Once the definition
of what is female excellence at the level of housework and belonging to the
husband could no longer be contained, female excellence began to be defined by
beauty. Again, advertisers invent a new market and then convince it by
intimidation and hedging that it needs something - and so women become
consumers of beauty as a pursuit of excellence.
According to
Wolf, the power of the "beauty myth" is evident in its invisible
boundaries, and in the fact that most of its social leaders are faceless. Social
messages are conveyed to women in the process of socialization and create a
collective consciousness through various cultural agents. These transformations
are led by a power of the masses that cannot be challenged or resisted, just as
women in society are forced to behave according to the dictates of the
"beauty myth".
Moreover,
today there is a parallel between beauty, not only as consumerism but also as
economic success. If someone is beautiful - she is also rich "looks like a
million dollars". Because of this beauty has helped many women succeed in
advancing in the work circle that still remains patriarchal regardless of their
true abilities. This myth understood by male industrial society is built on
fear that women are already a majority that can endanger and should be limited
in a new way - and unfortunately for Wolf, they succeed. Not only does the
woman today have to bear the burden of working outside the home, she is still
defined as one who must also bear the burden of the housework and still, preserve
her beauty - therefore, this renewed gendering of beauty as a sign of success
is doubly destructive.
According to Wolf the phenomenon of "professional beauty skills" developed at the same time as woman's liberation and it means that a woman's sexuality will make her work look ridiculous. The concept of women's work in terms of beauty index has been widely adopted, and has become the archetype of working women wherever they are.
And all this
was written by Wolf before Instagram!
