short response to "Lean and Mean"

Susan Douglas’s chapter, “Lean and Mean” really brings up some important points in today’s society. She brings up how Enlighten sexism has brought this standard of beauty that is unobtainable for most women. Victoria Secret constantly asks the question “What is sexy?” and answering it with a supermodel that is super thin and has big breasts. The facts about cosmetic surgery are insane. Breast implants per year has increased from 32,000 to 247,000 from the year 1992 to 2004. This is a short amount of time but a big increase in number or implants. Why is this? “Enlightened sexism tells us that these beauty standards are actually empowering because they turn men into helpless, salivating dung beetles … (Douglas 214).” But these standards are not healthy. Women and girls all over the world are constantly dieting and getting surgery because of this need to be pretty. The show Nip/Tuck is all about plastic surgeons and how they perform surgery on already pretty people and make them even more pretty. Not only are they saying that these people need surgery but they are already good looking, what does that say about the normal people? The things women go through. The sacrifices that they make just to get some wrinkle taken away are a little absurd to me; the risks out way the benefits to me. But I do understand why women do it, even if don’t agree with it. If it is going to make you happy then who am I to judge you? Someone might find it absurd of me to spend a thousand dollars on a basketball ticket, everyone has things that make them happy that might seem a little crazy to others. Society sends so many mixed signals; women need to be thin, but not to thin. People need to be skinner because a quarter of our country is obese. Douglas says it perfect, “Be a size zero! No, wait, that’s unhealthy! Love your body! No wait, it’s not good enough the way it is! Love your body, part 2! No, wait, we’re all obese … (Douglas 230)”

Another point that Douglas brings up is the emergence of the mean girl or queen bee in today’s society. Girls are bullying girls and it’s really “sneaky” kind of stuff. It’s never physical face to face contact, it’s talking behind each other’s back and spreading rumors. TV shows like Gossip Girl and movies like Mean Girls really show of this kind of culture. I think this sort really affects young girls in their preteens. Girls at this age are very impressionable. They definitely try to recreate that sort of situation they see on Gossip Girl. Hopefully someone will inform young girls that, that way of life is not good, but in honesty I don’t see that happening.