The Beauty MythBeth: I can’t eat lunch. I need to be sure I can get into thatblack dress for tonight.Sarah: Maybe eating is more important than looking goodfor Tom.Beth: That’s easy for you to say. You’re a size 2, and Jakeadores you!The Duchess of Windsor once remarked, “A woman cannot be too rich or too thin.” The first half of her observation might ap-ply to men as well, but certainly not the second. After all, the vast majority of ads placed by the $57-billion-a-year U.S. cos-metics industry and the $60-billion diet industry target women. According to Naomi Wolf (1990), certain cultural pat-terns add up to a “beauty myth” that is damaging to women. First, the foundation of the beauty myth is the notion, taughtfrom an early age, that women should measure their worth in terms of physical appearance or, more specifically, how phys-ically attractive they are to men. Of course, the standards of beauty embodied by the Playboy centerfold or the 100-poundNew York fashion model are out of reach for most women. Second, our society teaches women to prize relation-ships with men, whom they presumably attract with their beauty. Striving for beauty not only drives women to be ex-tremely disciplined but also forces them to be highly attentive to and responsive to men. In short, beauty-minded womentry to please men and avoid challenging male power.Belief in the beauty myth is one reason that so manyyoung women are focused on body image, particularly beingas thin as possible, often to the point of endangering theirhealth. During the past several decades, the share of youngwomen who develop an eating disorder such as anorexianervosa (dieting to the point of starvation) or bulimia (bingeeating followed by vomiting) has risen dramatically.The beauty myth, then, is the idea that striving to bephysically attractive to men is the key to women’s happiness.As Wolf sees it, however, such efforts are more likely to endup standing between women and their power and worthwhileaccomplishments. The beauty myth affects males as well: Men are told re-peatedly that they should want to possess beautiful women. Such ideas about beauty reduce women to objects and mo-tivate thinking about women as if they were dolls rather than human beings. There can be little doubt that the idea of beauty is im-portant in everyday life. According to Wolf, the question is whether beauty is about how we look or how we act.What Do You Think?1. Is there a “money myth” that states that people’s incomeis a simple reflection of their talent? Does it apply moreto one sex than to the other?2. Can you see a connection between the beauty myth andthe rise of eating disorders among young women in theUnited States?3. Among people with physical disabilities, do you think thatissues of “looking different” are more serious for womenor for men? Why?
The Beauty Myth
Beth: I can’t eat lunch. I need to be sure I can get into that
black dress for tonight.
Sarah: Maybe eating is more important than looking good
for Tom.
Beth: That’s easy for you to say. You’re a size 2, and Jake
adores you!
The Duchess of Windsor once remarked, “A woman cannot be
too rich or too thin.” The first half of her observation might ap-
ply to men as well, but certainly not the second. After all, the
vast majority of ads placed by the $57-billion-a-year U.S. cos-
metics industry and the $60-billion diet industry target women.
According to Naomi Wolf (1990), certain cultural pat-
terns add up to a “beauty myth” that is damaging to women.
First, the foundation of the beauty myth is the notion, taught
from an early age, that women should measure their worth in
terms of physical appearance or, more specifically, how phys-
ically attractive they are to men. Of course, the standards of
beauty embodied by the Playboy centerfold or the 100-pound
New York fashion model are out of reach for most women.
Second, our society teaches women to prize relation-
ships with men, whom they presumably attract with their
beauty. Striving for beauty not only drives women to be ex-
tremely disciplined but also forces them to be highly attentive
to and responsive to men. In short, beauty-minded women
try to please men and avoid challenging male power.
Belief in the beauty myth is one reason that so many
young women are focused on body image, particularly being
as thin as possible, often to the point of endangering their
health. During the past several decades, the share of young
women who develop an eating disorder such as anorexia
nervosa (dieting to the point of starvation) or bulimia (binge
eating followed by vomiting) has risen dramatically.
The beauty myth, then, is the idea that striving to be
physically attractive to men is the key to women’s happiness.
As Wolf sees it, however, such efforts are more likely to end
up standing between women and their power and worthwhile
accomplishments.
The beauty myth affects males as well: Men are told re-
peatedly that they should want to possess beautiful women.
Such ideas about beauty reduce women to objects and mo-
tivate thinking about women as if they were dolls rather than
human beings.
There can be little doubt that the idea of beauty is im-
portant in everyday life. According to Wolf, the question is
whether beauty is about how we look or how we act.
What Do You Think?
1. Is there a “money myth” that states that people’s income
is a simple reflection of their talent? Does it apply more
to one sex than to the other?
2. Can you see a connection between the beauty myth and
the rise of eating disorders among young women in the
United States?
3. Among people with physical disabilities, do you think that
issues of “looking different” are more serious for women
or for men? Why?
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