Truth Beauty in American Society
Truth Beauty in American Society In the today’s society, Americans, especially women, are eager to be slimmer because thin defines the American standard of beauty. For example, advertisements, called Lipo-6, are used to promote the use of diet pills that burn body fat. Naomi Wolf 's "Beauty Myth" explains about how women are obsessed about their appearance and are dying to look better. “[C]ontemporary standards of feminine beauty have devolved to a point that can only be described as anorexic, and America’s young women are paying the price through a near-epidemic of bulimia and anorexia” (Wolf 486). Women are struggling to fix themselves, in order to meet the western beauty standards, even though it may lead to eating disorders or health problems. Lipo-6 diet pills help rapid weight loss up to fifty pounds or more. The women in the advertisement say that they got their confidence back by losing weight. Being and feeling slimmer and sexier is now a necessity in American society. “[T]hirty-three thousand American women told researchers that they would rather lose ten to fifteen pounds than achieve any other goal” (Wolf 486). This advertisement lures American consumers to be obsessed about their appearance by showing lucid visuals and scientific approvals. In the advertisement, an advertiser represents cultural mythology of the endless desire for American consumers to be slimmer and prettier. Laurence Shames’ article, "The More Factor" is about how there is no limit to American desire. “[H]ow the great American hunger for more – more toys, more land, more opportunities – is an essential part of our history and character, stemming from the frontier era when the horizon alone seemed the only limit to American desire” (Shames 76). The role models that women are looking up to are mostly thinner and slimmer than the average women. Women who are perfectly fit and beautiful still want to be slimmer and prettier. There is no end to their satisfaction, which is
Cited: Shames, Laurence. “The More Factor.” The Hunger for More. New York: Times Books, 1989. Rpt. in Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 5th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. 76-82. Solomon, Jack. “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising.” The Signs of Our Time. Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher, 1988. Rpt. in Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 5th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. 409-419. Other Reference Wolf, Naomi. “The Beauty Myth.” The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. New York: HaperCollins, 1991. Rpt. in Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 5th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. 486-494