[miss_jane]

As I read through some of the threads about various aspects of beauty (cosmetic surgery, shaving, makeup etc) I noticed that the majority of them were distinctly not about the politics but about hints ands tips. I thought it would be useful and nice for busties to have a place to discuss the politics behind the "beauty myth" and hopefully clear some of our thoughts on it.

The type of topics that have been playing on my mind:

*Cosmetic Surgery
*The Removal of Body Hair
*Diets
*Makeup
*The Media's Attitude

Just to make everything clear I don't want this to become a place to attack busties who chose different ways of expressing their beauty.

So what are your thoughts? Can stereotypical beauty maintenance sit comfortably with feminist politics? Feminism is about a lot about choice for the individual, but is any choice (specifically about beauty) that a woman makes necessarily feminist? How difficult is it to stand up and fight the beauty myth?

As a side note : The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf is the book that stemmed these thoughts in me and a few years own I still haven't cleared in my mind the way I feel about things.

[bklynhermit]

it's not that i don't think plastic surgery could make some people happier with their bodies.

it's that, in this particular conversation (and i've had it multiple times with various people, btw), the idea of my own personal preferences or what might make me happier has clearly not been the focus. if it was, when i said, "i've always hated my nose and wanted a bigger one" (which is true, btw), my friends would have supported me and my "choice" of a bigger nose.

but what would make me happy is contrary to the norm. so what i want is irrelevant, and they didn't support my desire at all. because really, cosmetic surgery isn't 'about' being happy or having more choice about your appearance. it's about conforming to a cultural standard.

it's the same reason you often hear people say that they don't understand why any woman would want to have a breast reduction, or NOT undergo reconstruction after a mastectomy. because large breasts are considered more desirable, and cosmetic surgery is for conforming to socially accepted desires. because women are supposed to have breasts, and not conforming to that is considered freakish. again, cosmetic surgery is implicitly seen as a tool for conformity. everyone has breasts. how dare you not want breasts? everyone wants bigger breasts. how dare you want smaller breasts? everyone wants a cute waspy nose. how dare you want a big ethnic schnozz?