Pass the salt.

“Men act and woman appear” (John Berger)

“Feminists have argued that the female body is viewed as an object of the male gaze (Mulvey, 1975) and is looked at by men in different and mundane everyday contexts.” (Howson, 2004; 104)

The ‘beauty myth’, as the institutionalization of the male gaze, has consequences for women. First, the constant monitoring (examining oneself in the mirror, checking oneself in passing windows) and repairing (Revlon’s one – minute nail varnish!) required by the pursuit of beauty diverts women’s energy and saps their confidence. Though woman are told by L’Oreal ‘you’re worth it!’, this promotes a changing room culture in which woman are constantly measuring their self-worth in terms of how they compare to other women. Second, the pursuit of beauty becomes a currency for woman and increases competition between them (think of all those conversations in woman’s toilets that focus on ‘her’ – the woman ‘outside’ dress/make-up/hair). Moreover, visual appearances that conform to ideals and norms of beauty provide access to public life, and woman seen to avoid or fail to achieve beauty standards experience overt and covert forms of discrimination. Third the current emphasis on beauty is a form of backlash against woman’s economic and political gains in the post-war prison. As women are seen to enter into public life, the beauty myth intensifies to the point that women in public life also need to embody beauty norms.” (Howson, 2004; 105)