The Beauty Myth : How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women

In a country where the average woman is 5-foot-4 and weighs 140 pounds, movies, advertisements, and MTV saturate our lives with unrealistic images of beauty. The tall, nearly emaciated mannequins that push the latest miracle cosmetic make even the most confident woman question her appearance. Feminist Naomi Wolf argues that women's insecurities are heightened by these images, then exploited by the diet, cosmetic, and plastic surgery industries. Every day new products are introduced to ''correct'' inherently female ''flaws,'' drawing women into an obsessive and hopeless cycle built around the attempt to reach an impossible standard of beauty. Wolf rejects the standard and embraces the naturally distinct beauty of all women.

the Bestselling Classic That Redefined Our View Od 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 Tries To Fulfill Society's Impossible Definition Of The Flawless Beauty.

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. (may)

In the struggle for women's equality, there is one subject still shrouded in silence - women's compulsive pursuit of beauty. The myth of female beauty challenges every woman, every day of her life. The author exposes the tyranny of the beauty myth through the ages and its oppressive function today. The bestselling classic that redefined our view of the relationship between beauty and female identity Every day, women around the world are confronted with a dilemma - how to look. In a society embroiled in a cult of female beauty and youthfulness, pressure on women to conform physically is constant and all-pervading. In this iconic, gripping and frank expos, Naomi Wolf exposes the tyranny of the beauty myth through the ages and its oppressive function today, in the home and at work, in literature and the media, in relationships between men and women, between women and women. With pertinent and intelligent examples, she confronts the beauty industry and its advertising and uncovers the reasons why women are consumed by this destructive obsession.`Essential reading' Guardian `A smart, angry, insightful book, and a clarion call to freedom. Every woman should read it' Gloria Steinem The bestselling classic that redefined our view of the relationship between beauty and female identity . Every day, women around the world are confronted with a dilemma – how to look. In a society embroiled in a cult of female beauty and youthfulness, pressure on women to conform physically is constant and all-pervading. In this iconic, gripping and frank exposé, Naomi Wolf exposes the tyranny of the beauty myth through the ages and its oppressive function today, in the home and at work, in literature and the media, in relationships between men and women, between women and women. With pertinent and intelligent examples, she confronts the beauty industry and its advertising and uncovers the reasons why women are consumed by this destructive obsession. 'Essential reading' Guardian 'A smart, angry, insightful book, and a clarion call to freedom. Every woman should read it' Gloria Steinem The bestselling 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 tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty." Wolf says the new obsession with women's appearance arose as part of a violent backlash against feminism, a political weapon imposing on women new restrictions When The Beauty Myth was first published, more than ten years ago, I had the chance to hear what must have been thousands of stories.