Aesthetic VAlue
Photos credits:
Women suffer a similar alienation. A woman is expected to exhibit a curvaceous, shapely form, and usually to be thin, frail, and fit, albeit not as muscular as a man. In magazine ads for perfume, clothes, and beauty products, women are depicted as having a seductive and sultry atmosphere about them, usually having exaggerated swells around the more sensually attractive areas, for lack of any better term. Because of this, the misconception of women as no more than objects of aesthetic merit is sustained, and thus women are pressured constantly into bettering themselves in no other aspect than physical. However, the ideal physique is not attainable. As explained in the excerpt from Killing Us Softly (below) , even celebrities on the covers of magazines wish they looked like their false portrayals. |
As mentioned before, a man is expected to exhibit a muscular physique that denotes strength and power. This stereotype is perpetuated by bodybuilding icons, models, and actors, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, as seen above. Advertisements for cologne, male hygiene, shaving cream, etc., depict an aesthetically appealing man with a muscular build and hard, chiseled facial features, in an attempt to convince the viewer to buy their product with the notion that they will become as attractive or appealing as the model. This ¨Crisis in Masculinity"is expanded upon in the video below.
|
All photos credit to The Illusionists, Filly on Film, The Perfume Girl, Rolling Stone Magazine, The University of Sydney