The Beauty Myth Flashcards
Why did the “beauty myth” happen?
A result of violent backlash of feminism for social control
What is “beauty pornography?”
an artificial link of beauty to sexuality
How does “beauty” act as a currency system?
- Determined by politics
2. In valuing women for their physical beauty it creates power relations where women must compete
Why is it a myth?
“There is no legitimate historical or biological justification for the beauty myth… is a result of society’s power structure, economy, and culture to mount a counteroffensive against women”
“If the beauty myth is not based on evolution, sex, gender, aesthetics, or God, on what is it based?”
Men’s institutions and institutional power
Why must women’s identity be premised upon “beauty?”
So women remain vulnerable to outside approval and gain self-esteem from others
What myth did the “beauty myth” replace?
The Feminine Mystique since women’s value no longer came from domesticity
Why is the modern depiction of “beauty” a contradiction?
“Where modern women are growing, moving, and expressing their individuality, “beauty” is inert, timeless, and generic… “beauty” so directly contradicts women’s real situation”
Why is the “beauty myth” relevant to the economy?
Corporations feed on anxieties and use their influence on mass culture to “reinforce the hallucination in a rising economic spiral”
How is the “beauty myth” compared to an Iron Maiden?
The Iron Maiden was a medieval torture device that immobilized the victim and died of starvation or metal spikes
Women are trapped or trap themselves in the beauty myth
