The Beauty Myth Marks Men

Introduction

Author of The Beauty Myth (1990), Naomi Woolf, emphasized that the trends advanced by the media, entertainment, and the warped delusion of Patriarchy had corrupted the notions of beauty. While she focused on how this applied to women, and how, she also included men in the discussion. Woolf noted that every year the images of males in the media, and in toys grew more unrealistic and unachievable. This is a result of the commodification of the human body as an object of lust and a symbol of power in a culture which values possession[s] more than innate value.

Widespread Delusion

Naomi Woolf addressed The Beauty Myth with scintillating and incisive wisdom unguarded by social niceties. She asked,"What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her ‘beauty’ his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend, no ally, no mutual trust: She knows quite well why she has been chosen. He has succeeded in buying something: the esteem of other men who find such an acquisition impressive." (Woolf)

This delusionary acquisition is now affecting men as well as women grow powerful and successful enough to use men in turn as status symbols. The question of how much pressure do boys face to have the perfect body is a question of how much each male has given himself over to the delusions of The Beauty Myth fueled by manipulative consumerism and aggressive Patriarchy. While the messages to be perfect are heavily laden in Western culture it is only a mind susceptible to programming via the subconscious and social conditioning while can be thus warped. 

However, this vulnerability appears to affect the majority of the American population, and especially the vulnerable young who are heavily influenced by digital media. As a result more and more males have eating disorders, warped body image, false sense of self based on other’s perception, and grow up to have plastic surgery in search of The Beauty Myth.

(Table 1 omitted for preview. Available via download).

This myth is the belief that there is an achievable “perfection” of beauty, which when achieved will open all doors to fulfillment and success. Now that this myth has transcended the gender line, the sinister roots behind its cultivation can be clearer analyzed. After all, it is not simply about looks, but about power. As Woolf emphasizes, "A culture fixated on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty, but an obsession about female obedience. Dieting is the most potent political sedative in women’s history; a quietly mad population is a tractable one." (Woolf)

For those behind the propagation of the myth (advertisers, salesmen, politicians, think tanks, etc.) the goal is not only influencing the buying choices of the population, but undermining psychological health to the degree that the individual will commodify themselves. This is a result of the inherent sickness and perversion of unlimited expansion capitalism with which America and the world is enthralled with. When all justifiable markets have been exploited to the fullness of their profitable capacity, new markets must be created. So phantom diseases and disorders are invented to sell needless drugs, and minds are warped to incite needs where they are none. All for the lust of profit.

However, the difference between men and women in this question of objectifying and quantifying The Beauty Myth is that while men are primarily stimulated by appearances, woman are primarily stimulated by the personality and soul of an individual. As Woolf points out, "A man is unlikely to be brought within earshot of women as they judge men's appearance, height, muscle tone, sexual technique, penis size, personal grooming, or taste in clothes--all of which we do. The fact is that women are able to view men just as men view women, as objects for sexual and aesthetic evaluation; we too are effortlessly able to choose the male "ideal" from a lineup and if we could have male beauty as well as everything else, most of us would not say no. But so what? Given all that, women make the choice, by and large, to take men as human beings first." (Woolf)

However, if the Beauty Myth continues to grow in the younger generation as it appears to be doing this could change as cultural values are warped. This is due in part to the fact that many children are raised on television and digital media, as parents are working full time or more to pay for over-extended consumerism. As a result of this programming at the most delicate age for emotional bonding and development:

(Table 2 omitted for preview. Available via download).

Eating disorders are a form of mental illness, and are a symptom of a much deeper disconnect with the needs of the body (Gonchar). This is a result of chronic mind/body disconnect which is an essential component of commodifying the body through subscribing to The Beauty Myth. A large aspect of propagating this myth and the addictions which come with it is the use of Photoshop in media, which seriously alters the presentation of the body to wildly unrealistic levels. Recently this has come to light with the overt manipulation of Justin Bieber for Calvin Klein underwear ads. When this process was investigated when the untouched photo was “leaked” by BreathHeavy, it became clear that Bieber was trying to promote this unrealistic image of himself: Team Bieber sent BreatheHeavy a cease-and-desist letter because of the alleged unretouched Calvin Klein photo we posted, asking we remove the picture in question as well as provide a retraction. Because BreatheHeavy is not about making anyone feel bad or intentionally stirring the pot (and we are definitely not here for lawsuits), we shall retract the story per request. (Bixby)

This is one of the many elements of social conditioning in action whereby those with power work to silence those without from exposing inconvenient truths. In this way Bieber is sending a message to his millions of fans that The Beauty Myth is real, it is power, and that if you have to lie to achieve it that is alright. The Bieber case is a global message “featuring an obviously boosted bulge contributes to those anxieties on a whole new level. In a study published in the Journal of Health Psychology, men listed penis size as one of their top body concerns, along with height and weight” (Bixby). However, advertisers have found that playing on their customers insecurities is a guaranteed way to boost sales. Coupling that ploy with inciting the sex drive is a manipulative cocktail that produces results. This is the type of behavior which infects the young the most because they look up to this figure. A good way to help end the beauty myth would be to make Photoshopping illegal in advertising. 

Conclusion

More and more men are giving way to delusions of perfection resulting in the commodification and denigration of their bodies. Where once this was the domain predominantly of women the very nature of unlimited expansion capitalism demands an expanding market in which to create and exploit need. As a result advertising, media, and entertainment have artificially inflated the notion of what it means to be a “man” and the sought after perfection of such purchased selfhood comes at a high cost. This has led to widespread increases of eating disorders in boys, fanatical exercising, doping, and all manner of psychological perversions which increase social conditioning and artificial equality. In the end it all serves those who profit from delusion and social control.

Notes

1: Chart Retrieved from: http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/news-resources/statistics/2014-statistics/cosmetic-procedures-men.pdf

2: Chart Retrieved from: http://www.mysouthernhealth.com/infographic-what-parents-need-to-know-about-eating-disorders/

Works Cited

Bixby, Scott. “Calvin Klein's Photoshop of Justin Bieber Is What's Wrong With Male Beauty Standards.” Mic.com, 10 Jan. 2015. Retrieved from: https://mic.com/articles/108118/calvin-klein-s-photoshop-of-justin-bieber-is-what-s-wrong-with-male-beauty-standards#.z32ItHC7i

NEDA. “Research on Males and Eating Disorders.” Nationaleatingdisorders.org, 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/research-males-and-eating-disorders

Gonchar, Michael. “How much pressure do boys face to have the Perfect body?” The New York Times, 20 Nov. 2012. Retrieved from: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/how-much-pressure-do-boys-face-to-have-the-perfect-body/

Woolf, Naomi. “The Beauty Myth Quotes.” Goodreads.com, 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/836516-the-beauty-myth-how-images-of-beauty-are-used-against-women