It was her thesis on the ideals of beauty in 19th and 20th century writings which she wrote at Oxford that set the stage for the Beauty Myth in which Wolf contends that women will not be able to attain political power and equality as long as the dominant culture imposes standards of beauty that can be dangerous to the physical and emotional well-being of women. She begins with the lesson in disempowerment that she received at her own graduation from Yale when the commencement speaker made a humiliating joke at the expense of the female graduates. She used that story as an example of how attention to womens bodies whenever they feel their power is threatened. Wolf then continues her speech with five messages to remember in life. Now, I think Im correct in assuming that the college where she gave this commencement address was at an all female college.
Lets pretend for a minute that it wasnt .
If so, now you know how women feel reading gender exclusive literature. As a white person I wonder if this is how black people feel when they see all white t.v. shows. Ask how else they reacted. Last night we received an E-mail from a young lady in our class who had read this speech and she seemed convinced that it was for women only and the men just wouldnt understand. Well, Id like to show you some ways to apply Wolfs messages to your own life regardless of gender.