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The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women Paperback – September 24, 2002

by Naomi Wolf (Author)

173 customer reviews

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The bestselling classic that redefined our view of the relationship between beauty and female identity.

In today's world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women's movement, however, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which, she argues, may prove just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife. It's the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty."

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From the Back Cover

The bestselling classic that redefined our view od the relationship between beauty and female identity.

In today's world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women's movement, however, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which, she argues, may prove just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife. It's the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty."

About the Author

Naomi Wolf is the author of seven books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Beauty Myth, Promiscuities, Misconceptions, The End of America, and Give Me Liberty. She writes for the New Republic, Time, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, La Repubblica, and the Sunday Times (London), among many other publications. She lives with her family in New York City.

Product details

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (September 24, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060512180
ISBN-13: 978-0060512187
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 173 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #74 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Gender Studies > General
- #120 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies > Feminist Theory
- #444 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Specific Demographics

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173 customer reviews

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It's not perfect, but it represents something modern mainstream feminism is sorely lacking

May 31, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The book is definitely written from a liberal feminist perspective and I'm a radical feminist, so I didn't expect to agree with all of it. I have, however, been frustrated with seeing my mainstream liberal feminist friends trying to claim their adherence to beauty culture is feminist and I was curious how one might argue against beauty culture from within a liberal feminist framework since I know liberal feminists of the past were opposed to it. I didn't find the book enlightening personally, but I might consider recommending it to my liberal feminist friends to get them thinking about beauty culture without putting them on the defensive with a radical framework. In particular I thought the parts about advertisement for beauty products was important. I know so many young feminists who repost ads for beauty products on their social media accounts with lots of approval if the ad appears to have a progressive bent, and these young feminists could do with a reminder that the companies are just doing this to make money, not because they actually care about these progressive values. Heck, I know Mary Kay consultants who genuinely believe that they are "empowering" women by selling them "anti-aging" snake oil creams and I hardly see anyone turning an adequately critical eye to this behavior.

My main criticism of the book is just that there are often times when it's insufficiently clear on whether she's speaking literally or metaphorically. Like, in the chapter titled "religion" I think an uncharitable person might interpret it as saying that beauty is literally a new religion whereas I'm pretty sure that's not actually what she means. For this reason I would prefer if anti-feminists didn't read this book because it would be easy for them to misinterpret it and take things out of context in ways that would make feminists seem crazy.

Anyway, to answer to some of the negative reviews- whether or not the author herself uses makeup and/or looks pretty in her promotion of the book is irrelevant. As she says in the book, people will dismiss women's arguments for her being "too pretty" or "too ugly" and there's no in between. If she completely neglected her appearance people would say that she just wrote the book because she's an ugly woman who's jealous of beautiful women. There's no way for her to look that would give her credibility in everyone's eyes, and judging arguments based on features of the author is an ad hominem anyway.

And no, it isn't so outdated as people are saying. I mean, some statistics and such are out of date, but the main points still stand. Just because modern feminists aren't talking about these things so much anymore doesn't mean the problem has been solved, it just means that they're distracted and/or the patriarchy is winning this battle. Those who think "everyone already knows all this already" are either naive or out of touch with today's teens and twenty-somethings. I'm a twenty-something and just about every day on facebook I'll see at least one of my friends saying something or other that promotes beauty culture. I'm not even in an especially image-conscious area. Internet feminists are all about "eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man" and if you dare to criticize the industry they say you're the one being misogynistic for judging things that some women like.

51 people found this helpful52 people found this helpful

July 14, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I wanted to like this book. I'm a feminist and and I agree with the basic premise of this book, but gosh is it poorly written. I have two college degrees and I had difficulty getting through the parts that I did read. The book reads more like a manifesto than a nonfiction book. It's very impassioned but the author struggles to clearly present her ideas and with connecting one idea to the next in a coherent way. The text rambles on and comes off more like a first draft than a finished book. Much of the time I didn't understand what she was talking about. It seems as though the book wasn't written for the layperson but rather for the feminist scholar (which I confess I am not).

7 people found this helpful8 people found this helpful

Changed my perspective

January 12, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book changed my perspective on myself, other women, and the media. It is a wonderfully entertaining book while also explaining phenomena that I think most women think are their own personal neuroses, rather than the common and natural result of a misogynistic beauty culture. I would recommend this book to any woman, and also to any man because it could help him understand women's struggles as well as shed light on what I perceive to be the (so far less intense) spread of the beauty myth into male culture since this book was published.

8 people found this helpful9 people found this helpful

I now recommend it regularly to my clients

November 21, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am a therapist and wish I had learned about this book in graduate school. I now recommend it regularly to my clients.

7 people found this helpful8 people found this helpful

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD BECREQUIRED TO READ THIS! IT WILL ...

June 21, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD BECREQUIRED TO READ THIS! IT WILL WAKE YOU UP TO BRAINWASHING BY OUR SOCIETY THAT U WERE NOT EVEN AWARE OF. It's incredible! Buy it as fast as u can!!

5 people found this helpful6 people found this helpful

Lauren Elizabeth

IMPORTANT for understanding society, and the ways women are identified.

January 20, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A MUST READ regarding society and being female. A must for everyone! My son loved it also.

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

I wanted to love this book

May 5, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I wanted to love this book. It makes a lot of great points but the writing style tends to ramble a bit and the font that is was printed in is a bit difficult to read.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

January 29, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Excellent

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

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