 |  |
Members access the gallery here.JOIN BODY IN MIND | |
October 24, 2004
The antidote to the beauty backlash
Believe it or not, women are not allowed to work in Iran. Not even female doctors and lawyers. How does something like this happen in the modern world?
Well we got a glimpse of the explanation this month when the Spanish government, a government widely held to be one of the more civilized in the world, demanded that Hυgо Bоss fire the models it hired as ball boys at a pro tennis match.
We also get a glimpse of the answer when people denounce women like Marina for selling pumpkins topless, or any woman for using her beauty to sell anything.
The reason for these attacks on women is the same as always: hatred of female beauty.
Now those who hate female beauty know that they cannot openly admit this. Yet. The average person is not ready to forgive such a motive and they know it. But this is changing every day, and the beauty haters are getting more brazen in their attacks on working women.
The reason given for robbing women of their rights in Iran is the same given when families brutally murder their daughters over there: contact with men who are not their husbands. A convenient excuse in their part of the world. The reason given by the Spanish government for demanding the ball girls be fired is that the use of models as ball boys sends the message that women are just pretty bodies for our amusement. A socially acceptible excuse in ours. One that works against any woman or company that attempts to use beauty to sell something.
Both excuses allow beauty haters to attack and destroy the livelinhoods and lives of women right out in the open view of their citizens, their women, and the world. The fact that no one does anything about it, or raises even one voice in protest is what we at Body in Mind call the beauty backlash.
What better antidote to this trend than a gallery of Marina shamelessly using her beauty to sell pumpkins for Halloween. Haven't we seen enough of the opposite lately?
When we first pointed out the beauty backlash to our readers shortly after 9/11 we predicted that it would start in western civilization by women being denied jobs and that specifically, it would start with beautiful women. Now we see it happening first hand in Spain.
Is your country far behind?
What starts with denying women jobs because they are beautiful ends with fathers, brothers and mothers cutting off their daughters' hands and heads and hanging them on their doors to 'cleanse' family honor. This is happening right now in Iraq.
The backlash continues, and it's getting worse. What are YOU doing about it? Which way will you see it go?
Visit SuperBeauty.Org to make a difference.
© 2004 by Body in Mind
