The Beauty Myth by https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t A sociological episode of the much loved Myth Busters en-us 2018-08-27 03:42:43 UTC 2025-03-20 07:42:53 UTC hello@padlet.com Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434716 This documentary discusses the cultural phenomenon of Barbie, and how her design has melded and transformed throughout history to reflect current cultural patterns and shifting norms. It highlights a recent line of barbies that have made a move to be more inclusive, offering up 'curvy' and 'tall' versions of the cult classic doll. I believe looking at the history of the Barbie doll touches on the power that commercialised and commodified beauty ideals have to define what it is to be feminine. ]]> 2018-08-27 03:42:43 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434716 "Real Beauty" olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434718 The above photos of Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign appear, on the surface, as empowering and inclusive messages celebrating diverse body forms. However after reading the below casting call for the models that I managed to find online, it begs the question about what 'real' truly means? This paradox seems somewhat comical, calling upon 'real' women but only if they actually fit into a defined set of rules about what 'real' and beautiful women can look like (i.e. 'no scars' and 'beautiful smiles'. In an attempt to break out of the traditional set of norms, this casting call highlights the tragicness of it all - that what is considered 'real' is actually policed and regulated too. ]]> 2018-08-27 03:42:43 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434718 Fetishisation of white skin olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434719 The image above and below are commercials from central and south Asia and South Africa promoting skin whitening cream. An analysis of the words used show that notions of white and pale skin equate to being beautiful and 'perfect'. Such promotions of fairer skin are targeting populations with predominantly naturally darker skin tones. This could be seen as a hang over from the colonial period, wherein beauty standards were cross cut with racial identities. The following blog is a great opinion piece on this topic: https://imansyedblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/the-unrealistic-standards-of-beauty-in-central-asia-for-women/ ]]> 2018-08-27 03:42:43 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434719 Padlet Description olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434720 This Padlet will focus on what Naomi Wolf coined as the ‘beauty myth’: the notion that women must conform to, and embody cultural beauty norms that are unrealistic and virtually unattainable. As Naomi Wolf (1997) states, this beauty myth is the ‘institutionalisation of the male gaze’. Women have long been the object of this myth, and men have long been taught to instil and expect women to embody certain cultural beauty norms. Furthermore, this beauty myth uses images of women’s beauty as a political tool to enhance inequality and quash female advancement. Along with this theme come the implicit notions of objectification, commodification and sexualisation, which this padlet will seek to explore. ]]> 2018-08-27 03:42:43 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434720 #YOULOOKDISGUSTING olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434721 A fantastic video showing the double standards of the beauty industry. The blogger, Em Ford, emphasises #skinpositivity on her instagram account (@mypaleskinblog), highlighting the norm that clear and unblemished skin equates to beauty. There is common held belief (however misguided) that bad skin stems from a bad diet or lack of hygiene, signifying that those with acne are uncivilised and violate expectations of what it is to be a self-actualised person. What I found particularly interesting were the comments stating that it was 'false advertising' and that you should 'trust no f***ing bitch with makeup'. Such comments reflect Beverly Skeggs's assertion that "attaining normative femininity requires a considerable amount of labour but yet this labour must be concealed. If the labour is not disguised from view then the female body is identified as cheap and/or distasteful” (Skeggs 1997, as cited in Richardson and Locks 2014, 43). ]]> 2018-08-27 03:42:43 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275434721 olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275454825 2018-08-27 06:29:45 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275454825 "Real Beauty" olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275485642 2018-08-27 10:28:12 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275485642 "Real Beauty olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275486770 2018-08-27 10:36:55 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275486770 "Real Beauty" olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275486906 2018-08-27 10:37:55 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275486906 Why did I just buy this? olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275492134 During my recent trip to Sydney I came across this jade facial roller which resulted in a *very* impulse purchase. I am a 23 year old female who has little to no skin problems - therefore what compelled me to buy this anti-wrinkle tool?! Upon reflection, this is a great example of the way in which the beauty industry has capitalised on and commodified a fear of ageing. Beauty blogs and forums that I am part of are littered with older women telling their younger counter parts to act whilst they're still young to prevent the effects of ageing - as if getting old and getting wrinkles is not an inevitable part of life, refusing to admit to the vulnerabilities of the body.]]> 2018-08-27 11:12:15 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275492134 Reclaiming the body olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275500191 A beautiful rejection of the 'institutionalisation of the male gaze'. The lyrics are something that many women can relate to on a deep level, calling out the sexualisation of women's bodies in everyday life and reclaiming them. ]]> 2018-08-27 12:06:40 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275500191 Pretty Hurts olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275502648 A classic third-wave feminist song that highlights the consequences of such high societal demands of beauty. Taking this theme back to the readings, Richardson and Locks (2014) outline that “there is a strong cultural belief in a ‘perfectible body’ which, ironically, has made the body increasingly ‘unstable’ and ‘a site of serious suffering and disorder... illnesses anorexia, bulimia and body dysmorphic disorder are often seen as disheartening results of this attempt to live up to cultural expectations” (33). ]]> 2018-08-27 12:19:53 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275502648 Thunder Thighs olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275513000 A body positive song celebrating 'thunder thighs', shining a positive light onto larger bodies. ]]> 2018-08-27 13:04:29 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275513000 olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275523706 An embodiment of a heteronormative, slave-to-the-male-gaze advertising angle. This is an interesting contrast to the Asian market's push for whiter skin, highlighting varying cultural norms of what constitutes beautiful. I also want to draw attention to the first tagline in the ad - "give yourself a leg up in the boardroom". This rhetoric echoes the struggle that Wolf (1997) highlights in her book, where women who don't necessarily conform to ideals of beauty run the risk of "restrict[ing] employment opportunities in a labour market that favours work for women in the basis of employment" (Richardson and Locks 2014, 130). ]]> 2018-08-27 13:32:44 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275523706 olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275526129 “To live in a culture in which women are routinely naked where men aren’t is to learn inequality in little ways all day long.” - Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth (1997)]]> 2018-08-27 13:39:17 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275526129 To Be A Miss - Documentary Review olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275532869 This is a fantastic documentary available on Netflix, that examines the phenomenon of the prolific beauty pageant industry in Venezuela. As the tagline of the film says - “Explore how the media and nationalism have fuelled Venezuela’s passion for physical appearance and the multi-billion dollar beauty pageant industry”. In a nation where one fifth of the average women's wage is spent on cosmetics, this documentary shines the light on how the nation's obsession with pageants is seen as a way to strive above poverty. However, as various academics comment throughout the film, “Just as they used to say – ‘keep people ignorant and you have them under control… If you keep the feminine population in a state of constant consumption trying to attain this beauty ideal then you keep them from the possibility of cultural change". This is an interesting analysis that once again echoes Foucault's theory of power.
Another common theme running throughout the documentary is the notion of beauty and women's bodies as a commodity that Venezuela thrives on exporting. This is another example of how women's bodies are thrown into the public sphere and used as both political and capitalist tools of control and objectification. ]]> 2018-08-27 13:55:23 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275532869 Beauty is Pain olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275778923 2018-08-28 06:24:20 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275778923 olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275781234 2018-08-28 06:39:36 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275781234 olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275781275 2018-08-28 06:39:57 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275781275 olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275783001 2018-08-28 06:49:17 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275783001 Hairy Femininity - a prickly question olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275783582 The above two images on the right were taken from an article in Archer Magazine (link below) and the left was a Bonds advertisement that popped up on my Facebook newsfeed a month or so ago. I believe that the dialogue surrounding female hair/ hair removal is particularly relevant to the theme of the beauty myth, as it can be seen as a poignant symbol of both resistance to the patriarchy and an upset of what it means to be traditionally 'feminine'. I particularly love the images from the magazine, as they juxtapose the feminine colours of the outfits and makeup, the feminine styles of clothes (lace lingerie and a slip dress) and 'feminine' props such as flowers with unapologetic exposure of their grown-out underarm hair - something that by mainstream standards violates traditional femininity and beauty. In essence, they are embodying a passive AND active stance. A quote from the magazine article that really summed this up for me was:
"Gender inequality permeates all aspects of our lives. It’s often difficult to define and difficult to see. Body hair is visible and a very clear double standard in the way men and women’s bodies are policed". Looking through a Foucauldian discourse lens, this is a great real life example of his theory of power and how we self-surveil our bodies to fit the norm. Women are put under immense implicit pressure to remove bodily hair, often undergoing expensive and painful procedures to achieve this. Letting your hair grow out violates gender-norms and therefore also dissolves the illusion of 'female beauty'. ]]> 2018-08-28 06:51:48 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275783582 olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275790915 2018-08-28 07:35:03 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275790915 'Unattractive' Female Habits olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275798613 A quick search on Facebook or Youtube pulls up various videos similar to the one below. Listening to this man, it is interesting to note that of all these behaviours that he points out, he positions men as the primary beneficiaries of improving such behaviours - such that the desires and needs of a man should dictate the behaviours of women, particularly in regards to body maintenance. ]]> 2018-08-28 08:27:53 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/275798613 References olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/276491566 Richardson, Niall, and Adam Locks. 2014. Body Studies. London: Routledge.
 
Wolf, Naomi. 1997. The Beauty Myth. Toronto: Random House of Canada.
]]> 2018-08-30 06:42:01 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/276491566 Google's Beauty olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/276802235 A quick google image search of the term 'beauty' pulls up an interesting insight into which bodies are included in this rhetoric. If you analyse the top images, most, if not all, are of young, white, thin and makeup-clad females, focusing on their facial features. This is an interesting exercise in looking at which bodies are included and excluded from this online space]]> 2018-08-31 03:46:09 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/276802235 Skin Bleaching olivia_epworth https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/277479505 2018-09-04 10:20:50 UTC https://padlet.com/olivia_epworth/b4sfj6sy8k2t/wish/277479505