Naomi Wolf The Beauty Myth

Beauty is a form of currency that women are obliged to pay to live in this world. Even after decades of moving up the social ladder in terms of worth and recognition, beauty is an obsession that incessantly plagues women. Naomi Wolf explores this beauty obsession on political, economic, and physical levels. She breaks this down as the beauty myth and exposes it as a system that keeps women restricted, regardless of what societal advancements are made. Wolf delves into each societal aspect that the beauty myth influences: work, culture, religion, sex, hunger, and violence. By allotting each topic one chapter, Wolf can provide a deep analysis and leave the audience wondering: What can be done to dismantle the pervasive and powerful beauty myth? Wolf’s first chapter is appropriately titled “The Beauty Myth” and she introduces the concept at hand. She mentions the progress of women through the decades and juxtaposes this significant advancement with the concern of trivial and insignificant matters. In a sizeable paragraph, Wolf describes specific
This toxic idea reduces complex women to simple idea. This can be likened to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” where complex people are reduced to simple stereotypes. Wolf gives various examples of this stereotype in the media, such as “Leah and Rachel in the Old Testament and Mary and Martha in the New; Helena and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Anya and Dunyasha in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard; the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz; Ginger and Mary Ann in Gilligan’s Island; Janet and Chrissie in Three’s Company; Mary and Rhoda in The Mary Tyler Moore Show; and so forth.” By providing such a broad range of examples, almost any person can understand her point, that men are more comfortable when they can picture two women as one winner and one loser in regards to the beauty