Mina clearly demonstrates her awareness and knowledge of the New Woman movement; whereby she shows her familiarity with the debate by referring to the term “New Woman” twice in her diary. Grant Allen's New Woman "purity school" consisted of female characters who expressed a particular interest in social issues while maintaining their propriety. This sense of knowing manifests itself when Mina attempts to reassure the hypersensitive Lucy as they stop for “severe tea” (Stoker 141): “I believe we should have shocked the 'New Woman' with our appetites. Men are more tolerant, bless them! (Driver 141). The New Woman was a common subject of controversy in journalism and fiction (Senf 34). Mina's preliminary reference characterized her simply as a knowledgeable young woman of the 1890s. Mina remains neutral and simply offers to familiarize herself with the New Woman's assertion of more freedom and physical activity. Cycling, playing badminton, and wearing bloomers among women may have shocked some 1890s conservatives, but it was not enough to worry Stoker's heroine (Senf 34). It also didn't shock her that the New Woman was often portrayed as a professional woman who was able to support herself financially. After all, Mina easily fell into this New Woman category; her career was not that of an archetypal Victorian housewife. She was often “overwhelmed with work […] [because] the life of an assistant teacher [was] sometimes trying” (Stoker 83). Mina is able to support herself, and using her note-taking skills, she is also able to support her husband, outside of his domestic role. This notion was revolutionary at the time. Gail Cunningham notes that while independent and middle-of-the-road, Lucy reveals a furtive desire to escape the traditional constraints imposed on her. Before she's satisfied with her committed relationship, Lucy complains, "Why can't they let a girl marry three men, or as many as she wants, and spare her all the trouble?" » (Driver 92). Her desire for three husbands suggests a latent sensuality that connects her to the New Woman; she is torn between the need to conform and the desire to rebel (Senf 42). On the night of Lucy's first vamping, Mina witnesses her friend in Whitby cemetery: "It seemed to me that something dark was standing behind the seat where the white figure was shining and was leaning over it. What it was, man or beast, I could not say” (Stoker 144). For Lucy, this extremely sexual scene acts as an exaggerated fulfillment of her earlier sexual curiosity regarding polygamy (Prescott & Georgio 502).