The Beauty Myth
How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women
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- $189.00
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- $189.00
Descripción editorial
The bestselling feminist classic that redefined our view of the relationship between beauty and female identity.
In today's world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women's movement, however, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which, she argues, may prove just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife. It's the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she grapples with her body image and tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty."
In this landmark work of cultural criticism, Wolf exposes the myth's foundations:
A Backlash Against Feminism: Wolf argues that as women gained more power, the beauty myth intensified to undermine their progress, creating a new form of social control.The Illusions of Mass Media: An incisive look at how magazines, advertising, and popular culture create and enforce an impossible standard of physical perfection.Work, Money, and Power: Discover the connection between professional beauty standards and economic discrimination, revealing how appearance is used as a weapon against women's advancement.Hunger and Violence: A groundbreaking examination of the political roots of eating disorders and the rise of cosmetic surgery as tools of social coercion.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This valuable study, full of infuriating statistics and examples, documents societal pressure on women to conform to a standard form of beauty. Freelance journalist Wolf cites predominant images that negatively influence women--the wrinkle-free, unnaturally skinny fashion model in advertisements and the curvaceous female in pornography--and questions why women risk their health and endure pain through extreme dieting or plastic surgery to mirror these ideals. She points out that the quest for beauty is not unlike religious or cult behavior: every nuance in appearance is scrutinized by the godlike, watchful eyes of peers, temptation takes the form of food and salvation can be found in diet and beauty aids. Women are ``trained to see themselves as cheap imitations of fashion photographs'' and must learn to recognize and combat these internalized images. Wolf's thoroughly researched and convincing theories encourage rejection of unrealistic goals in favor of a positive self-image.