Advertising Quote by Naomi Wolf
““Why does the social order feel the need to defend itself by evading the fact of real women, our faces and voices and bodies, and reducing the meaning of women to these formulaic and endlessly reproduced "beautiful" images? Though unconscious personal anxieties can be a powerful force in the creation of a vital lie, economic necessity practically guarantees it. An economy that depends on slavery needs to promote images of slaves that "justify" the institution of slavery. Western economies are absolutely dependent now on the continued underpayment of women. An idealogy that makes women feel "worth less" was urgently needed to counteract the way feminism had begun to make us feel worth more. This does not require a conspiracy; merely an atmosphere. The contemporary economy depends right now on the representation of women within the beauty myth.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf, 1990
Society uses idealized images of women to justify economic exploitation, keeping women undervalued.
In simple terms: Beauty standards sustain women's economic oppression.
Key Takeaway
Question and challenge limiting beauty norms.
Themes
gender
economics
media
power
identity
Mood
critical
concerned
Type
analysis
philosophical
When to use this quote
- advertising
- fashion industry
- workplace hiring
- media consumption
Key Concepts
feminism
capitalism
representation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do beauty ideals affect your self‑worth?
- What alternatives can reshape women's representation?
A Different Perspective
Changing images alone may not fix systemic inequality.
![“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)
