Queen Vashti, one of the first women recorded to say ‘Boy bye’. She gracefully took her crown and stepped into her new future after she was banished from her kingdom. You can find her cameo in the book of Esther in the Bible.
Vashti was the queen of Persia, wife to the mighty King Xexses and regarded for her beauty. One night her husband drunkenly demanded she showcase herself to his party guests, so he could gloat and they could salivate. A request she firmly rebuffed. She refused to prostitute her dignity and paid for it in full. Enraged at her audacity, along with the advice of his circle, he demoted her. They were convinced if the story got out women would despise their husbands and the world was likely to go up in flames. How dramatic. The King’s word was law and couldn’t be reversed even by himself, something he probably regretted it in the morning. Vashti would have felt violated, unprotected and grossly mishandled. Someone who claims to love you wouldn’t draw you out like that.
‘The room was brimming with sweaty abrasive men, eyes bright with lust and leaking obscenities. They daren’t say anything disrespectful out loud but their ferocious presence was unnerving. I hope that not everyone agrees with the king’s obnoxious behaviour but no one will fend for me so I’ll have to do this alone. I have not been considered.’
The scenery and culture may have changed but the acts of men high in authority hasn’t. For all we know this wasn’t the first time Vashti was hung out to dry by Xerses. I don’t believe she took an L here, I feel she stuck it on his forehead and it hung in a corner of his mind forever. It could be interpreted that she was being difficult but seems far too simple and insulting, we almost always have a reason.
Lyrical Honey 