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Women have managed to overcome many barriers which made it difficult for them to succeed in different fields because of their gender. Gender equality and empowerment policies in many countries have helped them overcome barriers, which made it difficult for them to succeed.
The beauty and cosmetic industry have helped strengthen several attitudes and beliefs about a woman’s role in the modern world. Therefore, in the Western mainstream media, perceptions of beauty have been shaped by beauty and cosmetic companies. These companies have made many women to set for themselves unrealistic standards regarding how they should look.
The media has entrenched the idea that for a woman to be successful, she needs to have an attractive appearance. Cosmetic manufacturing companies have reinforced the belief that a slim woman is desirable, sexy and more confident (Wolf, 1991, p. 89). This has strengthened the stereotype that people, especially women, need to be slim, to live a healthy lifestyle. This paper will focus on the beauty myth and how it affects the way women see themselves in modern times.
Feminine beauty has been as a treated as a mysterious subject, which arouses different emotions in many societies across the world. The media, together with other companies, have entrenched certain perceptions about the role of a woman in the society, which continue to affect the way women look at themselves.
This has made many women to get obsessed with physical perfection, which has made beauty, one of the most important issues to women across the world. In many societies, patriarchal systems of power still dominate the way different activities are performed. However, this has changed over the years because women are no longer considered inferior or weak.
Wolf (1991) argues that feminist movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s, were concerned with equality for all genders in different spheres of life (p. 92). In Europe and North America, popular culture has influenced the way women perceive themselves and the role they are supposed to play in the society. Women in other continents have become more emancipated but they still do not have the same freedom, enjoyed by fellow women living in Western countries.
The issues of feminism and beauty are very crucial because they enable people understand the real impact of gender equality and empowerment, in many societies.
The concepts of beauty and feminism are more intertwined because of the way they many business organizations. They are used to create sex appeal in adverts, which makes many firms to use beautiful models to market their products. Advertising firms use models to launch products for different companies, which shows the connection between feminine beauty and marketing.
This helps them appeal to the sub-conscience of both male and female consumers, to make them have more favorable attitudes towards products being marketed (Levy, 2005, p. 67). Many product launches are not considered complete without popular female celebrities gracing them. The strong association between beauty and economics has had a dramatic influence in the media, because it has encouraged the society to treat women subjectively.
There are women who are more sensitive about their appearance and looks, than their skills and inner personality. They think that having flawless bodies, clear faces and beautiful hair, are necessary attributes that make them stand out of the crowd. Some of these women are well educated, earn good incomes and live comfortable lifestyles. They have adequate financial resources which make them more independent and ambitious.
Ironically, even though several working women have good incomes, they are still worried about how they look. These insecurities have been strengthened by stereotypes, which set unrealistic standards on how a perfect woman should look like. Levy (2005) reveals that many myths about beauty are advanced by the media and they have a major effect on the way women perceive themselves (p. 73). Some women believe that how they look determines their value in the society.
Many film stars and musicians have a big influence on the way women understand the concept of beauty in their lives. The effect of Hollywood on peoples’ behavior is enormous because many people are obsessed with tabloid gossip concerning the rich and famous. Many Hollywood stars, musicians and other well known personalities, are given a lot of attention by the media in Europe and North America.
Female celebrities are accompanied by their large teams of makeup artists wherever they go, which shows the importance they attach to their looks. They value their appearance more than their personality because this is makes them popular among their fans (Ross, 2010, p. 79). Therefore, fans who consider movie stars, musicians and athletes as role models, are likely to emulate their behavior. Young women are easily captivated by new fashion designs, hairstyles and other forms of popular culture they copy from Hollywood stars.
Many young women are hurting themselves physically and emotionally, in a bid to achieve unrealistic beauty standards, popularized by the media. Cosmetic surgery has become a multi-million dollar industry because more women are willing to go under the scalpel to improve their looks. Older women are undergoing botox treatments to get rid of wrinkles on their faces and are also opting for silicone breasts, to make themselves look younger (Ross, 2010, p. 89).
This obsession with physical appearance is creating a society where people are not willing to accept their physical limitations and are willing to pay more to improve their looks. Modern women are under a lot of pressure to meet specific standards of beauty, which drives them to try extreme cosmetic procedures, which are not good for their health.
Obesity has become a major challenge on the way women look in the US and other parts of the world. Many health experts argue that obesity and excessive weight contributes to different diseases which threaten women’s health. Therefore, popular stereotypes show slim men and women as healthy, while overweight individuals are teased for not observing healthy living. Many teenage girls in the US and Europe have eating disorders caused by failure to consume proper diets because they want to stay slim (Ross, 2010, p. 108).
The fashion industry has been accused of making more teenagers become anorexic because many popular fashion models are slim and underweight. In many Western societies, slim people are given more attention than overweight people. Obese people are described as lazy, greedy, dirty and slow. These negative attributes associated with obesity make many women hard to lose weight to gain acceptance in the society.
Feminists in different parts of the world have been divided by the issue of beauty and how it influences women in different settings. Some feminists argue that criticism leveled against the media and beauty industry is misdirected. They argue that women need to be in touch with their feminine instincts and they do not need to feel bad for improving their personal appearance.
They argue that personal beauty helps women overcome barriers in a world dominated by patriarchal ideas and gives them an opportunity to improve their self-confidence. However other feminists argue that women need to rely more on their character and personalities to succeed in life. They argue that the focus on beauty at the expense of brains makes women who are not physically attractive to be overlooked by their employers (Valenti, 2007, p. 82).
They argue that stereotypes related to beauty and appearance make women who are not physically attractive not to have the same chance at suceeding compared to those that are more attractive. Therefore, they feel that obsession with physical appearance makes women to be judged by patriarchal standards, which deny them a chance to achieve their potential.
Many feminists have argued that the modern environment makes women to be treated subjectively because of their appearance. The issue of feminism is now looked at differently compared to the past, because women have become more emancipated. Valenti (2007) argues that feminism needs to accommodate different interests by women for it to remain relevant in the modern society (p. 99).
She argues that women need to embrace their feminine instinct to improve their own self confidence, which will enable them realize their own potential. They need to focus on activities which satisfy their inner motivations to become comfortable with themselves in a world that is rapidly changing. It is necessary for women to be comfortable with who they are to ensure they do not fall prey to stereotypes and other popular ideals which treat women subjectively.
References
Levy, A. (2005). Female chauvinist pigs: Women and the rise of raunch culture. New York, NY: Elsevier.
Ross, K. (2010). Gendered media: Women, men and identity politics. London: Rowman and Littlefield.
Valenti, J. (2007). Full frontal feminism: a young woman’s guide to why feminism matters. New York, NY: Seal Press.
Wolf, N. (1991). The beauty myth: How images of beauty are used against women. New York, NY: Harper.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
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