Men dominated Elizabethan times. It was a patriarchal society. Women needed to conform to the social expectations. They were not supposed to show off their bodies. Their dresses had high, choking necklines, a plate that flattened their bosom, and layers of cloth that made them appear larger than they really were on the hips. The ideal picture of beauty was fair-skinned, red hair, high foreheads and very thin eyebrows. They spoke softly and did not express their opinions openly. Women were expected to be good wives and mothers, and they had to obey their fathers or husbands, because in a patriarchal society, women were