The myth that brands
pp. 163-167
in: Sarah Travis, Amelia M. Kraehe, Emily J. Hood, Tyson E. Lewis (eds), Pedagogies in the flesh, Berlin, Springer, 2018Abstract
This chapter explores women's roles in supporting and promoting Naomi Wolf's (1990) notion of the beauty myth. Duchscher watched her nine-year-old daughter's body changing and with it her sense of body image and self-esteem. By reliving memories of when her daughter's body has been criticized by other women in her life, Duchscher explores ways in which the beauty myth is inherited and embodied through interactions with other women. Through this reflection, the author examines the branding she has received from the myth as well. This work challenges the role that women play in supporting and promoting the beauty myth and the ways in which we internalize the myth and then reissue it to our daughters and ourselves.