When I first started reading through this essay, I was initially overwhelmed. Mary came across to me as an incredibly cynical and miserable person who used a borderline superfluous choice of vocabulary to emphasize her extreme claims of the supposed oppression and borderline slavery of women.
Then I found out it was written in 1792. Oh.
That would explain........everything. I won't pretend to be well educated on the matter of women's rights, and I'll admit that, being a guy, my opinion is going to be a little biased (but then again, whose wouldn't?), but I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that the picture of a barbaric society she drew is not accurate today.
Are women and men completely equal? Physically, no. Mentally, yes, but statistically there may be a weight toward one gender because of external cultural influences.
Mary is correct in the concept that a woman who portrays herself as gentle and beautiful can often coast by in life by taking advantage of those who objectify her as such. But, at least today, I honestly believe that any woman has just as good of a chance of going to college, getting a good job, and having a happy life as a guy, and may even have an advantage if she is the minority in her field.
Yes, there are still some remnant of the situation she describes, albeit with much less intensity. Yes, her stereotypical portrayal of the innocent and sweet woman is often times more attractive to guys than one who might exhibit more tough qualities. But today that's not a universal rule, and I believe that there isn't enough of a sexist barrier stopping a woman from going out and successfully pursuing her dreams.
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