Focusing on beauty devalues women’s achievements
This is in response to the Olsen twins column (“Skinny wolves in trendy clothing,” ODE, May 3). Much of the women’s movement — dare I say the “F” word (feminism) — has degenerated into narcissism. Young women now equate “girl power” with the right to wear sequined culottes.
Can you really blame us? We are living in a culture where one of the richest, most powerful women of all time — a talk-show host and literary queen who single-handedly built a production empire — has said her biggest accomplishment was losing weight.
A prevailing message is that women can’t be intelligent and desirable. The smart girls on television are short and fat with glasses and no dates. The cute girls are popular and about as deep as toilets.
Yes, our culture is increasingly visual, but women behind the camera and computer are best poised to reap its goodies. Glamorous fantasies touted in Vogue are, surprise, just that: fantasies. In reality, we’ll more likely reach success as a webmaster, not a model.
Margaret Sanger pioneered birth control and liberated women sexually much more than Madonna has. Rosa Parks wasn’t invited to all the pre-award parties, but her effect surpasses Gwyneth Paltrow’s. As far as I know, Sojourner Truth never wore hot pants. In the long run, brains serve better than sex appeal. Beauty might excite men, but so does a case of beer.
Privileging physical appearance undermines our chances for serious historic achievement. Why focus on shaping our bodies when we can shape history?

Addie Wagenknecht

junior


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