The Beauty Myth (Vintage Feminism Short Edition) (Vintage Feminism Short Editions) [Paperback] Wolf, Naomi

Everyone,living in patriarchal hegemony should read it

It amazes me how The Beauty Myth is relevant and insightful, and outdated and absurd, all at the same time. I have divided my review into two segments-I. The RelevanceWritten three decades ago, the book proposes that the concept of beauty is a myth that keeps women trapped in a world of insecurity and prevents them from achieving social and economic equality, ultimately defeating the goal of feminism. The argument is one that I fully support. Beauty norms are ever changing and highly subjective; it is impossible to be universally attractive. Wolf delves greatly into the Catch-22esque situation where beauty and intelligence are perceived as mutually exclusive qualities, the unwritten "professional beauty qualification" that many careers demand from women, and a whole market that would collapse if women simply stopped feeling like they must look a certain way. I didn't grow up in the early 1990s but these are issues that vex me and pretty much every young woman I know. Even during the age of social media, when messages of self-love flood our feeds, it's difficult for most of us to love, or even like ourselves. This is a transformative age when media of all kinds is being forced to be more diverse and inclusive, and to push the idea that everyone is uniquely beautiful, unlike the supermodel era of the 1980s which Wolf grew up in. But this is also the age of influencers and insecurity has never been easier to access, and Wolf's ideas continue to hold weight, perhaps more than ever. It was also reposeful, in a very tragic way, to learn that ours is not the first generation to feel this way.II. The AbsurditySeveral points were heavily exaggerated, such as the comparison of plastic surgery with Nazi genocide, or the assertion that beauty products are something women feed their skins "as a way to feed themselves the love of which many are deprived". While the existence of the pressure on women to look attractive cannot be denied, to assert that women have absolutely no agency in that matter is very unreasonable. It tends to somewhat shame women for making certain choices. Wolf's theory almost seems like aconspiracy, but I think that most of theissues she talks about can be attributed tothe simple nature of capitalism. The goodthing about capitalism, however, is that itwill sell literally anything people are willingto buy. Companies don't care aboutwomen's self image and popular demand ismaking many brands move in a directionwhich is more inclusive and progressivethan anything history has ever seen. Onthis account, I think that Wolf's hypothesisfalls a little flat.Speaking of literary quality, there is none.The writing is very straightforward andplain. But, despite all of its shortcomings, Ithink that this is a book that deserves to beread more because it has plenty to offer,provided that one reads it with an openmind.

It's very informative and interesting with statistics - great read.

must read for everyone who wants to understand consumeristic world and its impact on us

E.H Carr book on what is history ? has an article on beauty. It is far superior and simple than this book. Its the american feminist with myopic view. Americans need to expand their horizon.

bought this to read at the pool to look philosophical but I actually liked it #feminism

à lire, il faut un peu s'accrocher car en anglais mais sujet passionnant avec des chiffres et des données, pour ceux que l'évolution des droits des femmes intéressent ; le combat des femmes n'a pas tellement évolué depuis les années 80 quand on regarde

Consigliato da alcune pagine femministe che seguo su Instagram.Sintetico ed essenziale, un vademecum per chi è interessato all'argomento!

Fácil de leer y muy interesante! Como mujer creo que es importante reflexionar sobre todos los temas tratados en este libro!

Well written and some aspects opened my mind to concepts/facts I had not considered before. I found myself getting quite agitated in parts and have become increasingly aware and 'determined' as a result of reading this book!