The article looks at different stances that can be adopted in a discussion on women’s emancipation. The author concentrates on statements that apparently support the cause but deep down harbour a devotion to patriarchal values, dislike for “female issues” or even ingrained prejudice, if not misogyny. The analysis of selected texts - notably by Cyprian Kamil Norwid and Stanisław Przyborowski - unveils remnants of ancient, biblical and naturalistic viewpoints in a seemingly progressive discourse. Such a rhetorical strategy, so is the contention, often changes emancipatory ideas into yet another form of oppression.