Harlot

The word harlot is defined as a prostitute or promiscuous woman. I chose to focus on the subject of harlots because in my previous blog group the theme was scandal and the topic of immoral women was brought up a lot; this area of study interested me very much. For this reason I decided to evaluate the idea of a harlot based on ruin, the focus of my current blog group. This word was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries since prostitution was legal until the contagious diseases acts. After these acts police could arrest harlots making their profession even more scandalous. The word harlot is derived from the word prostitute which comes from the Latin word prostituta. Pro means “up front” and situere means “to sell or to offer up to sale.” The first signs of prostitution as being a health risk started back in 1494 when a syphilis break out was starting to occur in Naples. This word would continue to become more and more scandalous in both a social and health related sense. Prostitution would continue to be a problem with the passing on of disease. This profession was also frowned upon by society because many of the women would be seen as corrupt or impure and failed to hold the status of a wife or mother. These women were considered ruined because of their sexual tendencies and failure to comply with Victorian Era standards set for females. Overall, the word harlot very much means ruined. The destruction of a women’s reputation.
-Victorianruin303