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syd_brammer's review against another edition
4.0
I read a few chapters of this for my dissertation work but couldn't wait to return to finish the rest. Wolf's (1990) work still rings true today and I especially appreciated her consideration of pressures that were far ahead of her time; she accurately predicted much of our contemporary media environment 20 years before it came to fruition.
aura_rurubele's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
It was very fun. I learned so much from this book and I think it's a must read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Minor: Body horror
ldoz's review against another edition
3.0
Though many of Wolf's ideas are outdated and/or now common beliefs, this was a good feminist read. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Hunger, Work, and Sex. Recommend if you are a completionist in the genre of feminist works.
alleerose's review against another edition
2.0
I know this is a seminal classic and all, but I found a lot of it almost.. insufferable. Perhaps it's because I'm living in a world where the beauty myth has been punctured and exposed, to some extent. The book was written in 1992 so it's about a world I've largely never known. It was also explicitly aimed at upper middle class white women who apparently take women's magazines very seriously. I somewhat fit that demographic, and I'm just not that interested in reading more about it. I'd rather spend my reading energy learning about experiences different from my own.
In addition, it was more of a high flying thinkpiece that used anecdotes/random ad copy for evidence rather than substantial research. I think the subject is critical, but I thought it was pretty overblown and exaggerated which does the cause a disservice. If it's something I inherently agree with and the way it's written about is pissing me off, it's probably not doing much to convince or bring in readers who already disagree.
That being said, I thought the closing chapter of the book was pretty solid, and I would definitely recommend that women at least read that part of it.
In addition, it was more of a high flying thinkpiece that used anecdotes/random ad copy for evidence rather than substantial research. I think the subject is critical, but I thought it was pretty overblown and exaggerated which does the cause a disservice. If it's something I inherently agree with and the way it's written about is pissing me off, it's probably not doing much to convince or bring in readers who already disagree.
That being said, I thought the closing chapter of the book was pretty solid, and I would definitely recommend that women at least read that part of it.
hypatia13's review against another edition
3.0
This was very interesting. Interesting to see how much has changed since the book was written, but also to see how much hasn't.
There were a few places where I felt the parallels she drew were exaggerations for the shock value, but I can see why she did that - they're *meant* to be shocking. I think my biggest complaint is actually about the way she frames the Beauty Myth itself - she talks about it as something being imposed from on high, but never really talks about where it comes from. From the way she talks about it at times, it's very easy to picture a group of men in a room somewhere coming up with these ideas and trying to impose them on women, but at the same time, you can't really imagine a group of 5-star generals and the cast of mad men locking themselves in a room and saying things like "those uppity women, we need to put them in their place. I know! Let's convince them all they're fat and old and need cosmetic surgery!" Obviously the ideas develop more organically than that. She does do a good job of analysing who benefits from the beauty myth.
A minor complaint that I suspect is only my e-book edition, but the notes were not connected to the main text at all. So as I was reading, I kept thinking that I would like to see some references, but didn't realize they were there until I finished the book.
There were a few places where I felt the parallels she drew were exaggerations for the shock value, but I can see why she did that - they're *meant* to be shocking. I think my biggest complaint is actually about the way she frames the Beauty Myth itself - she talks about it as something being imposed from on high, but never really talks about where it comes from. From the way she talks about it at times, it's very easy to picture a group of men in a room somewhere coming up with these ideas and trying to impose them on women, but at the same time, you can't really imagine a group of 5-star generals and the cast of mad men locking themselves in a room and saying things like "those uppity women, we need to put them in their place. I know! Let's convince them all they're fat and old and need cosmetic surgery!" Obviously the ideas develop more organically than that. She does do a good job of analysing who benefits from the beauty myth.
A minor complaint that I suspect is only my e-book edition, but the notes were not connected to the main text at all. So as I was reading, I kept thinking that I would like to see some references, but didn't realize they were there until I finished the book.
lilyheron's review against another edition
2.0
This was one of the books that caused 14-year-old me to ruffle a lot of feathers back in shit hole village c. 2005 lol... now it feels pretty dated and I feel very old.
jazz_t9's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
herchaoticlife's review against another edition
4.0
It was very enlightening and at the same time sad that this book is still very relevant today. Naomi Wolf's book made me angry enough to want to do something about the way women are still treated and to debunk the beauty and other bull*** myths we've been raised on and still raising on young women. I also want to keep on educating myself and learn ways I can fight back and be part of the new wave of proud feminists.
boykatie's review against another edition
5.0
SO glad I read this despite how long it took me (I would read a chapter at a time over a few months basically). Each chapter is focused on a different topic (sex, religion, violence, hunger, etc.). I wish I had taken more notes or highlighted more while actually reading it.
Though it was a bit heavy and dense for me at times, it has some really good info and explanations of feelings I have that I have trouble vocalizing or understanding. These problems are not just personal, they are cultural and they are part of our subconscious, everyday lives. Wolf did a lot of research and gave some great facts, stats, quotes, studies, and other references. How can you argue with that? Those hard facts can be quite depressing of course though.
It was also very interesting how relevant all of this info is almost 25 years after it was first published. For example, she frequently uses mainstream women's magazines as examples of a representation of our culture and even hints at how those images will become more and more manipulated to instill unrealistic beauty standards (hello Photoshop...?).
If you're not up for the whole book, I recommend at least reading the last chapter, Beyond the Beauty Myth. It was a great recap and look at next steps. These are important parts of our culture that we should all take time to think about.
Some of my main take aways are:
- Basically, the Beauty Myth tells us beauty (the one type of beauty that is sold by the industry) is what brings happiness and success in all aspects of life. Ugly, fat is the worst thing a woman can be. If she is busy worry about her appearance, she can't have the strength to fight for equality.
- The Beauty Myth takes different forms over time. As women have received more freedom in the outside world, the Beauty Myth had to evolve to keep women unhappy internally. From sexual freedom to food to our own bodies, the Myth has quietly taken over our lives.
- The Beauty Myth tells us to strive for something that is impossible. If make-up and anti-aging products did what they were supposed to do, they would put themselves out of business…The ads straight out lie to us.
- It's also about choice and perceived choice. How much choice do we really have? I CHOOSE to shave my armpits and legs but what would happen if I chose not to? Would I be shamed by strangers, friends, family? Most definitely. Feminism is not about not shaving or not wearing makeup - the problem lies within how you feel when you DON'T follow the rules and do those things. There are unspoken but real consequences for not conforming to the rules of the beauty industry.
- GUILT traps us. If you don’t buy into the make-up/beauty/anti-aging industry, it will be YOUR fault when you age and wrinkle etc. If you do spend money on these beauty products, regardless of their effectiveness, at least you’ve tried and it’s not your fault. There is guilt associated with not trying hard enough — if you are lonely, old, sad, unpretty... it can be blamed on you.
- I could go on and on but you get the point. Maybe I will go back and take more notes and add to this sometime...
NOTE: I was leaning towards giving this a 4-4.5 rating because of its dense, academic nature, which is evident in how long it took me to get through this BUT the amount of thought and questions this brought up for me during and after reading it proves its strength.
Though it was a bit heavy and dense for me at times, it has some really good info and explanations of feelings I have that I have trouble vocalizing or understanding. These problems are not just personal, they are cultural and they are part of our subconscious, everyday lives. Wolf did a lot of research and gave some great facts, stats, quotes, studies, and other references. How can you argue with that? Those hard facts can be quite depressing of course though.
It was also very interesting how relevant all of this info is almost 25 years after it was first published. For example, she frequently uses mainstream women's magazines as examples of a representation of our culture and even hints at how those images will become more and more manipulated to instill unrealistic beauty standards (hello Photoshop...?).
If you're not up for the whole book, I recommend at least reading the last chapter, Beyond the Beauty Myth. It was a great recap and look at next steps. These are important parts of our culture that we should all take time to think about.
Some of my main take aways are:
- Basically, the Beauty Myth tells us beauty (the one type of beauty that is sold by the industry) is what brings happiness and success in all aspects of life. Ugly, fat is the worst thing a woman can be. If she is busy worry about her appearance, she can't have the strength to fight for equality.
- The Beauty Myth takes different forms over time. As women have received more freedom in the outside world, the Beauty Myth had to evolve to keep women unhappy internally. From sexual freedom to food to our own bodies, the Myth has quietly taken over our lives.
- The Beauty Myth tells us to strive for something that is impossible. If make-up and anti-aging products did what they were supposed to do, they would put themselves out of business…The ads straight out lie to us.
- It's also about choice and perceived choice. How much choice do we really have? I CHOOSE to shave my armpits and legs but what would happen if I chose not to? Would I be shamed by strangers, friends, family? Most definitely. Feminism is not about not shaving or not wearing makeup - the problem lies within how you feel when you DON'T follow the rules and do those things. There are unspoken but real consequences for not conforming to the rules of the beauty industry.
- GUILT traps us. If you don’t buy into the make-up/beauty/anti-aging industry, it will be YOUR fault when you age and wrinkle etc. If you do spend money on these beauty products, regardless of their effectiveness, at least you’ve tried and it’s not your fault. There is guilt associated with not trying hard enough — if you are lonely, old, sad, unpretty... it can be blamed on you.
- I could go on and on but you get the point. Maybe I will go back and take more notes and add to this sometime...
NOTE: I was leaning towards giving this a 4-4.5 rating because of its dense, academic nature, which is evident in how long it took me to get through this BUT the amount of thought and questions this brought up for me during and after reading it proves its strength.