Beauty Is Power
Beauty is both a form of power and disempowerment, it contributes to how humans characterize one another. It becomes problematic as outsiders begin to view beauty as an unequal tool. Sonia Shah’s short story, Tight jeans and Chania Chorris, provides examples of how the personas sister uses her beauty as a form of power. It only becomes problematic for her family as they do not like the idea of ‘western beauty’ over taking there indian heritage. The story also gives example on how the persona is disempowered by beauty as she too tried to use it as a leverage to gain social acceptance.
Most women in high executive positions are typically beautiful and most likely have achieved their position by being overly confident. Woman in these types of positions are likely to be respected, idolized and can achieve more in their male dominated industry because of their ‘feminine beauty’. Beauty is an extremely powerful tool among humans, as we collectively are an overcritical species. However, this becomes problematic as it raises the argument of equality. It has been proven through numerous social experiments that more beautiful but less qualified people have been hired for jobs over those less beautiful but extremely qualified. Though this is an example of inequality , it also raises questions such as: should there be certain breaks for the less beautiful? Again, another problematic area when describing beauty as power. Shah’s persona, Sonia, in her short story explains how her little sister is “setting herself up for the kinds of exploitation and abuse [she] had suffered” (pg 2) ,however her sister “was getting better results” (pg 2). It becomes clear that not all woman have the ability to mold their feminine beauty into a dominating tool, some seem to crumble under the pressure and ,in Sonias case, resort to feminism.
The younger sister in Shah’s short story has overly sexualised herself making her Indian family uncomfortable. “I like these clothes for me” (pg 2)
Most women in high executive positions are typically beautiful and most likely have achieved their position by being overly confident. Woman in these types of positions are likely to be respected, idolized and can achieve more in their male dominated industry because of their ‘feminine beauty’. Beauty is an extremely powerful tool among humans, as we collectively are an overcritical species. However, this becomes problematic as it raises the argument of equality. It has been proven through numerous social experiments that more beautiful but less qualified people have been hired for jobs over those less beautiful but extremely qualified. Though this is an example of inequality , it also raises questions such as: should there be certain breaks for the less beautiful? Again, another problematic area when describing beauty as power. Shah’s persona, Sonia, in her short story explains how her little sister is “setting herself up for the kinds of exploitation and abuse [she] had suffered” (pg 2) ,however her sister “was getting better results” (pg 2). It becomes clear that not all woman have the ability to mold their feminine beauty into a dominating tool, some seem to crumble under the pressure and ,in Sonias case, resort to feminism.
The younger sister in Shah’s short story has overly sexualised herself making her Indian family uncomfortable. “I like these clothes for me” (pg 2)
References: - Shah Sonia, 2007 , Tight jeans and Chania Chorris, The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Notification (12th ed.), http://www.stolaf.edu/people/kutulas/shah--tight.jeans.htm