5 comments

Unicorn [OP]April 4, 2024

I wanted to make a post asking if anyone knew what the inaccuracies in The Beauty Myth were, as I want to read it but know there are some statistics to be wary of, but then I found this article that answered my question instead.

I wanted to share and see what other people's thoughts are on The Beauty Myth. I am still interested in reading it, despite the inaccuracies. I am thinking about marking/correcting any inaccuracies in my copy of the book as I come across them.

spinningintellectApril 5, 2024

"A feminist should be beholden to two things: the truth and women, ideally in that order."

At the risk of terminal irony poisoning, I'm almost positive that's a paraphrased quote from defunct radical feminist blogger Nine Deuce. Whatever its source, I try to abide by it.

EveCassattJune 9, 2024

2000s to mid-2010s feminist bloggers, particularly radical feminist bloggers, were before my time; I love reading their archived work. Those blogs capture such a specific moment in time, in general for the culture and for a particular moment in feminist's development, before the trans tipping point, when the split was still nascent and mostly behind the scenes.

When I looked up Nine Deuce/Rage Against the Man-chine, I realized I'd read her work briefly before, and I'm going to make sure to save her name, so I can keep digging into her work. I'd love to find one day the source of that paraphrased quote. It's a good one.

DoubleAntandreApril 5, 2024

Gosh, I miss her. I still have a few "This Woman Is Being Exploited" stickers from her.

DoomedSibylApril 5, 2024(Edited April 5, 2024)

Great article. It’s so disappointing that the statistics are wrong in so many instances. Even back when she wrote this an analysis of the diet industry via books, diet plans and meals and meal replacements sold would have gone a long way towards illustrating women’s obsession with meeting the beauty standards regarding weight.

In the current moment, an article that traces various diets, diet plans and meal replacements would be interesting and enlightening. Off the top of my head, the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, grapefruit diet, cabbage soup diet, the introduction of the low fat obsession in the eighties, Suzanne Somers diet, the Zone, Paleo, the Blood Type diet, keto, Beverly Hills diet, good old calorie counting and restriction and now these rolling fast based on age. That’s just off the top of my head.

Looking at these diets in combination with the money the billions of dollars diet industry takes out of mainly women’s pockets might get some women thinking. Then there’s the tiny fact that they never work long term (and many not even short term) and are impossible to stick to. Or prescription and over the counter diet medications and their dangers and profits. These are more relevant to most women. Certainly more relatable than dying of anorexia nervosa.