Before I get into my interpretation of the song, I wanted to point out something that's been bugging me. The only relation that Marie Antoinette would have to this song would be the beheaded part because, well, she was beheaded. But she never cared about extravagances such as hair and clothes, she never slept around, and she did not hate her husband. Before the revolution she gave tons of money to charity, gave up a years worth of private spending money to suffering families because members had died in a tragic accident, started a home for unwed mothers, adopted three orphans, and sold her silverware to buy more money for the starving people of France while she herself ate cheap barely bread. She was rumored to have had several affairs but there is no solid evidence of that, and there is no historical evidence that suggests that she and Axel von Ferson were anything more than friends. And while she did gamble, party, and have fun, she settled down once she had kids. Not to mention that during the actual revolution, Marie Antoinette made a lot of the decisions because Louis XVI was an incompetent shlub, as my old history teacher liked to call him. She was basically his best advisor during the war. I apologize if I come off as pretentious, but I always thought that Marie Antoinette was a good person and I had done a huge report on her during my sophmore year of highschool so I read several database articles on her, plus her biography. It's...a reaction I guess to just correct these misconceptions. Sorry if I irritated anyone.
Now as for the song. I believe that it's about women in the Victorian era of London. Emilie Autumn seems quite facinated with that era and has even mentioned that it was the highest point of oppression for women. Often they were forced into marrying a wealthy man for their status and money and because they were women they couldn't say anything about it. They could only bow their head and go along with it. So during her suffering she'll probably find something like wine to soothe her pain. But everyone thought that because of the wealth and the money that these women would be okay because they could have everything they want. Pretty clothes, hair, jewelry--anything. As for the faking a period bit, she's just using it as an excuse not to have sex. The women were breeding machines and having babies was all they were thought to be good for. But if she's on her period, she's thought to be dirty and untouchable. Therefor, her husband will not want to have sex.
So basically, I guess everything mentioned in this song is an allusion to a Victorian woman's way of fighting back. If she can't do it publicly, she'll find sneakier ways to oppose what people are trying to force her to do. Forced to marry a man she hates--have an affair, sleep with a man she likes. Demanded to have babies, preferably boys--cut her thigh and pretend she's on her period so her husband won't touch her, then get pregnant from her lover.
Before I get into my interpretation of the song, I wanted to point out something that's been bugging me. The only relation that Marie Antoinette would have to this song would be the beheaded part because, well, she was beheaded. But she never cared about extravagances such as hair and clothes, she never slept around, and she did not hate her husband. Before the revolution she gave tons of money to charity, gave up a years worth of private spending money to suffering families because members had died in a tragic accident, started a home for unwed mothers, adopted three orphans, and sold her silverware to buy more money for the starving people of France while she herself ate cheap barely bread. She was rumored to have had several affairs but there is no solid evidence of that, and there is no historical evidence that suggests that she and Axel von Ferson were anything more than friends. And while she did gamble, party, and have fun, she settled down once she had kids. Not to mention that during the actual revolution, Marie Antoinette made a lot of the decisions because Louis XVI was an incompetent shlub, as my old history teacher liked to call him. She was basically his best advisor during the war. I apologize if I come off as pretentious, but I always thought that Marie Antoinette was a good person and I had done a huge report on her during my sophmore year of highschool so I read several database articles on her, plus her biography. It's...a reaction I guess to just correct these misconceptions. Sorry if I irritated anyone.
Now as for the song. I believe that it's about women in the Victorian era of London. Emilie Autumn seems quite facinated with that era and has even mentioned that it was the highest point of oppression for women. Often they were forced into marrying a wealthy man for their status and money and because they were women they couldn't say anything about it. They could only bow their head and go along with it. So during her suffering she'll probably find something like wine to soothe her pain. But everyone thought that because of the wealth and the money that these women would be okay because they could have everything they want. Pretty clothes, hair, jewelry--anything. As for the faking a period bit, she's just using it as an excuse not to have sex. The women were breeding machines and having babies was all they were thought to be good for. But if she's on her period, she's thought to be dirty and untouchable. Therefor, her husband will not want to have sex.
So basically, I guess everything mentioned in this song is an allusion to a Victorian woman's way of fighting back. If she can't do it publicly, she'll find sneakier ways to oppose what people are trying to force her to do. Forced to marry a man she hates--have an affair, sleep with a man she likes. Demanded to have babies, preferably boys--cut her thigh and pretend she's on her period so her husband won't touch her, then get pregnant from her lover.
It's the song of empowerment for Victorian girls!