4.14.2009
Chapter 3 From WL
From Chapter 3 from Women's Lives, the author delves into the social construction of the female body and body image, relying heavily on the social norms for a woman. She breaks the article down into three separate overarching sections; and in some cases, breaks those down into even smaller sections. For me, I found the section on Resisting Body Stereotypes to be the most interesting. The author discusses the differences in beauty ideas between the middle white class idea of beauty and those that conflict with it; such as African American or Jewish American culture views. Being a young woman, my friends and I fight with both the middle class idea of beauty, and our own culture's ideas of what beauty is. While there are the ideas of beauty that contradict the box of what beauty is supposed to be, there is still the influencing umbrella of popular society. While women fight against these ideas, there are still those women who fight to fit into this box; whether it be through diet, exercise, plastic surgery or eating disorders. The goal of a "perfect body" is completely unattainable. No matter what, the dictator that is popular culture will still be able to find something wrong with you.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
This is absolutely true, it is one of the things that we as women torture ourselves with. We continually search for the unattainable perfection in the way we look. No matter how much makeup you wear or how many surgeries you have, there are still people that will criticize the way you look. Just the simple fact that different people prefer different looks is evidence that you can't please everyone. The important thing is to be happy and content with yourself. Looks aren't the only thing that make you valuable as a person. Keeping this is perspective will make you a much happier person overall. Constantly striving to be prettier will only be unfulfilling in the end, since it will always be a losing battle.
Post a Comment