<aside> 💡 Analysis -

If you’re curious about an in-depth look at pearl symbolism within lesbian contexts, I’d highly recommend reading or scanning this incredible article titled “Did Mrs. Danvers Warm Rebecca's Pearls? Significant Exchanges and the Extension of Lesbian Space and Time in Literature” by Nicky Hallett. (You can sign up to JStor as a free member and read 100 articles every month!)

• Click on the triangle toggle to see some relevant extracts from Hallett:

‘[The Well Of Loneliness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well_of_Loneliness#:~:text=The Well of Loneliness is,apparent from an early age.)’ by Radclyffe Hall is considered by some one of the first lesbian novels published in the US. Hall used pearls as a symbol in this novel as well as writing a poem about giving her female lover a pearl necklace.

• Analysis of both of Hall’s texts that mention pearls in a lesbian context, in the aforementioned article by Nicky Hallett
• Pearls in “The Well Of Loneliness”
• “A Pearl Necklace” - poem by Radclyffe Hall

Another article on JStor by Kathryn Simpson, ‘Pearl-Diving: Inscriptions of Desire and Creativity in H.D. and Woolf’ further explores the pearl as a symbol of female pleasure and lesbian symbolism.

• Click on the triangle toggle to see some relevant extracts from Simpson: </aside>

<aside> 🌈 Queer History:

In 1688, a poet named Jane Barker wrote a poem called “On the Death of my Dear Friend and Play-fellow” in which pearl imagery is used.

• Click on the triangle toggle to see Barker’s poem and description

Emily Dickinson used pearl imagery in some of her “smoking gun” poems, such as “Her breast is fit for pearls” & “The Malay - took the Pearl” (a queer analysis of this you can find here)

• To view Dickinson’s pearl poems, click on the triangle toggle

In 1987, Carol Ann Duffy published a poem called “Warming Her Pearls” and this poem is included in lists of well-known lesbian poems for its depiction of a maid who is attracted to her mistress, set in the British Victorian Era. Read more about the poem here and here.

• To view Duffy’s “Warming Her Pearls” poem, click on the triangle toggle
• In 2001, Jen Foster released a song called “She” with lyrics referring to love being a Pearl

In 2005, Deborah A. Miranda wrote a poem called ‘Love Poem to a Butch Woman’ which uses pearl imagery also.

• ‘Love Poem to a Butch Woman’ - click triangle toggle

There was also a phrase similar to “dropping hairpins” that was “dropping pearls” but I can’t find much about it

https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-pearls/830876/14

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-Y6upmB8iG2ow5o1dsmkFPMRBb7ozfaFMAn_mGOY3aY/edit#slide=id.g1e6c74daea6_0_4

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<aside> 👸 Relevance to Taylor’s Life: G Flip’s cover of “Cruel Summer” changed the lyric from “bad bad boy shiny toy with a price” to “bad bad girl shiny pearl with the price”

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<aside> 👂 Social Media Analysis Relating To This Theme:

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<aside> ➕ See also: Shell/Conch/Pearl/Oyster Jewels/jewellery/necklace/gems

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