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The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women
The Beauty Myth How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women
Author: Naomi Wolf
In the struggle for women's equality, there is one subject still shrouded in silence - women's compulsive pursuit of beauty. The myth of female beauty challenges every woman, every day of her life. The author exposes the tyranny of the beauty myth through the ages and its oppressive function today, in the home and at work, in literature and the ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780099861904
ISBN-10: 0099861909
Publication Date: 1/3/1998
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 2

4.3 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Vintage
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Leigh avatar reviewed The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women on + 378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
Halfway through the book I watched an interview with Naomi Wolf on PBS where she wore make-up! -- the very same "evil" she'd been condemning throughout this. After I finished reading, though, I understood.

I disagree with many of her arguments, but I found the book entertaining and informative. Personally, I love curling my hair and putting on make-up, but not because I've bought into the male-driven visual culture. I think she redeems herself at the end and gives a well-thought out conclusion. I also don't think it would hurt women to be aware of what she suggests.

However, coming from a knock-out like Naomi Wolf, it's a bit hard to swallow her idea that beauty shouldn't be that important to women. There's a reason she's classified as a "Do-Me Feminist."
apachesun avatar reviewed The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women on
Helpful Score: 5
This is an amazing, insightful book on how society over-emphasizes beauty to the point that young girls and women equate it with our personal value. This book helped me immensely with my own self worth.
iluvlibros avatar reviewed The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women on + 73 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is such a powerful book. The facts and ideas not only haunt you as you go about your everyday life, but they also empower you to fight against the unfair standards that women today face. I think this is a must read for every woman.
reviewed The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
An interesting read. I didn't agree with everything in this book, but I think it's worth reading if you have an interest in gender studies or the relationship between media and culture and self-image.
reviewed The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a really powerful book that shows how, "Western women have escaped from one form of enslavement only to fall into another - the increasingly insidious 'beauty myth'"
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