Beauty and Misogyny Harmful Cultural Practices in the West

5 Responses to “Beauty and Misogyny Harmful Cultural Practices in the West”

1. Bastien on July 31st, 2009 6:36 pm

   This book represents what I have been trying to explain about beauty practices for the last ten years but could NEVER articulate as well as Jeffreys. She is passionate, informative, well researched and practical. One of the most important points of this book is that women’s choices are made in the context of a patriarchal culture..whether it’s breast implants in the U.S. or female genital mutilation in Africa. The practices that take place in the U.S. are seen as progressive and not harmful by the United Nations, since women are supposedly “freely choosing” to make these decisions as if there was absolutely no influence behind the choices. This idea represents an extreme Western bias. Is it a coincidence that the field of plastic surgery is dominated by men? See the pictures of Nip Tuck on Google if you want some entertaining reinforcement. In a capitalist society, there is no mention of the “choice” to not engage in these practices at all or to live in a culture that encourages women to feel comfortable in their own skin. Beauty and Misogyny is a MUST READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Visit http://www.FFiles.net to hear an hour long radio show with Sheila Jeffries free!

2. Phillip on July 31st, 2009 8:15 pm

   2.0 out of 5 stars
   The author just doesn’t understand
   I read the book and agreed with some points and threw the book down in
   disgust at other points.

3. Xiu on July 31st, 2009 8:19 pm

   4.0 out of 5 stars
   Half correct
   This book makes a radical assertion, namely that most of the modern ‘beauty’ regime in western culture imprisons women, in a prison now of their own making ironically, no…

4. Yeardleigh on July 31st, 2009 9:07 pm

   “Beauty and Misogyny” by Sheila Jeffreys is a powerful work by a prominent second wave feminist on the severe psychological and physical harm that our sexist society inflicts upon women. Ms. Jeffreys persuasively argues that western women express their relative status of powerlessness and subordination through beauty practices in an effort to conform to the expectations of their male oppressors. Through her astute scholarship and analysis, the author identifies ways in which we might begin to create an equalitarian world where women are freed of the burdens of male-imposed behaviors.

   Ms. Jeffreys’ thesis poses a formidable challenge to neoliberal feminists who have suggested that women exercise agency or ‘choice’ with respect to their appearance. By rooting her analysis in capitalism’s tendency to divide economic activity into the public (masculine) and private (feminine) spheres, Ms. Jeffreys contends that beauty practices serve to reinforce the social hierarchy by heightening gender identification. As the neoliberal economic system has increasingly allowed the marketplace to function as the arbitrator of morality, these practices have become more extreme. In fact, the author submits that the United Nations’ definition of harmful cultural practices (which in the past had been used to condemn the developing nations of the world) might now be more appropriately read for its description of how western democracies are currently mistreating women through an imposition of needlessly destructive beauty practices.

   Interestingly, Ms. Jeffreys traces many widely-accepted beauty practices to their origins in prostitution, including the wearing of high heels, makeup and surgical enhancements. Ms. Jeffreys describes some of the negative health consequences that have ensued as a result of these and other practices that have been made popular by the mainstreaming of pornography, including tattooing and labiaplasty. Ms. Jeffreys discusses how the beauty/industrial complex adroitly uses the media to heighten women’s feelings of insecurity for profit. The significant expenditures of time and money that women make in an effort to beautify themselves could be better spent on improving their real lives, the author suggests, and she encourages her readers to eschew such practices as a political acts of resistances. She also calls for better government regulation of the medical, adult entertainment and advertising industries to help limit the harm caused by destructive procedures and harmful messages, especially those that target the young.

   Written with insight, passion and intelligence by an author of the highest integrity, I recommend this timely book to everyone interested in a strong feminist perspective on the topic of beauty and society. However, it is probably best for adults to provide readers under 18 years with guidance, given the mature themes of the book.

5. Linda on July 31st, 2009 9:49 pm

   If you are looking for a book that presents a feminist critique of U.S. beauty standards, I would suggest reading The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf instead. It’s much more digestible and it’s a classic that many have read. I’d only suggest this book after reading The Beauty Myth if the social construction of beauty is something that very very strongly interests you and you have a background in feminist theory/sociology/philosophy.

   My main issue with this book is that the first 25% of the book is a complete nightmare to wade through for anyone who doesn’t already have a strong background in feminist theory or philosophy. Seriously, I have a bit of a headache. I’d say it’s more written for grad students and professors in Women’s Studies than for the general population or general college students. It does get more digestible after that, when she discusses applications of her theories to specific examples.

   She tries to set her up as being radically different in philosophy from Wolf, but in my opinion the basic claims are the same: beauty norms subordinate women and give men power, women often don’t recognize this, men and capitalist system have a stake in keeping women dissatisfied, it’s not necessarily a “choice” to wear make-up/be thin/get cosmetic surgery when there is so much pressure to have a certain look and adhere to expectations for your gender. The only part that seemed completely new and fresh to me was chapter 3 (critiquing “transfeminity”).

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