In patriarchal Hebrew society, women are expected to repress their sexual urges for the sake of chastity. Even the slightest public displays of affection were looked down upon (8:1). The woman's brothers provide the best illustration of this standard in verse 8:8: “We have a little sister and she has no breasts. What will we do for our sister when suitors besiege her? The men of the family choose to ignore the maturity and autonomy of the Shulamite woman. In fact, in verse 8:9, it becomes evident that they view their sister's property as controlled: "If she be a wall, we will build on her a turret of silver." If it's a door, we'll lock it with cedar wood beams. Even her lover idolizes female virginity in verse 4:12: “A walled garden is my sister, my wife, a hidden well, a sealed spring. » In verse 8:10 we see the Shulamite woman's response to her brothers: "I am a wall and my breasts are towers. But for my lover, I am a city of peace. Here, defying sociocultural norms, the Shulamite asserts that she is strong and capable; she gains independence by embracing her sexuality in the context of a trusting relationship