The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against WomenThe Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women
Score Modern
What it's about
Women have more power and success than ever, Naomi Wolf argues, but a new form of social control has emerged: the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps women in a cycle of hope, self-consciousness and self-hatred. She examines it in work, religion, sex, violence and hunger.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It's a landmark of third-wave feminism.
You'll love it if you liked
The Feminine Mystique
The Second Sex
Women & Power: A ManifestoGood to know
Some of its statistics have been criticized. It was published in 1990.
By the numbers
- Readers15 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller15 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #1190 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2198 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
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Quick answers
Is The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It ranks #2,198 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 61.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women about?
Women have more power and success than ever, Naomi Wolf argues, but a new form of social control has emerged: the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps women in a cycle of hope, self-consciousness and self-hatred. She examines it in work, religion, sex, violence and hunger.
How long does it take to read The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women?
About 9 hours (368 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women?
If you liked it, try The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir or Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard.