This video shows very powerful women during the Renaissance period.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLh3X_TBb_g

Hygiene of Women

The hygiene of women during the Renaissance period was a very shocking thing. The women did not shower. This lack of hygiene is hard to believe in today’s culture. The women did not smell any better back then but they did have a fear of water. After the plague all public bathing pools were closed. They were convinced that the sicknesses were more likely to travel through water. They believed that the hot water on a naked body could expand pores and let in germs that caused disease. It was suggested to all the people that they should stop bathing so disease would not spread.

Lifestyle of a Renaissance Woman

During the Renaissance, women's main roles were bearing children, raising them, and taking care of the house. Most women had to make their the clothing for their families and prepare the meals; but if you were wealthy you didn't have to. If a women was unable to marry and was not able to become a nun, they had to find work, such as becoming a merchant, a bookbinder, a goldsmith, a butcher, etc. Sometimes women were able to take over and inherit their husband's business if his profession wasn't difficult. If a woman possessed some kind of intellectual or artistic skill, it was very hard for her to show it because of the constant child bearing and tough manual labor.


http://library.thinkquest.org/C006522/life/women.php

This is an example of what the upper class would wear.

Womens Clothing

During the women’s renaissance period fashion represented a lot about a person. One could tell immediately what social class a person was in because of what they were wearing. Many people of the upper class spent most of their money on clothes and jewelry. The rich would have their clothes made of velvet, silk and brocade. They would literally be wearing their wealth, this made it extremely easy to figure out what social class a woman was in.

Ladies of Renaissance Art

First Lady of the Renaissance, 1474-1539

In the Renaissance Period women were mainly there to marry well, stay loyal to their husbands, and give birth to boys. However, Isabella d'Este was one woman who was an exception to all of this. At the young age of 16 years old Isabella was already able to speak Latin and Greek. She was extremely well educated and usually debated with people much older than herself. When her husband left, Isabella governed the city on her own, and after he died she took over his whole job. She showed great leadership skills in 1509 when she became Chief of State in Mantua.

Renaissance Music

Renaissance- The Era of Elegance (1450-1600)

http://www.erasofelegance.com/history/renaissancelife.html