The Anti-Beauty Myth by Christine Rosen, Commentary Magazine (www.commentarymagazine.com), November 2010. (Alas, the full text is available by subscription only.) Decrying the advantage given to those who win life’s genetic lottery, Rhode would in essence like to make the advantages of attractiveness --- or lack thereof, depending on how you interpret it --- a crime of “appearance based discrimination.” Imagine being the plaintiff in a suit in which you must argue convincingly that you were denied a bonus because you were too homely. Imagine winning that suit. Talk about self-esteem issues. Rhode may want us all free of makeup and wearing sensible shoes, but she forgets that one of the most treasured aspects of feminism was freeing women from the shackles of circumscribed expectations. One must presume that includes being free to choose not only to break a glass ceiling, but the right to wear eye shadow while you are doing it."Ever since Naomi Wolf published The Beauty Myth nearly 20 years ago, feminist writers have been trying to come to grips with the enduring female interest in beauty. After decades of academic theorizing, endless denunciations of the diet and cosmetics industries, and annual attacks on the “heteronormativity” of the typical beauty pageant, they have yet to wrest ladies’ lipsticks from their manicured hands."
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more …
