People magazine recently released their 2013 list of the most “beautiful” women in America. The problem? Beauty is an incredibly subjective category, and the ‘standard’ that we hold for what makes someone beautiful will vary from person to person, city to city, country to country. Nevertheless, there are some dangerous social mores that tend to lead us into prioritizing a particular standard of beauty over others (i.e., tall, blonde, and thin.) While some women on People Magazine’s list are indeed racially diverse, there are very few that seem capable of subscribing to any other body type but lithe.
#1: Gwyneth Paltrow. Sure, they say that Gwyneth feels most beautiful at home: “Around the house, I’m in jeans and a T-shirt. I don’t really wear makeup.” But naturally, as you can see, the picture in which she’s featured has her wearing a cropped dress and plenty of eyeliner. Is her at-home look not beautiful enough for media coverage? Is she only beautiful conceptually behind those closed doors?
#2: Kerry Washington. Not your average blonde, but similarly thin. According to People magazine, Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes initially thought that Washington was “too pretty to be smart”. Let’s unpack this problematic statement: The assumptions on which it is based must be “all women who are beautiful by classical standards must be dumb” and, conversely, “all women who are smart must be ugly.” People says that Washington’s true beauty comes from the combination of her ‘toughness’ and sex appeal; yet does the shocked, demure expression that Washington sports on the page linked read ‘tough’ to any of you? Furthermore, why does she need the added bonus of classical ‘beauty’ in order for her ‘toughness’ to be truly appreciated?
#3: Amanda Seyfried. Well, as you can see from the photo, Amanda is featured half-naked, wearing what appears to be a white corset and fishnet stockings. Her unapologetic “come hither” look belies the “perfect porcelain skin” and slender features that our society prides as necessary for true (marked) beauty.
#4: Zooey Deschanel. True, Zooey’s quirk and sass sets her apart from some of the other 2013 ‘most beautiful’ nominees. But didn’t we already know that hipsters could be beautiful? Are there any other ways in which Zooey’s look might depart from a classical notion of ‘beauty’? It seems to me that acknowledging Zooey Deschanel as beautiful is a step in the direction of progress, but it certainly doesn’t depart too very drastically from what society seemed to already to be prioritizing.
#5: Jane Fonda. An interesting choice. I would certainly consider it to be a leap forward that a woman in her late seventies would be listed among the most beautiful women in America. Nevertheless, the picture in which Fonda is featured still highlights those same set features that Western society prides so dearly: slenderness, blonde hair, and an overwhelming lack of curves.
#6: Jennifer Lawrence. She’s presented to us here as having a “healthy body image”, i.e., she is sick of people assuming that women are supposed to look pre-pubescent. However, we are interestingly only provided with a partial body image; are the editors of People afraid to truly embrace Lawrence’s message? Would the presence of her curves really be such anathema?
#7: Kelly Rowland. According to the magazine, Rowland didn’t always believe in her own looks. “I went through a period where I didn’t…embrace just being a chocolate, lovely, brown-skinned girl.” Snaps for People on embracing a racially diverse crop of women. But again, the picture linked belittles some of its textual commentary: Rowland’s breasts are the featured point of the image, suggesting that for all of her atypical beauty, that is the main thing we as readers should be focusing on.
#8: Halle Berry. A classic choice. People makes a point of emphasizing how Berry feels especially empowered by her short hair. True, the 46-year old sports a look that not a lot of women think that they can get away with. Note, however, the latent suggestion that short hair is only for women of a certain age; there are certain sexuality stereotypes and assumptions that accompany a woman in her twenties with a cropped do.
#9: Drew Barrymore. I’ll admit that I love the following sentiment accompanying Drew’s picture: “Happiness is the best makeup any woman can wear.” But how disappointing is it that, once again, we are only provided partial access to Barrymore’s beauty in the picture? Young, slender girls get full body (semi-nude) shots, where older women get headshots? There seems to me something pernicious about that stereotype. Decide for yourselves ladies.
#10: Pink. Another nominee whose inner-beauty is emphasized more than her outer beauty. And while, as we noticed above, ‘happiness is the best makeup’, notice that Pink can’t seem to be featured here without an abundant amount of lipstick and mascara.
All in all, while society has come relatively far in our conceptions of what makes a woman ‘beautiful’, the battle is not yet won. If we want to embrace beauty as plurality—as moving away from a rigid and classical structure—then it’s time we start addressing what is and isn’t working for us in popular media today.
This opinion piece is based on a feature by People Magazine: http://www.people.com/people/package/0,,20360857,00.html