Isn't it funny, at a time that's been described as The End of Men And The Rise of Women, during an election season that's been touted as hinging on the "female vote," during an era in which young adult humans of the female persuasion have never known a world in which Gloria Steinem wasn't an icon, how little things have changed?
I write (today) not about politics, though. Or at least not ostensibly. Today what has me fired up are a couple of "most-emailed" headlines that make me want to stage an Extraordinary Act/Everyday Rebellion in the form of hurling a (hardcover) copy of The Beauty Myth through the television.
Exhibit A: Journalist Katie Couric debuts her new eponymous daytime talk show with a big "get." With an election right around the corner, who'd she score? Jessica Simpson, there for the much-anticipated debut of her post-baby body.
Exhibit B: Original Bachelorette Trista Sutter, talking to Good Morning America to discuss the plastic surgery procedures she treated herself to as a pre-40th birthday gift (and which she enlisted Entertainment Tonight to document). Procedures which left her with an allergic reaction, the treatment of which left her suffering from a severe depression. But, hey, she says, it was totally "worth it."
Something is seriously wrong with this picture. And you know, I didn't bring up The Beauty Myth for my health or because it earns me angry feminist points: The entire premise of the (excellent) book is that, as women have gained more power and independence, the pressure to adhere to certain standards of beauty has intensified. Sound familiar? You bet your Spanx it does. But here's the thing: The Beauty Myth was published in 1991. That's over twenty years ago. Before Bump Alerts and mommy jobs (a.k.a. the boob job/tummy tuck combo) and yes, Spanx. And I'd argue that not only has that dynamic not changed, it's continued to intensify.
Women are gaining ever more power and independence, and the pressure to look perfect (let alone to "be perfect") is more intense than ever. And hey, when we're all preoccupied with achieving the perfect beach body (or getting our body back) or waxing ourselves hairless or learning how to create this season's smoky eye, who has the energy to deal with the stuff that matters? Who has the time to remember there is stuff that matters?
And I think there are parallels to be made to what's happening in politics. (I know, I said I'd leave politics out of it for today. Sorry, I lied. So sue me.) With the legislative changes those on the far right are proposing (and making), namely: making it more difficult for a woman to get birth control by making it okay for a pharmacist to refuse to give her her prescription on the grounds of the pharmacist's religious beliefs; chipping away at abortion rights -- by enforcing waiting periods and invasive ultrasounds -- and continuing to base campaigns on the promise that they'll overturn Roe V. Wade. When you hear women like Sandra Fluke say that we're being forced to fight battles we won a long time ago, well, you have to agree that she's on to something.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was all a part of some grand and evil conspiracy. Some plot by those fearing they're losing their grip on power, clinging by their fingernails to a status quo that's slipping away, fighting to keep that power structure in place with everything that they have.
But I do know better. And that's not the whole story (though it's certainly several lengthy chapters of it). The other part, the darker part, is this: when it comes to the ever-loving Beauty Myth, we buy into it. Boogeymen like the patriarchy and marketers and Republicans and Archie Bunker nostalgics all have a role to play, of course -- and play it they will. But when we buy in, expecting perfection not just of our reality-TV-starring sisters but of ourselves as well, we all lose.