why hijab? is it a threat to consumerism?
Today's (and history's) beauty standards presuppose that we are all sick or broken or in need of fixing. I read one of my favorite chapters in "Full Frontal Feminism" today, here are little excerpts that connect back to the video & to the fact that society keeps women obsessed with their looks for a purely gross, sexist purpose. ew. get familiar:
"Whether we're puking, or not eating, or cutting ourselves (or letting doctors do it), young women are at the center of the beauty cult. We run that shit. But when people talk about young women having eating disorders or getting plastic surgery, they often assume that we don't know the consequences- health or otherwise. The sad truth is, young women do know. We just don't care."
"When you're taught that the majority of your worth is in how aesthetically pleasing you are to boys - and then boys tell you you're ugly - there's something soul crushing about that"
"If you're a younger woman, no matter how much work you do, someone is always going to claim that your success is dues to the way you look...young women are constantly reminded that their only real worth is their ability to be ogled or ridiculed."
"Consumerism is at the heart of beauty standards. After all, who's telling you what's (and who's) hot? Fashion mags, for example, survive by selling ads, ads that tell you your skin will be disgusting if you don't buy the latest microderm scrubbing bubbly foamy face wash. They all depend on your feeling ugly. Because guess what? If you think your looks are just fine and dandy as they are, you're not going to buy face creams and makeup and diet pills. You're just going to hang out, feeling great and doing productive things. But if you feel ugly and fat, you're going to spend as much money as possible to make sure you're doing all you can to be pretty...It's important to remember why some folks need us to feel ugly. It serves a specific purpose: to make us spend, to distract us, and ultimately to make us disappear."
So what now? It's going to take awhile for the beauty standards of society to change, it's all little steps. Get educated about this and start liking yourself the way you are. Honestly, I need this advice more than anybody - so I'm not trying to preach. I don't wear hijab yet, but madprops to all of the Muslimahs out there that do. Accepting yourself the way you are is revolutionary in itself. I'm convinced that hijab is one step closer to that.
Today's (and history's) beauty standards presuppose that we are all sick or broken or in need of fixing. I read one of my favorite chapters in "Full Frontal Feminism" today, here are little excerpts that connect back to the video & to the fact that society keeps women obsessed with their looks for a purely gross, sexist purpose. ew. get familiar:
"Whether we're puking, or not eating, or cutting ourselves (or letting doctors do it), young women are at the center of the beauty cult. We run that shit. But when people talk about young women having eating disorders or getting plastic surgery, they often assume that we don't know the consequences- health or otherwise. The sad truth is, young women do know. We just don't care."
"When you're taught that the majority of your worth is in how aesthetically pleasing you are to boys - and then boys tell you you're ugly - there's something soul crushing about that"
"If you're a younger woman, no matter how much work you do, someone is always going to claim that your success is dues to the way you look...young women are constantly reminded that their only real worth is their ability to be ogled or ridiculed."
"Consumerism is at the heart of beauty standards. After all, who's telling you what's (and who's) hot? Fashion mags, for example, survive by selling ads, ads that tell you your skin will be disgusting if you don't buy the latest microderm scrubbing bubbly foamy face wash. They all depend on your feeling ugly. Because guess what? If you think your looks are just fine and dandy as they are, you're not going to buy face creams and makeup and diet pills. You're just going to hang out, feeling great and doing productive things. But if you feel ugly and fat, you're going to spend as much money as possible to make sure you're doing all you can to be pretty...It's important to remember why some folks need us to feel ugly. It serves a specific purpose: to make us spend, to distract us, and ultimately to make us disappear."
So what now? It's going to take awhile for the beauty standards of society to change, it's all little steps. Get educated about this and start liking yourself the way you are. Honestly, I need this advice more than anybody - so I'm not trying to preach. I don't wear hijab yet, but madprops to all of the Muslimahs out there that do. Accepting yourself the way you are is revolutionary in itself. I'm convinced that hijab is one step closer to that.
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