ARTICLE – MINI BIO

Let’s set the scene: It’s 18th-century France. Powdered wigs are in. So are corsets, monarchy drama, and men named Jacques debating “liberty” while conveniently forgetting half the population. Enter Olympe de Gouges—a woman who took one look at the French Revolution’s “bro code” and said, “Non.” Part playwright, part activist, and full-time menace to the patriarchy, de Gouges spent her life trolling the establishment with feminist manifestos, abolitionist plays, and hot takes so spicy they literally guillotined her for it. Let’s unpack why this 18th-century icon deserves a spot in your group chat.

She Was the Original “Well, Actually…” Girlboss

Born Marie Gouze in 1748, Olympe rebranded herself as a Renaissance Fyre Festival influencer. After ditching her “meh” husband (RIP, Louis Aubry—we barely knew you), she stormed Paris with a new name, a side hustle in playwriting, and a vendetta against anyone who thought women belonged in the kitchen (unless it was to burn misogynist pamphlets).

Key Flex: She wrote 144 works—plays, essays, manifestos—while surviving a time when women’s highest achievement was… embroidering? Her 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen was the ultimate clapback to the Revolution’s Declaration of the Rights of Man. Imagine subtweeting an entire government with: “Congrats on ‘liberty,’ kingslayers! Now let women vote?” Icon behavior.

Her Plays Were Cancelled Before “Cancel Culture” Existed

Olympe’s drama wasn’t just onstage. Her play Zamore et Mirza (1784) slapped audiences with a love story between enslaved Black characters—a radical move when France was still vibing with colonialism. Plantation owners threw tantrums and got the play shut down, and Olympe fired back: “I will make the world hear me!” (Spoiler: She did. The play finally premiered in 1789 to a very awkward crowd of slave traders.)

Side Note: If Netflix adapted this today, it’d be a mix of Bridgerton and The Hunger Games. Colonial villains? Check. Forbidden romance? Check. A heroine who’d yeet a baguette at Robespierre? Oui.

She Penned the Ultimate Feminist Mic Drop

The Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791) was Olympe’s magnum opus. Let’s break down her greatest hits:

• Article 1: “Woman is born free and stays lit AF.” (Paraphrased.)
• Article 6: “Let women hold office, you cowards.”
• Postscript: A rallying cry telling women to “wake up” and smell the patriarchy.

She even called for paternity suits (in 1791!) so deadbeat dads couldn’t ghost their kids. Mary Wollstonecraft stan’d her so hard she wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman a year later. Move over, Founding Fathers—Founding Mother just dropped.

She Fought for Everyone the Revolution Left Behind

While the guys in charge high-fived over “equality,” Olympe was out here advocating for:

• Abolition of slavery: “Men of all colors are brothers,” she wrote in 1788—before it was cool.
• Welfare programs: She proposed unemployment benefits and state-funded hospitals. In the 1700s.
• Divorce rights: Because nothing says “liberty” like dumping a toxic husband.

Her take on taxes? “Rich people, pay for the poor. Sincerely, Common Sense.” How’s that for a hot take?

She Roasted Robespierre (And Paid the Price)

Olympe had zero chill for Jacobin extremists. When the Reign of Terror kicked off, she called Robespierre a “tyrant” and proposed letting France vote on three government options: republic, federalist, or constitutional monarchy. The Jacobins, allergic to democracy, arrested her for “attacking the sovereignty of the people” (translation: hurting their feelings).

At her trial, she doubled down: “I die for having spoken truths too loudly.” They guillotined her in 1793, but not before she dropped her final boss line: “Children of the Fatherland, you will avenge my death!” Cue slow clap.

Her Legacy Is a Mood for Modern Feminists

Olympe’s ghost is probably rolling her eyes at how long it took France to give women the right to vote (1944, mes amies). But today, she’s having a renaissance:

• UNESCO added her Declaration to its Memory of the World Register in 2023.
• Schools teach her as the “first feminist” who linked gender, race, and class oppression.
• Historians debate whether she was a visionary or a chaos gremlin. (Porque no los dos?)

Pro Tip: Next time someone says “women’s rights are a new thing,” hit them with Olympe’s Wikipedia page.

Final Verdict: Olympe de Gouges, the Uncancelable Queen

Olympe de Gouges was messy, relentless, and decades ahead of her time. She weaponized art for activism, called out hypocrisy, and died refusing to shut up. In a world of lukewarm takes, she was spicy. So let’s raise a glass (or a guillotine blade) to the woman who proved revolution isn’t just for boys with fancy breeches.

---

Before you go channel your inner Olympe and rage-tweet about this post to your followers (#JusticeForOlympe), I get it, I’m fired up too. I’d be right there retweeting. I know I have a French flag around here somewhere. Hold up, wait a minute, chill, and think about people like Madame Olympe. You know, there’s something about history that sets my brain on fire. Let’s get one thing straight: history isn’t just dusty textbooks and dead white dudes in wigs. It’s full of chaotic icons like Madame de Gouges, who dared to flip the script and be themselves.

Your Homework: Comment below with the historical badass you think deserves a viral moment. I absolutely love researching and learning more about history. Yeah, I’m junkie, #BookWormAnonymous. Wrong answers only. (Looking at you, “Napoleon’s Short King Energy” stans.)

Stay tuned for more posts about people I discover in my daily reading.

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, Olympe’s ghost demands you share it. (She’s still salty about Robespierre’s PR team.)

Yeah, I know I’m a mess … guilty as charged. Remember, you are reading The Memoirs of Madness.

Until next time … be blessed …peace.