Theories/Theorists

An increase in opportunities has created more involvement for women in all aspects of the spectrum from work environment to the filming industry. However, women still appear to have little self-esteem and self image. Today women largely focus on their physical appearance, which they are told by the media is vital. Magazines such as Glamour, Heat and Ok overtly portray the message that beauty is an important aspect of being through their scrutinising of celebrities that look less than ‘perfect’. However, institutions like Disney and Pixar covertly emphasise the idea of ‘perfection’ as the films always represent outstandingly beautiful princesses, maintaining the false idealistic view. The Proppian witch is also conventionally ‘ugly’ usually with a point nose and protruding mole so children associate good with beauty and bad with ugly. Furthermore, the simplistic message being put across carries a deeper meaning subconsciously from a young age we are being taught that beauty equals success.

"The equation of female sexuality with glamour is a major public theme in our own culture. It's there in our fairy stories, the little girl's first lessons in romance: a kitchen girl, she learns, can only win a prince if she has a comprehensive make-over and some glamorous new clothes" (Leroy 262).

Princess Diaries is an ideal example of Leroy’s suggestion. Before Amelia can become a Princess and recognised within the public domain she has to have a drastic make-over; which entailed shaping her eyebrows, wearing make-up and straightening her unruly curly mane. This vigorous beauty regime was simply to correspond to society’s idea of what’s hot and what’s not. It is as though women’s attributes are insignificant if they are inadequate ‘eye-candy’ whereas the majority of leading male roles in film the man are usual not conventionally attractive yet this is acceptable. Clearly in the media there are double standards with the portrayal of men and women.

In a survey conducted by Glamour magazine; three-quarters of women aged 18-35 reported feeling too fat, while only one quarter of them could be so described, and 45% of the underweight women felt they were too fat. Not too be fat has become a life goal for countless women: the Glamour survey also found that nearly half the women, rather than achieving a career ambition or meeting the love of their life, would choose to lose ten pounds (Leroy 64).

With constant reminders of how to look evidently women have lost track of things such as home life and their families, image is their main focus. Whether overt or covert the clear message of beauty being extremely important has lead to a new epidemic of females dissatisfied about their body image. A new breed generation of women now have no confidence as they are being told they are not worthy.

Source: Women's issue Then and Now- A Feminist overview of the past two centuries
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