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Essay about The Beauty Myth - 616 Words

By: Kelly Winch The Beauty Myth, published by Doubleday in New York City, hit the shelves in 1992. Naomi Wolf wrote this 348-page book. Wolf attended Yale University and New College, Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. Her essays have been printed in many well-known magazines and newspapers, including Esquire and the New York Times. The Beauty Myth was Wolfs first book. She has also written two other books, Fire With Fire and Promiscuities. Wolf is a recognized feminist. She has done a lot of writing and has spoken to many audiences about issues involving feminism. In The Beauty Myth, Wolfs basic thesis states that there is a connection between female liberation and female beauty. She writes: The more legal and†¦show more content†¦Flaws, wrinkles and other problems are airbrushed out of the picture. Wolf discusses the effect that these standards are having on women in the workplace. A womans beauty, or lack of it, can be used against her. In 1986, Mechelle Vinson lost a sexu al harassment case. Vinson was young and ‘beautiful and carefully dressed. The district court ruled that her appearance counted against her. (Wolf 38) In Hopkins v. Price-Waterhouse, Ms. Hopkins was denied a partnership because she needed to learn to ‘walk more femininely, talk more femininely, dress more femininely, and ‘wear makeup. She brought in more business than any other employee. (Wolf 39) I believe that this book has value and people from all walks of life should read it. We all need to become much more aware of how strong and how damaging this kind of media influence is. Women and men need to realize that there are companies in our culture that thrive on making us feel bad about ourselves, such as cosmetic companies, health clubs, clothing designers; anyone that is trying to change us. The book was well written and extremely interesting. The reviews on the back cover say it all; that this book is essential reading. I will recommend it to all of my friends. Hope fully those who are very self-doubting and considering cosmetic surgery will realize they are trying to fit into an abnormal standard of beauty. Word Count:Show MoreRelatedThe Beauty Myth Essay1960 Words   |  8 Pagesponder some part (or all) of their body. In other words, this months column is for 99.9% of the women reading it! Why is it that so many women feel they just dont measure up when it comes to their looks? A new book entitled The Beauty Myth--How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women, provides some answers. If you are a woman who recognized herself in the above paragraph, or if you are a man who wants to understand more about the dynamics of media vs. self-worth, then run, do not walk, to theRead MoreThe Beauty Myth By Naomi Wolf1435 Words   |  6 PagesThe novel The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf focuses highly on feminism in today’s times. Throughout the novel the author describes different situations in which women are stereotypically viewed. So many women believe that the real meaning of beauty is what is shown on the television. Many end up disregarding their opinions and instead molding it into the views of their peers. The author argues that some women are being victims by; work, media, religion, sex, violence, and hunger. Beauty was once seenRead MoreThe Beauty Myth By Naomi Wolf1861 Words   |  8 PagesThe Beauty Myth, written by Naomi Wolf, is a study of how ideas of beauty oppress and restrict women from fully realising their potential. Published in 1990, many of the battles of second wave feminism had been won, which left many women in Wolf’s position confused as to why women were still struggling. Wolf argues that as women have shed traditional values of purity and submission, they have instead become obsessed with the beauty myth. â€Å"The more legal and material hindrances which women have brokenRead More Analysis of The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf Essay590 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf The Beauty Myth, published by Doubleday in New York City, hit the shelves in 1992. Naomi Wolf wrote this 348-page book. Wolf attended Yale University and New College, Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. Her essays have been printed in many well-known magazines and newspapers, including Esquire and the New York Times. The Beauty Myth was Wolf’s first book. She has also written two other books, Fire With Fire and PromiscuitiesRead MoreThe Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women by Naomi Wolf1669 Words   |  7 Pageswell? What does beauty is only skin deep really mean? I always thought what made a person truly and genuinely beautiful, is whats on the inside. So often, we judge women on their appearance first, then their abilities. Did you ever wonder how this came about and why we all do this today? dont try to deny it, were all shallow and addicted to entertainment, its simply our culture, our way of life. Naomi wolf tries to explain the reasoning and ideas behind the beauty myth. She defines it andRead MoreFeminism And Popular Culture : Gender Relations And Feminist Issues1336 Words   |  6 Pagesand lives outside of the home. In fact, Naomi Wolf’s idea of these themes, as described in The Beauty Myth, can be perceived in popular portrayals of women, as their appearances are considered central to their role in the plot. Examples of this include the reality television show, The Bachelor, and the science fiction film, The Stepford Wives. Naomi Wolf’s popular discussion in her book, The Beauty Myth, was influential for its perspective on the pressures on women to conform to a standardized ideaRead MoreWomen s Beauty : A Woman s Worth With Her Beauty1487 Words   |  6 Pagesthere is nothing worse for a female character than being ugly and this is reflected in the beauty myth that women face outside fairy tales as well. Fairy tales equate a woman’s worth with her beauty. Americans do this as well by pitting beauty against internal traits and individuality. In doing this, women continue to receive their beauty myths from men, compete with other women and pass these unreachable beauty standards onto the next generation of women. With fairytales, it is what’s on the outsideRead MoreIs Beauty a Social Construct? Essay1240 Words   |  5 Pagesepidemic of eating disorders†. In 1991, Naomi wolf’s bestseller the beauty myth claimed the obsession with beauty was the result of a cultural conspiracy seeking to undo psychologically and covertly all the good things that feminism did for women. She argues that ideology of beauty is the last, best belief system that keeps male dominance intact and that womens magazines have played a pivotal role in the selling of the beauty myth. If, as Jean Kilbourne suggests, the media and advertising teach usRead MorePersonal Statement : Personal Media1730 Words   |  7 Pageslook that way as well. I try to remind myself that I am fine just the way that I am, but it tends to slip my mind when I look at those pictures. The Beauty Myth written by Naomi Wolf states, â€Å"We are in the midst of a violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty as a political weapon against women’s advancement: the beauty myth† (Wolf). This explains one of the dangers that the media reinforces and wires into young women’s minds. And it is harmful to not only young women, butRead MoreAnalysis Of Being A Man 888 Words   |  4 Pages Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so it seems. Society implements the standard of beauty in our everyday lives. It controls what roles women are expected to perform. A similar anticipation goes for men, but for â€Å"masculinity’. Every individual man is supposed to be masculine and have some sort of manly quality. Paul Theroux in â€Å"Being a Man† discusses how as a male, one is expected to meet society’s standards of masculinity. He as well mentions his reasoning on why that principle of behavior

Why You Shouldn’t Use Credit Cards Free Essays

The credit card companies and banks are getting richer, while most Americans are getting more in debt. The economy is in trouble, therefore, more and more people are relying on credit cards. In today’s society we are constantly trying to get out of debt, but in the process of trying to get ourselves out of debt, we create more debt. We will write a custom essay sample on Why You Shouldn’t Use Credit Cards or any similar topic only for you Order Now One of the major problems that most of us are dealing with is credit card debt. Most credit card companies are not looking out for your best interest. They are constantly raising interest rates. Minimum payments are just enough to cover the finance charges. Most Americans should not use credit cards for the following reasons: it will create bad spending habits; you will incur more debt affecting credit score rating; and possibly make you a victim of identity theft. In my opinion, a credit card should be used for purchases that you are able to pay off in full upon receiving your statement, but most of us don’t. Most people lack self control and tend to misuse the credit card. Credit cards should mainly be used for emergencies, but we tend to use them for everyday purchases such as: food, gas, clothing, etc. Some people are living in a borrowed lifestyle, because they purchase things they can’t afford. People will spend more on a purchasing using a credit card than they would with cash. â€Å"People that use credit cards tend to spend 12%-18% more on transactions than those who use cash (faithfitnessfinance. com). † For example, if you are going to pay with a credit card in a fast food establishment, it is easier to get the large drink instead of the medium drink. When the statement arrives, most people will make the minimum payment on his/her credit card. The minimum payment only covers the finance charges, which will increase the amount of time it will take to pay the debt off. â€Å"It will also increase the amount of interest you end up paying (about. com. )† Possessing these bad habits will lead to more debt. A credit card bill is an additional monthly expense. If you are already struggling with paying basic monthly bills, than creating a credit card bill will only add an additional financial burden. Unlike a checkbook ledger, credit card balances are harder to keep track of, because you mostly rely on the monthly statement. If not properly monitored, this will cause your credit card to reach its maximum limit or over the limit. If you are over the limit or at maximum limit, you will incur over the limit fees or higher monthly payments. When faced with additional charges or higher monthly payments, individuals sometimes put themselves in a bind. They are forced to make a decision whether to pay the bill or not. Most of us will opt not to pay, because we can’t afford it. Once you opt not to pay, you set the wheels in motion for your credit score to decline. If your card is at its maximum limit or close to the limit and you decide only to pay the minimum, you are still compromising your credit score. Credit rating is very important, because it is a deciding factor in majority of major purchases such as: car, house, utilities and etc. â€Å"A large part of your credit score considers the amount of debt you have (about. com). If your credit score is low, most likely you wouldn’t be approved for whatever you are trying to purchase or your interest rate will be ridiculously high. Credit card use can also lead to identity theft. We see on television almost on a regular basis that they have arrested someone for identity theft. Everyday people are falling victim to identity theft. Anytime you book a trip, pay a bill or make a purchase online or in person, you are risking someone stealing your identity. We live in a world that is filled with criminals and con artists. They are always larking to find their next victim. This is an easy way for them to obtain sensitive information, make money and purchases that will benefit them while making your life complicated. From a personal experience, someone stole my credit card information and personal information. This person rented a U-Haul truck and kept it for months and decided to make purchases at Home Depot. I was stuck with the task of contacting the credit card companies and the authorities. You are forced to prove that you are not the person that authorized payments and purchases. You are subject to denial while trying to obtain credit from other companies. Sometimes it isn’t always a cut and dry situation to get through, but can be a very time consuming and expensive process. Credit cards aren’t bad when used properly, but could be if used improperly. We should make sure we know the difference between what we need and want. We sometimes justify a purchase by saying ‘I really need it†, but we should ask ourselves â€Å"what will happen if I don’t get it? † Once you ask yourself that question, then at that point is when you determine whether or not it is orth using. Improper use of a credit card will lead you quickly into debt. It is better to make a purchase with cash or debit card than with a credit card. If you are unable to afford something you really want, it is best to save and buy it at a later time. Most of us aren’t equipped to know how to use a credit card properly; therefore, it is in our best interest to keep it in our wallets. When thinking about getting that credit and using it, ask yourself, â€Å"Do I know the rules of the credit card game? † How to cite Why You Shouldn’t Use Credit Cards, Essay examples

Texas Governmental Policy

Question: Discuss about the Texas Governmental Policy. Answer: Texas Health care policy Texas is regarded as a very competitive state when it comes to economy as a result of which many businessmen and other people consider this state as a land of opportunities. With economic growth and prosperity, the state faces several public policy related challenges. The major challenges relating to the public policies include water policy, healthcare policies, educational policies, immigration policies, electricity policies and more. One of the most significant public policy issues is related to the health care policy of Texas (Morrisey and Michael). Historical perspective of the healthcare policy During the mid 20th century, the Federal government played a significant role in establishing the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services and Centres for Disease Control. It played an important role in regulating the healthcare industry. The Federal Government enacted various legislations such as the Health Maintenance Organisations Act, 1973, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 1996; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2010. Today, the healthcare industry forms a major part of the nations economy and the policies are complex. These policies are implemented by the Federal, local and state governments and even by the private organizations. In 2010, the Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed and implemented in the US which purported to those people who were not covered by any health insurance through their work as the law of the country required all its citizens to be covered by a health insurance or any health care plan. Health policy in Texas Health care plans include three forms of plans, namely, HMOs, exclusive provider benefit plans (EPOs) and the preferred provider benefit plans (PPOs). An HMO shall pay for the health care only if a person sees a doctor or uses a hospital within the HMO network. PPO health care plan is offered by an insurance company but if one sees a doctor out of its network, he or she has to pay out of their pockets (Swartz et al.). EPOs is regarded as negotiable agreements with the hospitals and the doctors to provide health care to its members with a discount. However, in order to enjoy this health care coverage one is required to pay some costs for the health care themselves and the amount of cost shall depend on the type of healthcare plan adopted by an individual (Barr and Donald). The state laws in the US require Texas to provide certain benefits along with the health care plans or policies and these benefits are termed as state-mandated benefits. These benefits include emergency services, ma ternity and newborn care, prescription drugs, hospitalisation including surgery and more. However, regarding the ACA, if an individual has a health insurance or Medicare, there is no need a health care coverage under the ACA, only when one does not have a health insurance one may need a healthcare insurance under the ACA. Moreover, it is only important to have a health care plan; it does not have to be through the ACA. Pros and Cons of the policies Texas is on the states in the United States that depends on the Federal health exchange (the Marketplace) for the purpose of its health care coverage (Morrisey, Michael and Radcliff). Although the ACA and the other state health care policies have a significant impact and are indeed changing the way, the doctors and the hospitals are delivering care (Polsky, Daniel and Janet). However, taking into consideration the healthcare policy under the ACA, these health care policies have their own pros and cons which are discussed below: Pros Efficiency- the healthcare policies have made the hospitals improve the infrastructure in order to provide better and improved facilities to the patients and exercise standard of care towards them. Improved care model- Earlier, the hospitals charged more money for performing more services. Now, the treatment result is compared with the expenses charged and hospitals complying with the requisites become entitled to a raise in federal payments. Cons Healthcare Expenses- both the private and the public payers are gradually experiencing an increase in the health care costs. One of the important factors responsible for such an increase is that the purchasers and the consumers in a health care market are hardly the same entity (Friedberg et al.). Administrative expenses- the hospitals attend bulk of new patients everyday as a result of which there is an increase in the paper work, care management and extra time is devoted while dealing with Medicare with billions of patients who have become newly insured (Dafny et al.). Coverage- the act of providing coverage to more people shall increase the level of challenges. The Medicare patients are already facing problems relating to the unavailability of the medical practitioners. Decrease in payments- in order to enable the hospitals to meet their expenses, the government shall apply various methods one of which may include a steep downfall in the Medicare reimbursements. Recommendations Texas is regarded as one of the biggest single payer of the health care services and has a major impact on the health care service related provisions (Jacobs, Lawrence and Theda Skocpol). Therefore, it is highly recommended that Texas should enable the Texans to have an easy access to the expense and quality related information regarding the health care services. However, taking into consideration that it is difficult to provide the Texans with such information, therefore, the state should maintain an internet portal which may act as a one-stop access point of all the information related to the price and quality of the health care goods and services provided by the hospitals of the Federal, national and state organisations. The Texas Health Care Information Collection Centre (THCIC) must be authorised in a manner which enables the patients to have access to the hospital data review process in order to avert any kind of unnecessary delays. Further, the government officials are required to take into consideration the several factors that are fundamental while developing sound and healthy policies. The policymakers must consider the public health interest; the efficacy of the policies must be evaluated. Thereafter, the policy makers must ensure that the policy focuses on the health related issues and whether it is capable of achieving the objective. Finally, the policy must be implemented effectively for providing health care benefits to the people. References Barr, Donald A.Introduction to US Health Policy: the organization, financing, and delivery of health care in America. JHU Press, 2016. Dafny, Leemore, Igal Hendel, and Nathan Wilson. "Narrow networks on the health insurance exchanges: What do they look like and how do they affect pricing? a case study of texas."The American Economic Review105.5 (2015): 110-114. Friedberg, Mark W., et al. "Factors affecting physician professional satisfaction and their implications for patient care, health systems, and health policy."RAND Health Quarterly3.4 (2014). Jacobs, Lawrence, and Theda Skocpol.Health care reform and American politics: what everyone needs to know. Oxford University Press, 2015. Morrisey, Michael A., and Tiffany A. Radcliff. "A STUDY OF AFFORDABLE CARE ACT COMPETITIVENESS IN TEXAS." (2017). Morrisey, Michael. "Price Searching in the Health Insurance Exchanges."6th Biennial Conference of the American Society of Health Economists. Ashecon, 2016. Polsky, Daniel, and Janet Weiner. "State Variation in Narrow Networks on the ACA Marketplaces." (2015). Swartz, Katherine, Mark A. Hall, and Timothy S. Jost. "Realizing Health Reforms Potential." (2015).