Defining The Beauty Myth - Paper, Part I

The structure of American society operates on capitalistic ideals, and without this system in place, our consumerist economy would crumble. The “beauty myth” has several checks and balances established through the years to ensure its success, so no one institution is to blame. Instead, several are.

According to Naomi Wolf, author of “The Beauty Myth”, the “beauty myth,” “claims to be about intimacy and sex and life, a celebration of women. It is actually composed of emotional distance, politics, finance, and sexual repression. The beauty myth is not about women at all. It is about men’s institutions and institutional power (Wolf, 13).”

The “beauty myth,” according to Naomi Wolf, evolves constantly to maintain its hold on women, making them think that they are never beautiful enough and need something more to be seen as beautiful. The “beauty myth” works because “the core of the myth – and the reason it was so useful as a counter to feminism – is its divisiveness (Wolf, 284).” Instead of rallying being the powerfulness of being a woman, girls are taught at a young age to judge other girls and hold them to certain beauty standards.

The “beauty myth” is advanced through pop culture. One most recent example is Heidi Montag who used to be a reality show, “The Hills.” She underwent ten plastic surgery procedures in one day because she says she wanted to cross over into the pop-star business and therefore she needed to look like one. Popular culture has told her that she needed to look a certain way, so in order to fit the mold, instead of just accepting who she is, she changed her looks.

Kelly Osbourne, daughter of famous rocker Ozzie Osbourne, has recently lost a lot of weight, and has spoken out about the pressures to be thin in Hollywood. According to Osbourne, she says she was criticized more for being overweight than for being a drug and alcohol addict who went to rehab three times. Because Osbourne is in the entertainment industry, she is expected to look a certain way, regardless of how she achieves it.