Description
From Library Journal Journalist and poet Wolf presents a provocative and persuasive account of the pervasiveness of the beauty ideal in all facets of Western culture, including work, sex, and religion. In showing how this myth works against women and how women sabotage themselves by their complicity with this impossible standard, she discusses at length two unfortunate consequences: the growth in the number of bulimic and anorexic women and the increasing popularity of cosmetic surgery. The facts are certainly stacked to prove her thesis but, for the most part, provide convincing evidence. In her final chapter, Wolf instructs women on how to crack the beauty myth. Recommended, especially for women's studies collections. - Anne Twitchell, National Re search Council Lib., Washington, Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From 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. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. 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. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Publisher Explores the phenomenon of the violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty as a political weapon against women's advancement. " The Beauty Myth is a smart, angry, insightful book, and a clarion call to freedom. Every woman should read it." -- Gloria Steinem. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Inside Flap phenomenon of the violent backlashxa0xa0against feminism that uses images of female beautyxa0xa0as a political weapon against women's advancement. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. "A smart, angry, insightful book, and a clarion call to freedom. Every woman should read it." -- Gloria Steinem "Powerful... No other work has...so honestly depicted the confusion of accomplished women who feel emotionally and physically tortured by the need to look like movie stars" * New York Times * "The most important feminist publication since The Female Eunuch" -- Germaine Greer "A brilliant, bracing book...The world has changed - a bit - over the past decade and a half, but not enough: this remains essential reading" * Guardian * "Essential reading" -- Fay Weldon --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Naomi Wolf is the bestselling author of The Beauty Myth and a former political consultant for Al Gore’s presidential campaign. She is the leading spokes person for third wave feminism and has written for The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Harper’s Bazaar. Wolfe is also a co-founder of The Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, an organization that teaches young women about leadership.She lives in New York City. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. 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." --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more
Features & Highlights
- 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."
