to be admitted directly to the same events. Also, Switzer became one of the most popular runners in the world, setting her personal best. In addition, in 1974 she was able to win the marathon, which was held in New York City.

7. Holy Marina

In the 8th century, a girl named Marina disguised herself as a boy, because she and her father wanted to go to a monastery, which was only allowed to men. However, she not only was next to him, but decided to also take monasticism, becoming known as Marinus. After some time that she spent there, the girl went on a journey with her father.

But one day misfortune overtook her. The tavern's daughter, wanting to blame Marinus, said that she had borne a child from him. Since this could not be true due to physiological reasons, the girl decided to raise this child as her own, so as not to reveal the secret of her gender, which she took to the grave.

8. J. K. Rowling

Despite the fact that today J. K. Rowling is loved and respected around the world, in her early years she wrote under a different name. So, her pseudonym consisted of initials, which made it possible to think that the author of the books was a man.

She was forced to do this because her publisher, Barry Cunningham, suggested that the readership of her novels was exclusively male, and that having a female name on the cover might extinguish their interest in publishing.

In addition, in 2013, Joan published the book Call of the Cuckoo, which was signed by the name of Robert Galbraith. It is important to mention that this work drew some criticism when its true author was revealed. But this time, Joan defended herself, saying that she wanted to get the criticism and feedback she deserved, not prejudice.

9. Mary Evans

Another writer, who lived in the 19th century and bore the name Mary Evans, also did not want her work to be criticized because of the then existing gender stereotypes. Therefore, she published many of her books, including Middlemarch, under a male name, in particular under the pseudonym of George Eliot.

10. Sarah Edmonds

Like her colleague Malinda, a girl named Sarah Edmonts also took part in the American Civil War, disguised as a male. Originally born in Canada, she later served in the Allied Army as a medic and also performed some of the functions of a scout and spy.

When the war was over, she joined a hospital in Washington, D. C., becoming a nurse there and no longer hiding her gender and who she really is.

11. Joan of Arc

Perhaps in the 15th century, a girl named Jeanne was the most popular and famous. She claimed that spirits and saints spoke to her, which made her become the leader and inspirer of the French army.

She fought in the Hundred Years War, dressing and acting like a man. And despite the fact that she died at a very young age, when she was only nineteen, people around the world, and not only in France, appreciate the efforts that she put into her struggle.

Note that today this person is respected not only by representatives of the Catholic faith, but also by other popular religions.

As a rule, from time immemorial, it was women who faced a difficult fate. Some of them were idolized, persecuting with their love, others were persecuted as witches.