“…feminism (and its associate movements, such as anti-racism, anti-ableism, anti-classism, anti-homophobia, etc) is a political critique of a wildly imperfect world. It draws to our attention the many ways in which inequalities manifest themselves, and gives us to the tools to question things that might otherwise be taken as natural, or ‘givens’.

But just because we’re able to make those critiques and ask those questions doesn’t mean we’re not also products of that world. Human beings are deeply social creatures, and it is not so easy to extract ourselves from 15, 20 or 40 years of social conditioning. Hence, individual women – even feminist women – might continue to engage in behaviours that are oppressive to themselves (or, more problematically, to others), even if on an intellectual level we understand the ways in which our behaviours and desires might have been socially conditioned. The process of reprimand and reward runs deep.”

via

First off, I just wanted to say that it was GREAT. You present so much that you really can’t argue with here – like how the fact that women are pressured to meet whatever society deems as ‘beautiful’ is a hangover from a patriarchal past, in which women were essentially property of their fathers, then husbands, and their value was either political or sexual.

The point I was trying to make wasn’t so much about whether or not women are still defined by their looks – just listen to what they said about Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin to see that they clearly are – but that the ‘standard’ looks are supposed to meet these days aren’t set by men; but by an industry dominated by women and gay men.

I agree that women are pressured to appear ‘beautiful,’ but I think the fucked up standard of what ‘beautiful’ is supposed to be today can’t be blamed on men. It’s gone from what men might find sexually desirable, to a freakish standard of unnatural body image that can only be achieved by genetics, abnormal dieting and photoshop.

One of my friends is a top fashion model in New York and we *thought* we saw her in a magazine the other day, but had to call her up to check because the picture in the magazine made her look utterly, utterly different to how she *really* looked.

And from that perspective, I have really trouble with this whole concept of a shadowy patriarchy perpetuating standards that they didn’t set (indeed, that were set by the very people they’re supposed to oppress.)

The beauty standard clearly has it’s roots in patriarchy; but society is changing and I honestly believe women are currently just as complicit in maintaining the ‘beauty myth’ as men (why do women invariably call their rivals ‘fat’ or ‘ugly’ – just remember Trollface, from this blog.)