...Women cannot find strong role models in today's society without getting a false impression. Too often the role models are of women of unrealistic beauty. Take for instance the big screen: a bunch of skinny women with flawless faces, and not a spec of cellulite. Finding role models on the glossy pages of magazines and posters has become even more prominent. Gazing at these "role models" has become an act in which shapes the way women look and feel about themselves in today's beauty conscious society. American women base their lives on a myth, a beauty myth, which impairs their self-image and distorts their views regarding their peers. America stereotypes women to fit the myth by suggesting that they either have beauty or intelligence, but cannot have both. Women believe that the women featured in the magazines are the models of what a male finds attractive. In reality, that's what the advertisers want the reader to find attractive. If women believe skinny is the only way to go, they are going to buy their product that "promises a slim new you". Unfortunately, the media pushes an unnatural body type, making it difficult to accept natural beauty: It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder, seven million women and one million men. One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia, and two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia. Ten years ago 330,000 Americans underwent plastic surgery. This year that number has increased to over 6 million, of which...
Words: 812 - Pages: 4
...their breasts are too small, their hair is boring, their skin is flawed, their body is shaped funny or their clothes are outdated. Today these are the thoughts of many women who feel they’re not beautiful. Naomi Wolf’s essay “The Beauty Myth” explores, why women feel they don’t measure up. Meanwhile Helena Maria Viramontes’ short story “Miss Clairol” examines the life of Arlene, who is a product of “The Beauty Myth”. Each author shows the power exerted by beauty ideals over women’s identities and goals, including the anxieties produced in women by these beauty ideals. The basis of Wolf’s essay was to show as time progresses it seems, the standards of physical beauty have grown stronger for women as they gained power in other social arenas. “The more legal and material hindrances women have broken through, the more strictly and heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have come to weigh upon us” (120) Women have accomplished so much over the past few decades yet, as you watch television or walk around the city, images of pencil thin women are shown to basically tell you that what you see is beautiful and if you don’t look like that you’re not. Wolf states that women today feel a need to purchase cosmetics to make them feel a sense of beauty, this is actually evident in “Miss Clairol” when Arlene is getting ready for her date, “She has painted her eyebrows so that the two are arched and even, pencil thin and high.” (90) This is showing that something so simple such as...
Words: 926 - Pages: 4
...Nila Tavangarian Women Studies 30 January 30th, 2017 WS Midterm Exam Winter 2017 Part 1: Brief Essays – the Beauty Myth 1) In Wolf’s “Chapter 6: Hunger” in the Beauty Myth she argues that anorexia and bulimia is taking over women in the West. She claims that, “Women must claim anorexia as political damage done to us by a social order that considers our destruction insignificant because of what we are-less,” (Wolf, 208). I agree with the feminist perspective in “Hunger” that women are affected by pop culture and media to starve themselves until the point where they are unstable. Unfortunately, many women in the US are influenced to look like women in pop culture, however this has caused millions of suicides and health issues that...
Words: 1297 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 1047 - Pages: 5
...Beauty can be defined as a combination of qualities of a person or object that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction and that are aesthetically pleasing to the senses. While we are told as young children that beauty lies within, in today’s world for many people, that is regretfully untrue. We live in a very superficial society where most everyone is judged by their physical appearance. We are forced to change our values and purely focus on our appearance in order to be accepted and feel wanted. In recent years, the desire to be “beautiful” has become an obsession for many, leading sometimes to devastating consequences. The pressure to be beautiful relates to women’s studies and feminism because as supporters, we want females to love their bodies and feel comfortable in their own skin and not to feel like they have to conform to certain standards set by society. In other terms, we want them to feel comfortable just being themselves. In The New York Times’ article entitled “For the A-Cup Crowd, Minimal Assets Are a Plus,” writer Catherine Saint Louis discusses the issue of breast size. In current times, it is widely accepted that “bigger is better” and that to be sexually desirable and attractive, one must have large breasts (C cup or larger). She states that it is commonly assumed that small-breasted women feel that nature’s lottery has left them coming up short; however, over the past couple of years, this ideology is slowly beginning...
Words: 967 - Pages: 4
...Myths and Us Greek myths and stories have some of the most iconic and memorable characters and ideas. They reflect the ideals and beliefs of an ancient culture and show the variety of imaginational and philosophical ideals. These myths started out as a religion in Ancient Greece and lasted throughout the centuries. They have created a lasting effect and most people can easily point out mythological beings. A strong man wielding a lightning bolt, we all know is Zeus and the scandalous, half goat, half man is a satyr. However, the tone of what these myths meant to people has definitely changed from the myth’s origins. The importance of what the gods meant to people has evolved as time went on and this can be clearly seen in the representation of the myths in modern life. Many aspects of Ancient Greek myths are constantly being reflected in the ideals of today's society ranging from beauty/love, marketing, and in competition. Aphrodite was the great Olympian goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and procreation. Aphrodite was created from the sea when the Titan Cronos slew his father, the major Titan Ouranos, and threw his genitals into the sea. Aphrodite was the most attractive goddess of Mount Olympus. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually accompanied by the winged god Eros, or as we know him more popular as Cupid. Aphrodite loved and was loved by many gods and mortals. In almost all her stories that involve her, have Aphrodite interfere with making mortals fall in love...
Words: 631 - Pages: 3
...Introduction Ancient Greece was the birthplace of western civilization. It’s culture is the embodiment of the ideals which are pursued even today. The richness of Greek mythology inspired artists from the middle ages to modernity, with motives of myth occurring sporadically throughout history. Starting from the middle ages, when Christian and ancient traditions started to mix together, forming the basis of modern western culture, Greek myth has been in the centre of interest. It is intriguing to note that Roman mythology is not as potent as Greek in modern art. Ovid’s Metamorphoses was the most influential text in the Middle ages, and it served as inspiration to writers, painters, musicians and other artists. However, Christianity did not accept ancient myths in their true, religious meaning. Myths were used to paint symbols, allegories and allusions to contemporary issues, mainly religious. Mythical beings and heroes were fitted – in a sense, into a medieval Catholic frame (Von Hendy, 2). Homer’s Iliad is probably the most frequently read of all the Greek myths. It tells the story of Troy, and its fall to Greek armies led by king Agamemnon. The war began when Paris, a young Trojan prince took Helen, the wife of Menelaus and ran with her. This led to a great war, which resulted in the destruction of Troy. This epic work has been a source of endless inspiration for artists throughout the ages. Since the beginning of Renaissance, and the rebirth of classical spirit in Europe...
Words: 843 - Pages: 4
...What Makes People Attractive to Others? The definition of “attractive” from Dictionary.com is “…providing pleasure or delight, especially in appearance or manner; pleasing; charming; alluring; arousing interest.” What makes someone attractive to another person is different for everyone. It could be a look or smell, or the way someone laughs. As a young woman in college, I have met many men to whom I have been attracted. What makes a person attractive? One thing is for certain, it will not be the same reason for any two people. Attraction is not universal. One woman may think Johnny Depp is gorgeous and another may think there is no one uglier, which is why we as a society frequently say, “Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder.” Stereotypes, too, can effect one’s perception of what or who is attractive. If you fit into certain stereotypes it can broaden one’s appeal to some, while decreasing one’s appeal to others. Media, movies and television have caused stereotypes to explode throughout the world. If we believe what we see and hear, then skinny, beautiful women are the only ones who get boyfriends. Guys with “six pack” abs and great hair are the only ones who get girlfriends. When we see this over and over in movies, television, and advertising, we start to believe it is true. So, people start going on diets because one never sees a chubby girl or guy walking down the runway, or getting the guy or girl in the end. Girls start wearing more makeup to cover up perfectly beautiful...
Words: 1279 - Pages: 6
...The Dominance of Fate Fate was of great concern to the Greeks, and its workings resonate through many of their myths and texts. We see countless characters who go to great lengths in attempts to alter fate, even if they know such an aim to be futile. The inability of any mortal or immortal to change prescribed outcomes stems from the three Fates: sisters Clotho, who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, who assigns each person’s destiny; and Atropos, who carries the scissors to snip the thread of life at its end. These three divinities pervade all the stories of Greek myth, whether they be stories of gods, goddesses, demigods, heroes, or mortals and regardless of the exploits recounted. Nothing can be done to alter or prolong the destiny of one’s life, regardless of the number of preparations or precautions taken. This inflexibility applies just as much to Zeus as to the lowliest mortal, as we see in Zeus’s hounding of Prometheus to divulge the name of the woman who will bear the offspring that one day will kill him. Though this lesson is somewhat consoling—the way of the world cannot be bent to match the whims of those in authority—it is also very disturbing. The prospect of free will seems rather remote, and even acts of great valor and bravery seem completely useless. The myths provide an interesting counterpoint to this uselessness, however. In virtually all the stories in which a character does everything in his power to block a negative fate, and yet falls prey to it,...
Words: 2346 - Pages: 10
...Child Beauty Pageants Should be Banned Parents are the first form of mentors that children have to guide them into adulthood. As those mentors it is the parents’ job to positively shape their child’s moral character, values and ethics, and their overall mental, physical and spiritual development. Child beauty pageants go against that parental code by teaching that self-worth is in appearance, creating negative behavioral and emotional issues, as well as, sexually exploiting children and therefore, should be banned. Self-worth To begin with, pageants teach that self-worth is in the physical appearance, instead of within. Self-worth is about the value you place on yourself through an internal connection. Beauty pageants take away from that in the essence that it puts a high value on beauty and perfection instead of character. Children are taught at a young age, that they are in competition with others and whoever is the most beautiful and have perfected talents, are winners and everyone else is losers. Along with that K. Meginnis-Payne & C. Travis (2001) , states “ In addition to promoting mixed messages about the role of beauty in women’s lives, beauty myths foster competition, divisiveness, and distrust among women. These myths undermine the collaborative, supportive relationships women create with one another. All beauty myths promote the idea that beauty is the most vital aspect of a women’s being.” Negative Behavioral and Emotional Issues Secondly, since a child...
Words: 898 - Pages: 4
...Aphrodite is the well known goddess of love, beauty and procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus (Greek Goddess Aphrodite). In the picture above, she is shown with her son, Eros; like in most of his artwork, he is in the sky holding his bow and arrow. There are numerous myths telling of her proclaiming love and beauty. Aphrodite is not only the most powerful above both mortals and immortals, but she also represents the love between the two. According to Homer's Iliad, Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus, god of the sky and Olympian of all the gods. Her mother, Dione, was known as the mother of the Roman goddess of love (By Dione He [Zeus] Had Aphrodite). However, in Myths Encyclopedia, it is said that Aphrodite was, “Born from the foam of the sea”. This myth is believed by many, because her name, Aphrodite or Aphros, is the Greek word which means foam. As oddly as it seems, legends say that Titan Cronus castrated Uranus, his father, throwing his genitals into...
Words: 712 - Pages: 3
...In my rhetorical analysis of the CoverGirl advertisement I analysis three rhetorical tools that are strongly conveyed to me. The advertisement uses these rhetorical tools to further persuaded audiences to buy the CoverGirl product and even stick with the brand. In this analysis I will cover the rhetorical appeals that try to convince viewers that the product is superior, the use of myth and how it is used to strengthen the persuasiveness of the advertisement, and the rhetorical situation of the advertisement. Let us move onto rhetorical appeal Rhetorical appeal is a very good way to structure any persuasive document and when used correctly it can service its purpose well. Let’s analysis how this persuasive advertisement uses rhetorical appeal. Pathos in this advertisement is very straight forward; it wants the view to be curious but also excited with a hint of wonder or in other words it wants “to raise emotions” (Aristotle, n.d. p. 146) within a viewer. The use of Taylor Swift along with the mention of more bang for your buck, since this cream can beat ones that cost $180, would draw on a viewer’s emotion and cause them to be persuaded because their idol is advertising a product that she, Taylor Swift, is using daily to perfect her skin and it isn’t an expensive designer brand. Next we will focus on logos and its use in this advertisement. Logos is the “logical appeals [that] stress the reasonableness” (Aristotle, n.d p. 146). This advertisement relies heavily on...
Words: 1396 - Pages: 6
...definition of myth: “a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially: one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society.” Poignantly, this definition does not include the common correlation between myth and falsification. While myth may include ostensible histories or exaggerated events, falsification is not crucial nor significant in the creation of myth. Whether or not a culture’s myth relies on scientific or historical fact is irrelevant to the core of its application. A culture’s myth or belief is vital in the realm of their world view, stresses, and precedencies, not its...
Words: 1858 - Pages: 8
...A stunningly beautiful girl, Psyche, is born after two older sisters. People throughout the land worship her beauty so deeply that they forget about the goddess Venus. Venus becomes angry that her temples are falling to ruin, so she plots to ruin Psyche. She instructs her son, Cupid, to pierce the girl with an arrow and make her fall in love with the most vile, hideous man alive. But when Cupid sees Psyche in her radiant glory, he shoots himself with the arrow instead. Meanwhile, Psyche and her family become worried that she will never find a husband, for although men admire her beauty, they always seem content to marry someone else. Psyche's father prays to Apollo for help, and Apollo instructs her to go to the top of a hill, where she will marry not a man but a serpent. Psyche bravely follows the instructions and falls asleep on the hill. When she wakes up, she discovers a stunning mansion. Going inside, she relaxes and enjoys fine food and luxurious treatment. At night, in the dark, she meets and falls in love with her husband. She lives happily with him, never seeing him, until one day he tells her that her sisters have been crying for her. She begs to see them, but her husband replies that it would not be wise to do so. Psyche insists that they visit, and when they do, they become extremely jealous of Psyche's beautiful mansion and lush quarters. They deduce that Psyche has never seen her husband, and they convince her that she must sneak a look. Confused and conflicted...
Words: 1243 - Pages: 5
..."The pursuit of beauty and of its attendant features, fashion and dress, has more than any other factor bound together women of different classes, regions, and ethnic groups and constituted a key element in women's separate experience of life."-Lois W. Banner. The world lives in a generation where the image that society places upon women is crucial. The image of perfection is based on the coke bottle appearance and gorgeous plastic face. Women already feel the need to gain as much power as they can due to the lack of gender equality. Body image is very hard to ignore in this barbaric and self indulgent culture. An easy solution to fulfill the empowerment thrive, is to compete in beauty pageants. Our society teaches both women, those who compete and those who do not, that being tenaciously empowered is by looking good and appealing to the eye of the human male. The purpose of this paper is to explore the objectification of women in general; with an emphasis on beauty pageants and how the media interpretation of beauty has changed the woman's body image. Finding an exact definition of beauty is highly impossible, considering beauty is said to be have seen in the eye of the beholder. Unfortunately, in this metaphoric glass fish bowl life style; media, men, art, and fashion are the foremost most important holder. As customs, traditions and American habits expand, so does the true meaning of the word beauty. According to webster dictionary, beauty is defined as the quality or aggregate...
Words: 1686 - Pages: 7
