The Price for Beauty Woman throughout history have set standards on how beauty is a large significance in their daily lives. From reading the article by Robin Marantz Henig, “The Price of Perfection”, I’ve learned a lot about the choices and risks woman have taken throughout history to measure up to the idea of perfection. However, perfection is labeled differently through the eyes of the beholder. People tend to make changes from who they really are to become what the media, tradition and cultural practices shows what’s specifically visual perfection. As stated in the article by Robin Henig, “Over the centuries, women have mauled and manipulated just about every body part – lips, eyes, ears, waists, skulls, foreheads, feet… (55).
Clearly the way to get beautiful women is to ignore them, perhaps mistreat them" (272). The ad Kilbounre is describing is similar to the picture in the Bebe ad, and she is trying to make women see just how degrading these images are. The woman in the Bebe ad is very desperately attempting to get the man's attention by leaning on him and focusing her attention on him, but he doesn't seem interested. The image is posed like that to show superiority and power that men supposedly have over women. This teaches women that they need to constantly dote on the man, whether he pays attention or not.
I agree with Sheets-Johnstone’s claim that “women inspire male sexual desire simply by existing.” In the twenty first centuries, targeting western culture, women are constantly examined by men based alone on their outward appearance. A woman can be reduced to only to certain body parts such as the genitalia. This is because a woman’s appearance alone can cause a male to become aroused which naturally leads to this kind of degradation. The woman as a whole is basically forgotten. Because it is common for men to behave in this manner, it is almost routine for a woman to be appeasing to a man for approval.
In Amanda Fazzone’s article “Boob Tube,” she explains how TV. show heroines are empowered only because they “bask in the sex object role,” even though NOW (National Organization for Women) states that these “intelligent” and “well-rounded” women are able to “break out of the sex object role and portray authentic people.” Fazzone questions NOW’s credibility for their criterion of their idea of authentic and intelligent women. “If heroines like Felicity are empowered, it’s only because they’ve decided that what really drives female power is sex,” Fazzone states at the beginning of the article. Fazzone takes a stand against NOW asking how they choose their endorsements. NOW explains that their endorsements are intelligent, well-rounded authentic women, but Fazzone wants to know if they are really women who bask in the sex object role, and what are the shows NOW endorses are really about?
This statement is in fact true, however, what kind of power is implied here? This power has a note of inferiority attached to it. The power to attract is not chosen freely; rather it is placed on women by men and society as a whole. Both men and women are responsible for this obsession placed on the need to be beautiful. The ideal of beauty has become a form of oppression by men and also self-oppression.
Her reasoning is because; women are reaching out to stop all the pain of being alone, and why they soon find out that was a mistake. This article has shown me what advertising does to women. It is very upsetting to see that kind of abuse happening every day. I would never want that to happen to me or anybody in my family. Works Cited Kilbourne, Jean.
Valenti provides many statistics of abuse against women here in the United States as well as examples of evidence for the mistreatment of women. Valenti's appeals began before she had written a single word, mainly due to her being a woman. She appeals to the emotional side of her readers, writing that we “cry with Oprah and laugh with Tina Fey”, that we are “fooling ourselves” into believing that a “mirage of equality...is the real thing." She is trying to explain that it is a sort of ignorance-is-bliss situation: look at all these successful women on television so how could equality not exist? She also cites facts, while maintaining an emotion, by mentioning George Sodini, who specifically targeted women in his shooting “killing three women and injuring nine others."
This adds features this as it shows a group of men look down on the woman with one also holding her down showing their power and domination over her. Goffman’s Theory also explains that woman are portrayed sexually which is also true about the ad as the woman appears in sexualised way and also has a blank facial expression. Lastly the Goffman Theory details that woman usually emphasis a part of their body which usually has nothing to do with the intended product. This again is shown in the ad as the woman has her legs stretched up which emphasises them, and this also adds to the sexualisation of the
It’s a place where women are allowed to go and learn about what is said by society as to be a ‘man’s thing’. This party provides women with tools that are ‘cute’ and with the information they need and want to know. Nelsen interviewed many women at these ‘Tomboy Tool Parties’ and most talked about the comfort they had that it was only women at this party. One commenter even said, “If it’s all women everyone feels more comfortable and can ask whatever they want without feeling like an idiot.” (Nelsen 39) We live in a world where women want to become somewhat independent from men. They want to know more about tools so that they are able to use them when needed.
Men painted women. Woman wanted to be seen as objects. “It was to make the woman connive in treating herself as, first and foremost, a sight” (51) A man’s opinion was important to the woman. It was kind of a sign to let her know that she is wanted and is looking beautiful. However, if a man sees her as an object it is up to her what is to be done to her by the man.