The Beauty Myth
The Beauty Myth is a theory based off of a 1990 book of the same name by Naomi Wolf, a former political advisor to Al Gore and Bill Clinton. It is the essentialist idea that the achievement of "beauty" (or, rather, what is deemed as beauty in today's society) is the be-all-end-all for many women, and has been constructed as a consequence of modernity and the influence from society on body image, making it seem as though a woman's identity relies solely upon the existence of her beauty. Over time, women have been known for their beauty, and this has become the most memorable factor for them: from Aphrodite, who was apparently so beautiful that the other gods feared she would start a war, to Helen of Troy, who was quoted by Christopher Marlowe in his play Dr Faustus as "the face that launch'd a thousand ships/And burnt the topless towers of Ilium"; from the enigmatic Mona Lisa to the French film star Brigitte Bardot, these women have all become known for their beauty, and are less known for their other achievements.
Pictured above are two women, Brigitte Bardot and Cindy Crawford, both in poses that suggest the desire of wanting to be looked at, meaning that Mulvey's Male Gaze once again comes into play in the beauty myth. Another theorist who touches on an aspect of the beauty myth is Mike Featherstone, in the 1991 book, "The Body: Social Process and Cultural Theory" where he talks about how our ideas of a positive body image have been warped by society and the consumer culture we have been brought up in, as we are seen to be "constantly monitoring ourselves for bodily imperfections" which have been picked up on by the media. Featherstone also discusses the performing self, which is characterised as "driven by consumption and preoccupied with the body's appearance and presentation" (Schwaiger, 2011).
The rise in advertising over the years has also lead to an increase in self-consciousness, predominantly in adolescents, as they are more exposed to newer media and online sites like Tumblr and Facebook, full of males and females who apparently have the "ideal body". A music video that focuses on this particular narrative is the 1999 song "Unpretty", released by contemporary R&B band TLC on their third studio album, Fanmail. In this music video, we see Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas struggling with what she believes is beautiful as a result of her boyfriend's actions towards her (he attempts to convince her to get breast augmentation surgery), as well as seeing a teen looking through photos in a magazine that show the ideal girl, and fighting against bulimia as a result of this. The point that Thomas, along with Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes try to make through this song is that the media and society do not know what beauty really is and that everyone is beautiful in their own way, as shown in the lyrics of the chorus:
You can buy your hair if it won't grow,
You can fix your nose if he says so,
You can buy all the makeup that MAC can make,
But if you can't look inside you,
Find out who am I to,
Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty
There are theorists that do challenge the idea of the beauty myth, however:
-
For example, Balsamo's challenge is the female bodybuilders, who create a more masculine image with the way their body looks rather than a female one.
-
Humphries also contests this theory, with the images of gay machismo, typically associated with homosexual males who attempt to appear macho (two contradictory ideas in the eyes of an old society; you couldn't be seen as gay without appearing to be more effeminate).
-
Cindy Sherman is another person who challenges this beauty myth; with the photos she takes, she creates a new identity each time, showcasing all different types of women throughout her work.
-
A final idea that challenges the beauty myth and Mulvey's male gaze is the female gaze, where women are seen to be looking at men in an objectifying manner, much like the ideas behind the male gaze, although this is less commonly seen in modern society and music videos.
Artists like Halsey (shown above at Glastonbury 2017) use elements of the beauty myth to bring them into the public eye - her outfit is revealing, suggesting elements of sexuality (her Calvin Klein underwear on show, with the brand being associated most commonly with sexual connotations because of their model portrayals), but the pairing of this with a military cap suggests the contrast, and sets her apart from normal artists.