FEM 1100 Lecture 9: FEM1100 Lecture 9: Beauty Projects: Conformity and Resistance

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Women's Studies
• Course: FEM 1100
• Professor: Mythili Rajiva

Document Summary

Western girls come of age in consumerist, individualist & media-driven cultures. The body becomes a major identity project, a signi cant obstacle & a source of distress to them. 27% canadian middle school girls report disordered eating practices. 60% in grade 7 & 8 have tried dieting to lose weight. In western culture, women identi ed socially w/ our bodies. Different body sites weight, skin, hair, breasts become body projects/problems. Material culture of beauty = cultural objects such as mirrors, cosmetics, photographs, Women are to be looked at, men do the looking. 19th cent: beauty derived from inner qualities (character, morality, spirituality) 1930s, 40s: middle class women encouraged to invest energy in beauty regimens & teach their daughters as well. 1950s: post war, teenage girls are targeted, magazines speci cally for teens. In contemporary culture, appearance is crucial to women.