The Beauty Myth

  In The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf intends to persuade and convince the audience of mostly middle-aged women that women are (and always have been) undermined and unappreciated in society. Wolf is a woman, giving her credibility for the audience, but she is so dramatic that we cannot respect her opinions after the first sentence. She argues that “The Beauty Myth” dictates women’s lives, but is only convincing for those who believed it in the first place. Wolf’s book is perfect for somebody who wants their original views to be articulated, but is overbearing and unnecessary for anybody who is reading the book with an open mind. Wolf quickly becomes harsh, critical, and demanding of women instead of supportive or even realistic. We, as teenage girls, expected to be convinced but instead felt chastised, like we should believe something about ourselves that we do not. We are aware that America is materialistic, we are aware that girls are often not confident, and we are aware men desire beautiful women, but Wolf was too forceful to take seriously. We didn’t learn any great values, or form any opinions, aside from the unanimous agreement that we won’t be reading this book again.