Beauty Myth, Stigma, and Deviance
Carol Webb
Northwood University

In the year 2013 where as a society people are accepting that men marry men and women marry women, it is hard to believe that as a society we still judge a person and their professional capabilities based on their physical appearance. The reality is that this is an ongoing problem, not just in the United States, but globally. The manner in which people are treated that are defined as deviant by any person or group of people, can have an extremely negative effect on their emotional well being, and as a result on their physical health as well. This paper will address the correlation that exists between the Beauty Myth, the Stigma it creates, and how deviance plays a role in these beliefs, especially in the work place.
In the book The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women by Naomi Wolfe, she states that the basic premise of The Beauty Myth is that as a women have gained increased social power and prominence, expected adherence to standards of physical beauty has grown stronger for women. (Naomi Wolfe, 1991). In the workforce, this expectancy that is placed on employees can range from the business owner or management if they are passed up on a job opportunity, or for promotion. A personal view that the obese person is lazy or sloppy can originate from the co-workers that gossips or say cruel things, often on a daily basis.
Social stigma as defined by Wikipedia is the extreme disapproval of a personal on socially characteristic grounds that are perceived, and serve to distinguish them, from other members of society. Deviance is defined by Wikipedia as any action or behavior that violate social norms.
The relationship that is created by the beauty myth, stigma, and deviance is a direct result of the way we see others in a physical sense. We each have our own view of