The notion of the “hysterical woman” has loomed large in Western history, serving as both a diagnosis and a damning label to control women’s bodies, emotions, and sexual autonomy. From ancient medical theories to Freudian psychoanalysis, from medieval witch hunts to contemporary depictions in film and literature, hysteria has been wielded as a means to pathologize femininity, particularly when it resists patriarchal norms. But where did this idea come from, and how has it shaped the fight for sexual autonomy, particularly in feminist and queer discourse? This exploration into history, art, and sexuality will unravel the origins of hysteria, its implications, and the ways in which women have reclaimed their narratives.
The Roots of Hysteria: From the Wandering Womb to Freud’s Couch
The term “hysteria” originates from the Greek word hystera, meaning uterus. The concept dates back to ancient Egyptian and Greek medicine, where it was believed that a woman’s womb could literally wander throughout her body, causing various physical and emotional disturbances. Hippocrates and later Galen suggested that sexual deprivation was a primary cause, prescribing marriage and intercourse as a “cure.”
This idea endured through the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church’s influence reframed female suffering as a sign of demonic possession or divine punishment. Women who exhibited strong emotions, sexual desires, or defiance were often deemed “possessed” and subjected to brutal exorcisms, isolation, or execution. The infamous witch hunts of the 15th to 17th centuries targeted many women who were independent, sexually autonomous, or simply inconvenient to the patriarchy.
By the 19th century, hysteria had become a favorite diagnosis for Victorian physicians. Women were diagnosed with hysterical fits, nervous disorders, and melancholia, essentially, any behavior that deviated from passive femininity. The famed French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot staged dramatic performances of hysterical women in his lectures at the Salpêtrière, reinforcing the notion that women’s bodies were inherently unstable, theatrical, and in need of male intervention.
The Rise of Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud’s theories further cemented hysteria as a condition deeply tied to female sexuality. He theorized that hysteria stemmed from repressed sexual trauma or unfulfilled libidinal desires, marking a shift from a purely physical to a psychological explanation. His case studies, (most notably “Dora”), focused on young women who resisted traditional sexual roles, framing their distress as a failure to accept normative heterosexuality.
Freud’s work did contribute to recognizing women’s inner lives, but it also reinforced the notion that female sexuality needed to be deciphered, managed, and corrected by male authority. His infamous concept of “penis envy” further marginalized non-heteronormative identities, dismissing the idea that women might desire autonomy rather than merely aspire to a phallic substitute.
Art and the Hysterical Woman
Art history offers a fascinating lens through which to examine the hysterical woman. The Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite movements of the 19th century were enamored with tragic, melancholic women, think Ophelia drowning in Millais’ famous painting or the languid figures of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s works. These women were often depicted as pale, fragile, and on the brink of madness, reinforcing the idea that passionate women were doomed to destruction.
In cinema, the trope evolved into the “hysterical woman” of horror and psychological thrillers. From Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) to Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), female protagonists who expressed agency or distress were dismissed as unstable, unreliable, or dangerous. The 1970s and 1980s brought feminist reinterpretations, with films like Carrie (1976) and The Brood (1979) reclaiming the monstrous woman as a symbol of suppressed rage and resistance.
Hysteria, Feminism, and Queer Reclamation
Feminist and queer scholars in the late 20th century began to challenge and reclaim the concept of hysteria. Hélène Cixous’ essay “The Laugh of the Medusa” (1975) urged women to embrace their “hysterical” voices, rejecting linguistic and sexual constraints imposed by patriarchy. Similarly, Judith Butler’s work on gender performativity questioned the very framework that labeled certain expressions of femininity as excessive or irrational.
Queer history reveals that hysteria was not only a tool to silence straight women but also to pathologize all non-heteronormative identities. In the early 20th century, lesbians and gender-nonconforming individuals were frequently institutionalized under the guise of nervous disorders, mirroring the treatment of “hysterical” women in earlier eras. The rise of radical queer movements in the 1960s and 1970s challenged this medicalization, demanding recognition of sexual autonomy beyond the rigid binaries enforced by psychiatry.
The Legacy of Hysteria in Contemporary Feminism
Today, the specter of hysteria lingers in the way women’s emotions and sexual autonomy are policed. Women who express anger, desire, or boundary-setting are still labeled as “too much”, too emotional, too demanding, too loud. The weaponization of terms like “crazy ex-girlfriend” or “Daddy Issues” echoes the historical attempt to dismiss women’s experiences as irrational.
However, feminist and queer communities continue to push back. Movements like #MeToo and sex-positive feminism reclaim women’s narratives, validating experiences that have long been dismissed as hysterical fabrications. Similarly, modern queer discourse celebrates fluidity and multiplicity in gender and sexual expression, refusing to be constrained by historical notions of pathology.
At the same time, modern feminism has struggled with internal divisions, particularly with the rise of trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs). These individuals claim to uphold women’s rights while actively working to exclude and delegitimize trans women, often invoking pseudoscientific arguments that echo the historical pathologization of “hysterical” femininity. The policing of gender identities within feminist spaces mirrors the very control that feminism originally sought to dismantle. By reinforcing rigid, exclusionary definitions of womanhood, TERFs perpetuate the same patriarchal structures that have historically denied all women, cis and trans, heir autonomy and agency. In contrast, intersectional and trans-inclusive feminist movements continue to challenge these exclusionary narratives, advocating for a more expansive, liberatory vision of gender and sexual freedom.
Conclusion: Rewriting the Narrative
The history of hysteria is ultimately a history of control; of medical, religious, and cultural institutions seeking to dictate the terms of female sexuality and autonomy. But it is also a history of resistance. Women and queer individuals have continually rewritten their stories, transforming the label of hysteria into a badge of defiance rather than a mark of shame. By reclaiming our narratives, we challenge the structures that seek to silence us and forge new understandings of pleasure, autonomy, and power.
So, if they call you hysterical? Laugh in their faces, and never stop writing your own story.
