Rejecting narrow beauty standards with Beauty Redefined
My definition of “beautiful” tends to stray far from the media’s limiting idea of beauty. Yet, when I think of the word “beauty,” too often the same harmful images the media feeds women come to mind. Day after day, women are bombarded with one narrow definition of beauty, limited to physical appearance, and further narrowed by a mostly white or fair-skinned, long-haired, tall, and exceedingly thin beauty ideal.
The body waxing industry better hope this doesn't catch on.
Redefining what beauty means to me has been a large part of my personal journey toward body-positivity, and an optimistic part of me wonders what would happen if we could all turn the decidedly messed-up cultural definition of beauty on its head. What would beauty look like redefined?
These are the questions Lindsay and Lexi Kite, twenty-six-year-old identical twins and PhD students at the University of Utah, have been asking with their new billboard campaign: Beauty Redefined. In July and August of 2011, the Kite sisters debuted twelve non-profit body-positive billboards (the first in the nation) across northern Utah.
Each billboard shows a woman holding a sign in front of her body, thereby taking the body of the woman out of the equation. The signs read, “You are capable of much more than being looked at,” “There is more to be than eye candy,” “Your reflection does not define your worth,” and “If beauty hurts, we’re doing it wrong.” These messages are a blunt, effective counter to the messages girls and women receive from popular entertainment media and advertising.
Forever 21: Let our knees be (knees)!
Discount fashion retailer Forever 21 is adding another item on the drop-down menu of “body parts to feel self-conscious about”: knee caps.
Are these the front or the back of her knees?
The web site featuring their skirt-purchasing options has more than 100 items in which the models’ kneecaps are completely airbrushed out, or are cleverly obscured so only a hint of curvature is detectable. The preposterousness of these photos is compounded by the fact that they list the model’s measurements, as a very ineffective and pernicious piece of sizing guidance.
As if our consumer culture doesn’t do a good enough job of providing us with an endless stream of warnings about how our organic bodies are inherently flawed, we now need to turn a curious eye to our knees to see how presentable they may appear.
Meghan McCain body-shaming bridges the political gap
Despite my political disagreements with her family, I really feel for Meghan McCain. Reporters always feel the need to critique the styles of the potential First Ladies, and this seems to extend to the styles of political daughters as well. Mrs. McCain’s hair always received quite a bit of attention (how a hairstyle has any impact on running a country is beyond me), and Meghan got hit with – what else? – criticisms about her body.
What's more important: Skin cancer, or your opinion of my body?
Meghan recently told the Huffington Post that she saw a therapist to help her cope with the onslaught of hurtful commentary. Sadly, this didn’t really surprise me.
The “Yaeba” trend in Japan is not so different from American cosmetic trends
Orthodontia and the pursuit of correcting crooked choppers is big business here in the US and Western cultures. While certainly used for reasons other than aesthetics, the primary purpose for seeing an orthodontist is to correct a misaligned mouth.
Yaeba: Another way to infantilize women and sexualize child-like appearances.
Historically, a straight smile was a status symbol, implying that those bearing braces or corrective devices came from families of financial means.The actual word “orthodontia” comes from the Greek word orthos, meaning “straight” or “proper” or “perfect” and odus from “tooth.”
In Japan, dental beauty trends are quite different, where a popular look called Yaeba is desirable. Yaeba means “double tooth” in Japanese and describes a sort of “fang effect” where teeth are crowded to the point of pushing the incisors into a prominent display in the mouth. A multitude of dental “salons” in Japan offer cosmetic procedures by which dentists actually implant artificial teeth to induce overcrowding, forcing the incisors into a more prominent place in the mouth or adhering plastic covers to the tooth to lengthen and sharpen it.
United Nations Women Board is led by… not a woman
Let’s get you up to speed. United Nations Women is the combination of gender-equality initiatives within the UN, and works to oversee the operational activities “based on policy directions set by the General Assembly, ECOSOC, and the Commission on the Status of Women” (learn more about them here). The 56th Commission on the Status of Women recently happened, so while I’ve always had an ear to the ground in terms of the United Nations’ initiatives, in the past couple weeks I have been particularly thrilled with the presentations, talks, and events happening right now.
UN Women: Surprisingly, not always led by women.
So, imagine my surprise to find that the Republic of Korea’s Ambassador to the UN, Kim Sook, a man, had just been named President of the Board of UN Women. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Republic of Korea has done some great work with the UN. But in regards to UN Women, one might hope or expect that the Board would recognize the relevance of appropriate and informed leadership. And maybe, you know, appoint a woman.
PETA strikes again in San Francisco: Women stand in as literal pieces of meat
Women in the media are relentlessly treated like nothing more than pieces of meat, presented as objects for the mindless consumption of the viewers, and for the financial gain of the industries behind sexist marketing tactics. Who would have expected that an organization could take the “women treated as pieces of meat” route so literally? Are we even surprised that it’s PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)?
PETA uses women as pieces of meat in protest today in San Francisco.
Today in San Francisco, one of our workshop leaders, Ivette, was walking back to work from her lunch hour, and stumbled upon a horrific scene. Naked women (who were “attractive,” white, thin, and with large breasts, as usual for PETA) were sprawled out on the sidewalk in human-sized meat packaging trays, wrapped in cellophane, and covered in fake blood. (There were no men in similar poses.) Slogans such as “Meat Is Murder” appeared on signs, while other PETA members handed out pamphlets.
As atrocious and sexist as this scene is, this is nothing new for PETA. They continually sexualize women to promote their message, even if it sends out harmful sexist messages about women.
As a vegan, I can truly get behind PETA’s goals and messages; as a feminist, I cannot get behind their appalling tactics. I understand the importance of spreading knowledge about animal rights, but we cannot do so at the expense of human rights.
Cleavage-clad Jennifer Lawrence on Glamour cover is not what we’re “hunger”ing for
The cover of Glamour’s April issue features Jennifer Lawrence, the actress who portrays the Hunger Games‘ heroine Katniss Everdeen, in a bosom-bearing one piece outfit. In the book, Katniss is a symbol of strength, but this photo subdues that strength with a side dish of sexy.
Is it not enough to be a strong female, that we must sexualize Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen?
The upcoming movie adaptation of the first installment of the behemoth book trilogy, The Hunger Games, is set to open this week. While the Glamour piece is obviously showcasing the actress (not the character), the prop she’s holding (a bow) blurs the line.
The central plot of the novel involves a futuristic nation, Panem, where the government creates an annual, reality show-esque game involving two individuals under 18, randomly selected from each of the nation’s 12 districts, to complete in a fantastical death match where only one victor comes home alive.
I’m only on the second book, but I have yet to come across a description of an outfit resembling the one featured in this picture. Sure this feature is giving us Jennifer Lawrence and the article is about her, but, really, Glamour? We could see this in a men’s magazine, many of which notoriously disarm powerful women with some element of sexualization.
Skinnygirl Cocktails: Because we all want to be a skinny girl
Skinnygirl cocktails sounds like a great idea at first (to some) but I’m not buying it (figuratively and literally). The existence of these low-cal beverages, always marketed toward women, contribute to the larger cultures of reinforcing gender binaries, body shaming, and the diet industry.
This type of gendered marketing is frequently based on false stereotypes that are not only harmful to the group the marketing targets, but also to others and their perceptions of that group. Marketing something such as a beverage toward a specific gender reinforces gender binaries, keeping men and women trapped inside of limiting roles that the media and society attempt to set for us.
Meet the "new girl." It's the bottle of alcohol, not the woman.
Skinnygirl is obviously marketed toward women. Created by Bethenny Frankel, a reality show personality and natural foods chef, the name alone has a lot to say. A “skinny” girl is what the media tells females we should always aspire to be. Infinite advertisements suggesting that skinny is the only way to be beautiful shame those who don’t fall into that skinny category into constantly obsessing over achieving these unrealistic beauty standards.
And the way these beverages are gendered is ultimately objectifying. She even refers to her most recent creations as “the new girls.” Which also makes me ask, are any other women out there tired of being referred to as “girls?” I’d like to think that if I’m old enough to legally drink alcoholic beverages, I’m also old enough to be referred to as a woman, and not a girl.
According to the web site, “When [Bethenny] found out just how high in calories restaurant margaritas were, she saw an incredible opportunity: Give women a low-calorie version of the cocktail that didn’t sacrifice fresh, delicious taste.” It really irks me that it is constantly assumed that women want lower-calorie versions of everything we consume.
When I get together with friends for adult beverages, the last thing on my mind is the calorie content of the drinks I’m consuming. I’m in it for the fun and good times, for socializing with other people, and definitely not to be body-shamed into consuming instead an alcohol with the label “Skinnygirl” across it, to spare myself a few calories.
If Skinnygirl's connection to the diet industry wasn't already evident, they've now partnered with Weight Watchers.
Of course it is great to be health conscious, but these types of beverages are directly linked to the dangerous presence of the diet industry and body-shaming in the media. Women are constantly bombarded with images in the media showing and telling us exactly what we are supposed to look like, while also showing and telling us what to buy in order to obtain that image. Enter Skinnygirl. You don’t have to give up your favorite adult beverages for the sake of remaining skinny! Just drink Skinnygirl beverages instead!
Think Skinnygirl has nothing to do with the diet industry? Bethenny’s blog tells us that Skinnygirl Cocktails have now partnered up with Weight Watchers. Your Skinnygirl White Cranberry Cosmo is now part of the Weight Watchers point system. The diet industry, ladies and gentlemen.
Keep in mind that we vote with our dollars every time we make a purchase. If you don’t support constricting gender roles, body shaming, or the harsh diet industry, don’t buy Skinnygirl Cocktails.
America: Once we start to sexualize our M&Ms, we know something’s wrong.
Sexism comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be as prominent as the wage gap or as subtle as the words “manmade” or “mankind.” It’s important to recognize that subtle sexism is no less dangerous than sexism that is unmistakable. Sometimes, we have to focus on the tiny manifestations of sexism in order to understand how it becomes a larger, more systematic problem.
Green M&M's high-heeled, knee-high boots, luscious lips, and long, accentuated eyelashes make her a symbol of sex appeal.
This week’s culprit? M&Ms.
Shocking, I know. How can that familiar, delicious morsel of chocolate encased in a shiny candy shell be harmful to gender equality? I had this epiphany last week as I toured M&M World in New York City. Suddenly confronted with an (arguably unhealthy) abundance of M&M merch, I realized that the M&M characters are — gasp! — mostly men. 1 of the 5 original M&M characters is a woman. That’s only 20%.
PETA – People for the Egregious Treatment of Adult (Women)
Is this appropriate incentive to go vegetarian?
You’d think an organization like PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — would be a proactive organization, readily supporting healthy, happy agendas to get people living healthier lifestyles. Right?
Wrong. PETA is one of the worst culprits of objectification and sexualization of women. Somehow, PETA tries to equate pornographic images of half-naked women with the incentive to go vegetarian or vegan.
The “ethical treatment of animals” motive gets lost in translation somewhere between women sucking on veggies in the hot tub and blatant implications of sex-based violence.
Allow me to explain.