Caroline Williams' older sister, Rachel, wrote a Facebook status a few weeks ago about her experiences with young girls as an elementary school teacher. She wrote: "Today I told a six year old girl she looked cute. She told me, "I 'm not cute ". Then she sucked in her stomach. She told me, "now I look cute ". She said she was fat. This girl is not overweight. What is wrong with our society?" This type of sentiment is reflected in Susan Douglas' chapter, as she states that more than one half of girls in grades three through five say they worry about their appearance. Additionally she says that it is the number one wish of girls between 11 and 17 to lose weight (Douglas 217). The portrayal of extremely slim bodies and large breasts, encouraging women to be "independent" and "strong" while still possessing the most feminine traits encourages all women and girls, even as young as eight, to fit this mold. There are other wires working to form the birdcage of gendered inequality surrounding the issue of the female body. The hyper-sexualization of women and young girls, as demonstrated by the video of the seven-year-old dancers in Jaclyn Friedman's talk, also forces these young girls to be berated with sexy, revealing, provocative female imagery. This also shows young girls that, starting as early teens, one must use their bodies and their sexual potential as a resource to encourage their empowerment. Jaclyn Friedman also discussed the notion of a female's virginity as her diamond, her prized possession to be given to the highest bidder. The bidder must not only provide financial stability but also a proposal of marriage.
Marriage as the ultimate goal has changed as the characteristics that make a woman most suitable for a mate have evolved since the Audrey Hepburn era. Many decades ago, marriage was based on the best prospects for raising children, requiring women to be highly skilled in cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. At this point, with the outsourcing of labor, as we discussed in class last week, marriage seems to be based on physical attractiveness and youth. With this focus on looks, which as we know must eventually degenerate, we are seeing an increase in divorce, with relationships ending after many years of marriage. There is a distinct correlation with the drastic increase in cosmetic surgery and the increase in divorce rate, which may be related through the shifting media image and the necessity of women to conform to extreme physical standards, which, with the assistance of the media, passes these beliefs onto their young children. Could a destabilization of the media empire that perpetuates these standards increase familial stability and general acceptance of non-heterosexual couples and non-traditional familial structure?
Marriage as the ultimate goal has changed as the characteristics that make a woman most suitable for a mate have evolved since the Audrey Hepburn era. Many decades ago, marriage was based on the best prospects for raising children, requiring women to be highly skilled in cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. At this point, with the outsourcing of labor, as we discussed in class last week, marriage seems to be based on physical attractiveness and youth. With this focus on looks, which as we know must eventually degenerate, we are seeing an increase in divorce, with relationships ending after many years of marriage. There is a distinct correlation with the drastic increase in cosmetic surgery and the increase in divorce rate, which may be related through the shifting media image and the necessity of women to conform to extreme physical standards, which, with the assistance of the media, passes these beliefs onto their young children. Could a destabilization of the media empire that perpetuates these standards increase familial stability and general acceptance of non-heterosexual couples and non-traditional familial structure?
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