"We are in the midst of a violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty.....?

Question

...as a political weapon against woman's advancements: the beauty myth. The qualities that a given period calls beautiful in women are merely symbols of the female behavior that that period considers desirable: The beauty myth is always actually prescribing behavior and not appearance. Competition between women has been made a part of the myth so that women will be divided from one another. Youth and (until recently) virginity have been "beautiful" in women since they stand for experiential and sexual ignorance. Aging in women is "unbeautiful" since women grow more powerful with time, and since links between generations of women must always be newly broken: Older women fear young ones, and young women fear old, and the beauty myth truncates for all the female life span. Most urgently. women's identity must be premised upon our "beauty" so that we will remain vulnerable to outside approval, carrying the vital sensitive organ of self-esteem exposed to the air." Naomi Wolf

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Maybe there is something to that age power thing. They were interviewing some pedophiles on television a while back and they said the reason they preferred 13 year olds over women in their twenties for example, was 13 year olds were more easily impressed with them and more willing to accept their faults. Where as twenty somethings wouldn't take their crap. There are still a lot of Christian websites that preach that virgins are more beautiful because of their purity and innocence.

Answer 2

I agree there is a violent backlash against feminism, but I don't know if images of female beauty are the most violent forms of repression, compared to battering, rape, and murder.

I also think that men are now being pressured by advertisers and corporate america, to look better as well, since there are less younger women to sell their beauty junk to. It's all about consumers-if your main consumer group decreases, you have to market to a new one.

It hasn't helped that there are older women who could care less about their beauty myth crud as well, like me, who don't buy any make-up, and buy the cheapest shampoo/etc. Since I am confident, I don't fear younger women, I admire them. I know there are still lots of women who are trapped by the media's beauty myths, but there are many who aren't as well. Woo-hoo!

Answer 3

People can tell me I drive too fast or too slow. Think too quickly or slowly. That I try too much or too little. That I speak with an accent and shouldn't or that I don't and should.

In the end it's my decision to be a sheep or not. I am my own person and will never even think about adhering to someone else's standards.

(I'm not talking about something like shaving or bathing. As walking around with a giant grease ball of hair and stink hanging from my head would be disturbing to everyone, including myself.)

Anyway, I generally place the blame on the individual in these situations. It's called personal responsibility and common sense. If you don't have them, get them.

Answer 4

I see this all the freakin' time. No wonder why women are all screwed up. For crying out loud women, get a clue. Naomi Wolf can't make it any clearer. I mean, women, listen here. What I am about to say is something you may not like to here, but it is the truth. YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM DELUSIONS!!! You are sick, but it is okay. There is still hope. You just have to open your eyes and start studying women's history and see how you ended up where you are today (wearing makeup, fighting against one another, and still not having equality with males).

It is amazing stuff. You all have been duped for so long. Wake up and smell the freedom.

Answer 5

I'm getting lost in the big words....especially by the first answerer....LOL, guess it's time to work on my vocabulary.

I'm sorry, but in my opinion, women are their own worst critics, meaning that nobody cuts me down like I do to my own self, so the whole worrying about outside approval is false...it's our own interpretation of what we think the outside is thinking, when usually people aren't wasting a dime of thought on us.

Answer 6

most of your statements are false. "youth" is not what makes a woman beautiful. older women get attention from young men all the time. but do you ever see girls in their teens lusting over 30 year old men(unless they are super hot celebrities)? and society seems to be moving in the direction where youth is not as important in women and more important in men. and a lot of feminists realize this so they no longer complain about being judged based on physical beauty. because most of them are pretty enough to pass the test, whereas it's taking more and more for men to look attractive to women. in other words, they know that this superficial society makes things easier on them and harder on men.

Answer 7

I don't know how widespread this is these days, but, yes, I do think women are still prized for their beauty über alles.

Answer 8

Ineffable tripe and " cut and pasted. " Naomi Wolf is bereft of an evolutionary education, but her post-modern and relativistic credentials are intact.

We have been quantizing what the sexes fine attractive since almost the time of Darwin. This type of incoherence just obfuscates the issue.

And all the " thumbs down " in the world are not going to make this drivel any more coherent, questioner.

Answer 9

Sounds like a real dog.