How Family Ties Us Together
The first season of HBO’s The Gilded Age (made by the same creators of the award-winning TV show, Downton Abbey) came to an end last Sunday. And let me tell you, it was one for the books.
The show takes place in the heart of America’s gilded age, pulling influence from families like The Rockefellers, The Roosevelts, The Carnegie, The Vanderbilts, and The Goulds, on which the Russell family is based, as well as the Astor family who once ruled the New York social circle.
Though the show takes place during our country's gilded age (the late 1800s) and focuses on the power struggle between the social classes and the balance and fight f between those who claimed to be old money and those who were deemed as new money.
The Russells are shown as one of the richest families in the country trying to break into the well-established social circle within New York City, looking to be accepted members of high society and to further expand their influence to other places like Newport.
They attempt to do everything correctly, building extravagant houses in the right parts of town, joining and donating to the right charitable organizations, and adopting the current social practices already established while adding their own flair to it.
Throughout the entire season, it shows the harsh criticism and hoops those with new money had to jump through just to be viewed as somewhat acceptable and worthy within the social hierarchy that was already established in New York. You see Bertha Russell whose character is based on Alva Vanderbilt. She desperately tries to establish herself in New York society by seeking friendship and approval from Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, the queen of the society.
The season finale is the long overdue coming-out party for Bertha Russel’s daughter, Gladys. Her best friend is the daughter of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, Caroline Astor. The two bonded over the pressure their mothers have placed on them and though both are in different situations, they suffer from similar types of restrictions their mothers have placed on them, essentially showing how over-protective they are over their daughters.
This resonated with me heavily as even though the show takes place about 150 years ago, the over-protection a teenage daughter feels from their parents has always been a common feeling and theme throughout history. It always seems to bring teenage girls together, while teenage girls yearn to break away and become independent
What's more interesting to me is how the mothers were able to eventually bond. Throughout the entire season, you see how they are not accepting of one another in many capacities. But in some of the last few minutes of the season finale, you see what, in reality, brings them together. And that is a mother's love
Both sacrificed in their strong positions in order to make their daughters happy and showed they would do whatever it took to get there. This was something they had in common and a level of respect is demonstrated among them.
So, families truly have always brought us together, in a number of ways. The only thing I wish would bring us together more is if we still had extravagant balls like they used to. Minus the extremely cute but uncomfortable corsets. So, this is my plea to the fashion industry to make corsets comfortable.
Even though these days we mostly wear them on the outside, not underneath layers of uncomfortable dress. Please. I’m begging you.
