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Works of Beauty Myth

By: Jennifer Han

As time goes by, and cultures change, the standard of beauty changes also. Woman, for years have been competing with the “ideal” look of beauty, spending tons of money on cosmetics and plastic surgeries. Naomi Wolf explains in the book, The Beauty Myth, that beauty is not universal and that it is a behavior described by men and a notion created by men to keep themselves in position of power. The philosophy behind the Beauty Myth is shown in our daily lives. Stores, pamphlets, buildings, trucks, etc. advertise woman in revealing lingerie, woman with perfect, clear skin and words that give the meaning of beauty. The photoshopped advertisements keep woman constantly on top of the latest cosmetics and concerned on how they look. My partner and I spent some time bonding after class one day and came across many notions of how natural it has become to care so much about beauty.

Lush is definitely the place to go for organic beauty products. Hayley is looking at the many shades of organic eyeliner and is mesmerized by the warm orange, autumn like color.

Hayley loves when there are random mirrors in stores; she unknowingly gets drawn all the time and checks to make sure her makeup is not smudged or faded and to make sure that her hair has not turned into a fizz ball after letting her hair blow in the wind.

Hayley’s favorite product and mostly every girl’s favorite is nail polish. She is deciding on which color she wants to do next. She feels neat and done when her nails are polished.

Hayley gets distracted from food shopping by looking at organic lipsticks and eco-friendly brushes. She loves how a different shade of color can make her feel bolder or more girly.

Outside of Hayley’s favorite active wear store she reads a list of encouraging words that make people feel beautiful about their bodies and how certain things brighten a person’s mood.

Hayley is heading to the refrigerator section to get some healthy fresh squeezed juice after reading detox water from the store window.

The standard society has built up about beauty is shown to us daily. We see it on our walks to school, to work or even just taking a stroll. We are told to do this and look like that to become an ideal look of beauty. Through our journey after class, Hayley has realized how greatly the beauty myth has impacted her. She has realized she cares much more than she thought about her looks and how she uses all these beauty products to feel prettier and different.