Where and How Did the "beauty Myth" Originate?

Where and how did the "beauty myth" originate?

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 long legged, skinny, women with flawless faces, voluptuous breasts, and not a spec of cellulite. All of the "model" women in the media seem to have "perfect lives"; their biggest catastrophe being where to put the indoor tennis court, or the indecisiveness of what to wear to the Golden Globe Awards . 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, unlike their male counterparts who are not affected by such a myth.

"Men look at Women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only the relations of men to women, but the relation of women to themselves." Critic John Berger's quote has been true now more than ever in regards to women's self-image in Western culture. Men see male fashion models, but do not see them as role models, mearly as men displaying clothing fashions. They don't depict the model of their own gender, because they simply don't see them as someone whom they can look up to or use as a guideline, and certainly not as the model American male. Whereas, women see a female fashion model and immediately turn her into the guideline of what every American woman should look like. This, among many other places is the origin of the myth. In order for our culture to be kept male, males put women into the roles of ornamentation and are mere beauties in their eyes. No wonder women feel they need to live up to a certain expectationsÐ"Ñ"Ð'ÑžÐ"ўвЂљÐ'¬Ð"‚Ð'¦or at least in the eye of the male.

America stereotypes women to fit the myth by suggesting that they either have beauty or intelligence, but cannot have both. An example of this is Katherine and Bianca in Taming of the Shrew . Katherine was depicted as being highly intelligent, yet physically unattractive. Bianca was viewed as a human art form, with not nearly as much brainpower as her sister, Kat. Bianca attracts men for her beauty and her sex appeal; whereas Katherine's personality and intelligence is viewed as a barrier from being desirable to suitors. Blanch and Dorothy , in the Golden Girls , is yet another example of beauty being more desirable than brains. Two women, one is defined as the winner, and one as the loser in the beauty myth.

When women think about the myth, it is the models in women's magazines that make them susceptible to the heroines of mass culture. The message delivered to women in these magazines tells us that we need to look like this, and shop here if we want to be a certain way. The message even reaches as far out to say that after reading this story, women can be better, more beautiful, starting now. It makes us want to throw away our old clothes, seek out a new job, buy every beauty product featured in the magazine, dump the boyfriend and tape the bathing suited beauty spokes model to the refrigerator. Magazines know exactly what they want, and just how to get it.

In order to keep its readers interested in the magazine, most magazines insist on a woman keeping her "feminine quotient" high. This lure would insure magazines that women would not liberate themselves out of reading their material. Although magazines do reflect historical change, they need to be sure to support the social roles of the women who support it. Magazines are seemingly the most influential aides in helping women to change their social roles as well as deliver what society expects of them in return. In the 1950's , when the majority of women were housewives, they looked to magazines as an escape. Advertising in women's magazines, which targeted housewives, was a sure way to bring in the buck. Housewives were advertiser's main customers, with "get this done faster, cleaner, whiter, and brighter", which indeed was very appealing to the housewife looking to minimize her workload. Articles that put women in a depressed mood, implying that they were overweight if they did not look a certain way, or telling them that pink eye shadow is everything in fashion today will direct their readers to the advertisements. After reading an article about how crucial juice is to a women's good health and beauty, then seeing an advertisement from a juice company, she is more likely to buy that product based upon what you had just read. It seems like the perfect solution to all of women's problems.

During the second wave of the women's movement , clothing companies were disappointed to find that women just weren't spending money on clothing anymore. Women were beginning to leave the homes and enter the workforce. Now, fashion magazines were having a hard time dictating to the women of America what should be on their backs. Clothes were of less interest. In 1969, Vogue , a popular women's magazine today, offered a new approach- the 'nude look'. Which delivered the message to women that they must look great naked: skinny legs and arms, round hips, big breasts, wrinkle free and tight skin. From about 1968 to 1972, the number of diet-related articles rose 70 percent. With all of the diet articles placed in women's magazines, it was suggested that women must be slim and fit.

Since feminists in the 1960's were characterized as overweight, small breasted, unattractive, single women, they were thought of by "the beautiful people" to just be jealous of what they do not have in the looks category. In 1969 , when there was a protest against the Miss America Pageant , coverage of this backlash focused in on numerous signs, two reading, THERE'S ONLY ONE THING WRONG WITH MISS AMERICA- SHE'S BEAUTIFUL and JELOUSY WILL GET YOU NOWHERE, Implying that feminists were complaining because billboard beauties have what they did not.

In 1965 Cosmopolitan magazine came out with the "You can be your best and nothing is standing in your way" approach to better women's quality of life. This magazine focused in on women's sexual appetites, self-help, personal relationships and female ambitions, all in attempt at capturing its targeted audience's attention. Above all, encouraging women that they could change overnight was surely influential, and captured an audience. Most women turned to magazines and took them