Kelsey Warkentin- "Beauty Myth" and "Hair Matters" Response

Whether it’s describing how the meaning of beauty has evolved or the different views of hair, “Beauty Myth” and “Hair Matters” go into great detail about the role of genders in society.

“Beauty Myth” was all about the author cleverly stressing the differences between female liberation and female beauty. Looking back to as early as the 1940’s, women played a completely different role in society then they do now. If a woman didn’t find her husband in high school, the only reason she went to college was to get one. Women were completely and utterly dominated by men. They stayed at home, raised the children and always had to make their husband happy when he walked through the door. Naturally, this cult of domesticity didn’t slide with some people and “feminists” began to change the women’s image. Feminism changed many things in society: the job market, religion, advertisement, government, health, etc. All of these significant changes didn’t happen in a century, but a mere 50-60 years. This created a problem that Naomi Wolf introduces. The fact that the “Feminine Mystique” provided more opportunities to women, “a private reality colonized female consciousness” (16). The more power and recognition that women gained, the more industries benefitted off of it. Eating disorders began to arise, cosmetic surgery is considered the norm in some countries, and the 7 million dollar pornographic industry keeps on rising.

            Why is all of this happening? Well, Wolf claims that the “beauty myth is not about women at all” (13). Rather, it is about men’s existent power. I have to say that I somewhat agree with this article. Now that women have a say in society, they are controlled by ideals and stereotypes. Beauty has a completely different meaning than it did in the 1940’s. “Beauty…is determined by politics” (12). It also is determined by the economy, for the economy depends on the representation of women. The fact that women have more power, causes a “dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions” (10).  I feel as though men are confused by how quickly gender relations have transformed and they are more critical of women. It seems like men have a natural yearning to be superior over women, so they want the ones who are more attractive, not successful and smart. That is what causes the “Beauty Myth”; the fact that cosmetic surgery and crazy diets make women feel better.  We all just need to step back and realize that men and women, though significantly different, are equal! And we must not let gender transformations change the way women feel about themselves and men depict them.

            Similarly to “Beauty Myth”, “Hair Matters” is all about the depiction of hair as it pertains to race, power, choice and femininity. Throughout this article, Ingrid Banks interviews a variety of women about their views on hair in society. She starts off with discussing the idea of hair and power. While there were many opinions to be discussed, one that struck me was that of Ndeye-ante. When asked about power, she talked about she was trained to be envious of white girls’ hair.  Banks describes this as “how the process of disliking black physical features is very insidious because of mainstream images of beauty” (76). In society, there are so many myths about what is attractive, that hair becomes either a disempowerment or an empowerment for certain women. Banks then goes on to talk about hair and choice. One point of view that I found interesting was Barbara’s. She said, “it is the individual who determines her 
life chances, not external forces” (79). So it is not about whether a woman is black, white, gay, straight, etc…it’s about having the capability to make your own choices and constructing your own notions about beauty. Some women did say they tend to follow trends or go by how they were raised by their parents. But personally, and agreeing with Barbara, I believe it is a woman’s choice about how she goes about styling her hair and there are no external forces. The last point Banks gets across is the concept of hair and femininity. This point was the most interesting to me because it is a way of thinking that I am guilty of. Aria basically said that, “if a woman lacks hair, her femininity is questioned” (89). This is a notion that I believe to be true as well. Women tend to be criticized of their femininity and their sexuality if they have a “butch” haircut. Personally, I feel more beautiful with long hair rather than short hair. I think that’s a thought shared by many, even if its not the most plausible one.

All in all, both of these articles were very interesting. They covered a variety of topics that seemed strange to write about at first, but proved otherwise with the dense material. Beauty is something very important to women nowadays, even though it has changed in meaning. At the end of her article, Banks states something that very much relates both pieces of writing together. “People living in a sexist and homophobic society receive certain messages about what constitutes gender identity and sexuality” (96). While most of us would like to say we do not live in that type of society, I believe it is still heavily apparent.