Men are Real, Women are ‘Made up’: Beauty Therapy and the Construction of Femininity

Abstract

Beauty therapy as an industry is multi-faceted; as a set of practices it is complex. The beauty industry has been the subject of much critique but comparatively little empirical study. Based upon research with beauty therapists themselves, this article investigates the complex relationship between femininity and beauty. The beauty industry is located within debates about the body and leisure. The growth in the beauty industry is also linked to the commodification of body practices. Despite remaining critical of the role of beauty in the lives of women, we also emphasise the fact that women are not`cultural dopes' (Davis, 1991). The actual experiences of beauty treatments and the testimonies of women involved in the industry paint a picture of competing discourses and contradictory outcomes. This is not least because both clients and therapists deny being concerned with beauty, but rather aim to provide`pampering',`treatment' or`grooming'. The beauty salon may be seen as the site of both compliance with, and escape from, a feminine ideal. The role of class, ethnicity and age in breaking down the monolithical concept of beauty and in fragmenting the experiences of beauty practices are also discussed.

Boys as only‐children and girls as only‐children—parental gendered expectations of the only‐child in the nuclear Chinese family in present‐day China

“…While it may be particularly typical of the Confucian culture, this type of double standards based on gender are actually widespread in the world, as has been documented by many researchers (Eder et al, 1995;Kimmel, 2000;Black & Sharma 2001;Kelly et al, 2004). While standards regarding what is considered to be most beautiful change from age to age and vary from culture to culture, beauty itself has remained a standard for evaluating femininity for women (Eder et al, 1995), or in Black and Sharma's (2001) words, for women 'femininity is a state to be constantly sought' (p. 107).…”

“…While standards regarding what is considered to be most beautiful change from age to age and vary from culture to culture, beauty itself has remained a standard for evaluating femininity for women (Eder et al, 1995), or in Black and Sharma's (2001) words, for women 'femininity is a state to be constantly sought' (p. 107). While there may be nothing wrong with paying attention to one's appearance per se, it may have great implications for individuals' lived experiences once it serves as a form of 'the division of the sexes', to use Bourdieu's (2001, p. 8) expression.…”

When Beauty Brings Out the Beast: Female Comparisons and the Feminine Rivalry

“…Closely matching the beauty ideal is explained as the way to attain the best man available, with ''winning'' a man as one marker to show they are closer to being the ''best'' at certain categories of the feminine rivalry. Lisa's description supported that women made sense of the rivalry through supporting that even ideals deemed unrealistic as preferences of men [5]. She described the ''nasty'' and ''sinister'' side of competition derived from competition to prove themselves to be the best:…”

“…For instance, even when women know images are digitally altered and therefore unrealistic, they still believe these images universally reflect men's, and their significant others', preferences [5]. These comparisons may be taken a step further through reflected appraisals, consisting of individuals imposing other peoples' appraisals of an individual onto themselves [18,30].…”

Shaped for beauty: Vocational and gendered subjectivities in private education for the beauty industry

“…In the research process, I initially wanted to go beyond the obvious feminist critique but remain critical in an approach where I take the empirical material as a starting point. Empirical research on the beauty industry namely illustrates that what goes on here is far more complex than is commonly understood (Black, 2004;Black & Sharma, 2001;Gimlin, 1996;Kang, 2003;Toerien & Kitzinger, 2007). I have therefore, as described, tried to keep an open mind in relation to my material, letting my theorization guide the research process.…”