In reading The Beauty Myth, Wolf really tries to hammer home the fact that women are really chained to this idea of the beauty myth. More than that, society and the economy depend on it. Wolf repeats over and over that the beauty myth is not a myth at all, but an actually, no matter how it is presented. It invades every area of women’s lives, and it is in not present in one, then the myth is not doing its. That is not something to be worried about, though, because Wolf says the beauty myth is comparable to a religion, and we are slaves to it.
Beauty and sexual attraction is a function of social construction, because it gives women a sense of purpose. They have a goal of beauty they want to reach, though they never will, but then they are no longer lost. The ones that are beautiful sit at the top of this social construction, while the less attractive sit at the bottom.
The most shocking part of the reading was the part about women’s magazines. I am an avid reader, and have tried the products that magazines recommend, never realizing that the editors are actually in control of content. In economic terms, this makes sense because advertisers want to promote their products, but at the same time it’s like being betrayed by your best friend. I trusted these magazines, but not anymore.
The ideals of female beauty function as a form of social control, because in this day with the media, the ideal images are widespread. Wolf cites that everyone from the Mormon housewife in Phoenix to the physics professor in Manhattan is seeing these images (Wolf, 2002). This makes these diverse groups of women all want the same things, and tells them that if they are not beautiful, there are ways to fix it. Heidi Montag of “The Hills” recently underwent 10 cosmetic procedures in one day and her explanation for it was that she wanted to be a pop star and so she needed to look like one. She started out as a reality show star that just happened to achieve some level of fame, but because of the beauty myth, she decided she needed to have a certain look to become more socially acceptable.
The ideals of a female body restrict women in every area of their lives. We are economically held slaves to creams and beauty products that are supposed to make us a better version of ourselves. Psychologically, as Wolf points out, we are always thinking about food. Not about how much we want to eat, but how little we should eat to lose weight. We are afraid to go out into the sun because of the aging it will do to our skin. Our lives are dictated by the beauty myth and always will be, because as society evolves, so does the myth.
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You are so on point about the Beauty Myth! Yes we are all a slave to this money making, economic society and all it wants us to believe and to buy. Money, money, money is what businesses want and will go to great lengths to achieve that goal. Who cares if we create low self esteem for our country? Who cares if people spend their hard working money on cosmetics and/or surgeries, when they could very well be spending it on meaningful things like doing good for good causes, friends and family, or even themselves (but in a fair and considerate fashion). People are so obsessed with their looks and impressing others. There are so many wonderfully marvelous people out there, but they may never get recognized all because they didn't fit "society" standards. And don't even get me started on the women's magazines! Oh how I just love my Cosmopolitan's! And after taking this class I too have learned that these ads I constantly see are only there for the money. These magazines don't truly, deeply and fully care about us women. Give me a break! Yes, some of the articles are helpful and funny, but for the most part they are only wanting to sell a product....I'm going to go get a tissue now. "sniff sniff"
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