The very mention of the gang’s name, The Forty Elephants, sent shivers down the spines of shop owners all over London. A mere glimpse of a member sent chaos exploding through a store as cashiers and shoppers ran. But this fearsome gang wasn’t your run-of-the-mill pack of villainous men. The Forty Elephants was a young, all-female gang of thieves in the early 20th century. They were called the Forty Elephants because they came from a part of London named ‘Elephant and Castle.’
Their most infamous leader was 20-year old Annie Diamond. Her gang called her the queen, but the police called her Diamond Annie because she punched people with a handful of diamond rings. The Forty Elephants carried out some of the biggest shoplifting crimes Britain has ever seen. Many said that they were tougher and faster than the strongest male thieves at that time.
The Forty Elephants aren’t the only group of people who’ve turned gender stereotypes upside down.
In North-East India, there is a matrilineal tribe called the Garos. Traditionally, in this society, a woman pops the question to the man, but before accepting the proposal, the groom-to-be is expected to run away. The bride’s family is then supposed to “capture” him and return him to his potential bride’s village. He then has another opportunity to accept or reject the proposal.
Many things that we might think of as naturally male or female, like certain colors, are products of social conditioning. We often think of blue as a color for a male, while pink is seemingly more feminine, but this wasn’t always the case. In 1918, it was concluded that pink was a stronger color more suitable for the boy, while blue, which was more delicate and dainty, was prettier for the girl.
Even the idea that women are more emotional than men is one that can change depending on the culture. In ancient Greek culture, men were expected to cry as a sign of true manliness to protect their family’s honor. That’s why in many Greek dramas and plays, the male character often sheds a few tears during the show.
In society, there’s often pressure to be “manly” or “ladylike,” but this might be less innate and more cultural than we think.
References:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-fearless-forty-elephants-girl-102896
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6-modern-societies-where-women-literally-rule
https://www.cracked.com/article_19780_5-gender-stereotypes-that-used-to-be-exact-opposite.html
The Forty Elephants sent shivers down the spines of shop owners all over London. They sent cashiers and shoppers running. But this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill gang. The Forty Elephants was a young, all-female gang of thieves. They were called the Forty Elephants because they came from a part of London named ‘Elephant and Castle.’
Their leader was 20-year old Annie Diamond. Her gang called her the queen, but the police called her Diamond Annie. She got her name from hitting people with a handful of diamond rings.
The Forty Elephants carried out some of the biggest crimes in England. Many said that they were tougher and faster than the strongest male thieves at that time. The Forty Elephants aren’t the only group of people who’ve turned ideas about women upside down.
In North-East India, there is a people called the Garos. In this society, a woman pops the question to the man. Before accepting the proposal, the man is expected to run away. The bride’s family is then supposed to “capture” him and return him to the bride’s village. He then has another opportunity to accept or reject the marriage.
Many things that we think of as male or female are really cultural. We often think of blue as a color for boys, while pink is for girls, but this wasn’t always the case. In 1918, pink was a stronger color for boys, while blue was prettier for the girls.
Even the idea that women are more emotional than men is one that can change depending on the culture. In ancient Greek culture, men were expected to cry as a sign of true manliness to protect their family’s honor. That’s why in many Greek dramas and plays, the male character often sheds a few tears during the show.
In society, there’s often pressure to be “manly” or “ladylike,” but this might be more cultural than we think.
References:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-fearless-forty-elephants-girl-102896
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6-modern-societies-where-women-literally-rule
https://www.cracked.com/article_19780_5-gender-stereotypes-that-used-to-be-exact-opposite.html
Thank you for supporting us!