Advertising Quote by Naomi Wolf
““Sexual satisfaction eases the stranglehold of materialism, since status symbols no longer look sexual, but irrelevant. Product lust weakens where emotional and sexual lust intensifies. The price we pay for artificially buoying up this market is our heart's desire. The beauty myth keeps a gap of fantasy between men and women. That gap is made with mirrors; no law of nature supports it. It keeps us spending vast sums of money and looking distractedly around us, but its smoke and reflection interfere with our freedom to be sexually ourselves.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, 1990
Materialism is weakened when sexual and emotional needs are prioritized over status symbols, revealing how consumer culture distracts from authentic sexuality.
In simple terms: Prioritizing love and sex reduces material cravings.
Key Takeaway
Focus on genuine connections over status.
Themes
materialism
sexuality
consumer culture
authenticity
gender dynamics
Mood
reflective
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- marketing strategies
- financial decisions
- self‑esteem
- media consumption
Key Concepts
beauty standards
emotional fulfillment
market manipulation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance personal desire with societal pressures?
- What role does media play in shaping your sexual self‑image?
A Different Perspective
The argument may overlook structural economic factors that also drive consumption.
![“Men who read it [beauty pornography] don't do so because they want women who look like that. The attraction of what they are holding is that it is not a woman, but a two-dimensional woman-shaped blank. The appeal of the material is not the fantasy that the model will come to life; it is precisely…” quote by Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/137/naomi-wolf-1344_advertising_men-who-read-it-beauty-pornography-don-t_3112440.jpg)
![“Where woman do not fit the Iron Maiden [societal expectations/assumptions about women's bodies], we are now being called monstrous, and the Iron Maiden is exactly that which no woman fits, or fits forever. A woman is being asked to feel like a monster now though she is whole and fully physically…” quote by Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bc2/naomi-wolf-1344_advertising_where-woman-do-not-fit-the-iron-maiden-s_891982.jpg)
