Oh, Bessie!

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You've come a long way, baby! Yeah, right. We women must have times when we look at how far we've come in women's liberation. Not as far as we should be but at least we have some rights. Get a load of this horror from the past: The Scold's bridle (or witch's bridle or gossip's bridle) was an instrument of punishment and public humiliation. It was called that because during that time a woman from the lower classes was called a 'scold' and, the bridle was like the one used on a horse to control them. This apparatus was made up of an iron muzzle with an iron framework that enclosed the head. There was a 2-inch by 1-inch bit that was slid into the mouth and pressed down on top of the tongue. (OUCH!!) It often had a spike on the tongue that compressed and cut into the tongue. It was used to silence, scare, and intimidate the wearer into submission. The wearer was then led around town on a leash while blood dripped from her mouth. It seems that the first time it was used was in 1567 on a Scottish woman named Bessie. Why you might ask. Because she called out a man for lying. (During that time, and for a long time to come, women were to honor their husbands and treat them with respect) She had been buying something from a man in town and she accused him of ripping her off in front of some townspeople. It has been called the most misogynistic torture device ever made. Usually, it was husbands who would request that their wives be subjected to this horrible device. It was used on the unruly lower-class women to be put in line and be taught a lesson. Was it worth the grievance? Your thoughts, please.