--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As soon as a woman's primary social value…" description: "\"As soon as a woman's primary social value could no longer be defined as the attainment of virtuous domesticity, the beauty myth redefined it as the att..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/naomi-wolf-1344_attainment_as-soon-as-a-woman-s-primary-social-valu_2219211.png" --- # As soon as a woman's primary social value could no longer… ![“As soon as a woman's primary social value could no longer be defined as the attainment of virtuous domesticity, the beauty myth redefined it as the attainment of virtuous beauty. It did so to substitute both a new consumer imperative and a new justification for economic unfairness in the workplace…” quote by Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/naomi-wolf-1344_attainment_as-soon-as-a-woman-s-primary-social-valu_2219211.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/naomi-wolf-1344_attainment_as-soon-as-a-woman-s-primary-social-valu_2219211.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/naomi-wolf-1344_attainment_as-soon-as-a-woman-s-primary-social-valu_2219211.png) > “As soon as a woman's primary social value could no longer be defined as the attainment of virtuous domesticity, the beauty myth redefined it as the attainment of virtuous beauty. It did so to substitute both a new consumer imperative and a new justification for economic unfairness in the workplace where the old ones had lost their hold over newly liberated women.” [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When traditional domestic roles lost relevance, society replaced them with beauty standards that drive consumption and justify workplace inequities. **In simple terms:** Beauty standards replace old roles, fueling consumerism and inequality. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge beauty‑based expectations. Themes gender consumerism workplace inequality beauty standards Mood critical reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - marketing campaigns - HR policies - media representation - personal self‑esteem - career advancement Key Concepts Feminist critique social construction economic exploitation Questions to Reflect On - How do beauty expectations affect your career choices? - Can alternative values replace consumer‑driven beauty ideals? A Different Perspective Beauty standards can also empower some, complicating a purely negative view. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attainment/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-myth/) [Consumers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumers/) [Domesticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domesticity/) [Domesticity Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domesticity-beauty-4946168/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justification/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Myth Redefined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth-redefined-4946169/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Substitutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substitutes/) [Unfairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfairness/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Virtuous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtuous/) [Virtuous Domesticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtuous-domesticity-4946170/) [Workplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workplace/) ## Related quotes > [“The rise of the beauty myth was just one of several emerging social fictions that masqueraded as natural components of the feminine sphere, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-rise-of-the-beauty-myth-was-just-one-of-several-emerging-social/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Beauty' is a currency system like the gold standard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/beauty-is-a-currency-system-like-the-gold-standard/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Sexual satisfaction eases the stranglehold of materialism, since status symbols no longer look sexual, but irrelevant. 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Women must not be blamed for choosing short-term beauty "fixes" that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/our-society-does-reward-beauty-on-the-outside-over-health-on-the/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Spokespeople sell women the Iron Maiden and name her "Health": if public discourse were really concerned with women's health, it would turn angrily upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/spokespeople-sell-women-the-iron-maiden-and-name-her-health-if-public/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [No matter what a woman's appearance may be, it will be used to undermine what she is saying and taken to individualize - as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/no-matter-what-a-woman-s-appearance-may-be-it-will-be-used-to/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [The beauty myth is always actually prescribing behaviour and not appearance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-beauty-myth-is-always-actually-prescribing-behaviour-and-not/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/why-does-the-social-order-feel-the-need-to-defend-itself-by-evading/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [As women demanded access to power, the power structure used the beauty myth materially to undermine women's advancement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/as-women-demanded-access-to-power-the-power-structure-used-the-beauty/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The beauty myth of the present is more insidious than any mystique of femininity yet: A century ago, Nora slammed the door of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-beauty-myth-of-the-present-is-more-insidious-than-any-mystique-of/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Is the beauty myth good to men? It hurts them by teaching them how to avoid loving women. It prevents men from actually seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/is-the-beauty-myth-good-to-men-it-hurts-them-by-teaching-them-how-to/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The beauty myth sets it up this way: A high rating as an art object is the most valuable tribute a woman can exact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-beauty-myth-sets-it-up-this-way-a-high-rating-as-an-art-object-is/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [To live in a culture in which women are routinely naked where men aren't is to learn inequality in little ways all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/to-live-in-a-culture-in-which-women-are-routinely-naked-where-men/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The qualities that a given period calls beautiful in women are merely symbols of the female behavior that that period considers desirable: The beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-qualities-that-a-given-period-calls-beautiful-in-women-are-merely/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [The woman wins who calls herself beautiful, and challenges the world to change to fit her vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-woman-wins-who-calls-herself-beautiful-and-challenges-the-world/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) ## More by Naomi Wolf > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Demographically, I'm a hippie from San Francisco and I'm not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/demographically-i-m-a-hippie-from-san-francisco-and-i-m-not/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Maybe the less pain we inflict on our bodies, the more beautiful our bodies will look to us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/maybe-the-less-pain-we-inflict-on-our-bodies-the-more-beautiful-our/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The rise of the beauty myth was just one of several emerging social fictions that masqueraded as natural components of the feminine sphere, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-rise-of-the-beauty-myth-was-just-one-of-several-emerging-social/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [The Victorian woman became her ovaries, as today's woman has become her "beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-victorian-woman-became-her-ovaries-as-today-s-woman-has-become/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The anthropologist Margaret Mead concluded in 1948, after observing seven different ethnic groups in the Pacific Islands, that different cultures made different forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-anthropologist-margaret-mead-concluded-in-1948-after-observing/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her "beauty" his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/what-becomes-of-a-man-who-acquires-a-beautiful-woman-with-her-beauty/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Beauty” is a currency system like the gold standard. Like any economy, it is determined by politics, and in the modern age in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/beauty-is-a-currency-system-like-the-gold-standard-like-any-economy/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Rape and sexual assault ... should be understood not just as a form of forced sex, they should also be understood as as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/rape-and-sexual-assault-should-be-understood-not-just-as-a-form-of/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“The qualities that a given period calls beautiful in women are merely symbols of the female behavior that that period considers desirable: The beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-qualities-that-a-given-period-calls-beautiful-in-women-are-merely/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [To live in a culture in which women are routinely naked where men aren't is to learn inequality in little ways all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/to-live-in-a-culture-in-which-women-are-routinely-naked-where-men/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [a white person who claims to have no impediment of vision in this country is not, I think, telling the whole truth. 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Henrik Ibsen called them “vital lies,” and psychologist Daniel Goleman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/societies-tell-themselves-necessary-fictions-in-the-same-way-that/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) [Explore all 251 Naomi Wolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) ## More Attainment quotes > [Life, whether in this world or any other, is the sum of our attainment, our experience, our character. The conditions are secondary. 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