Lecture 14: Women’s Bodies – Feminist Perspectives Flashcards
Who is Naomi Wolf?
A US feminist author and journalist; major spokeswoman of the third wave of the feminist movement.
What important book did Naomi Wolf write in 1991?
The Beauty Myth.
What freedoms did women gain in the last part of the 20th century?
Legal and reproductive rights, higher education, professional careers.
What critical question does Wolf ask about women’s freedom?
Are we actually free?
What is the Beauty Myth according to Naomi Wolf?
Using images of female beauty as a political weapon against women’s advancement.
What story does the beauty myth tell?
Beauty objectively exists, women want to embody it, men want to possess women who embody it, leading to competition and lack of female solidarity.
In the beauty myth story, what is beauty compared to?
Beauty is a currency.
How is the beauty myth different from earlier feminine ideologies?
It controls women subtly, implicitly, and psychologically, not overtly or materially.
Why is the beauty myth so powerful?
It replaces old social coercion myths and is the last remaining ideology controlling women.
How does the beauty myth relate to industrial society?
It disguises that women as consumers were essential to industrial development.
What emotions does industry exploit to reinforce the beauty myth?
Shame and feelings of inadequacy.
What industries grew because of the beauty myth?
Fashion, makeup, diet, cosmetics, and cosmetic surgery industries.
How does the workplace sustain the beauty myth?
By nurturing the idea of PBQ (Professional Beauty Qualification).
What does PBQ (Professional Beauty Qualification) mean?
Professions where women make careers are reclassified as display professions.
Why is the myth of beauty kept alive?
To keep women weak, vulnerable, and divided.
How can women overcome the beauty myth?
By becoming aware of it and fighting against its degrading beauty standards.
Who is Benedetta Barzini?
A top model for Vogue in the 60s, later a feminist activist and professor.
What subjects did Benedetta Barzini teach?
History of the dress at the University of Urbino and Anthropology of Fashion at NABA, Milan.
