WEEK THREE GENDER QUIZ 2

Week Three Gender Quiz

How does Joan Brumberg’s article on history and marketing of the “training bra”
illustrate the central premise of Naomi Wolf’s article about the social construction of
beauty?
Naomi Wolf argues that women have been forced to live up to unattainable beauty
standards. This pressure to live up to these standards has distracted them from making
pursuits that increase their power and influence in society (Wolf, 1991). Joan Brumberg’s
article about history and marketing of the “training bra” supports this view because the
“training bra” was meant to help women’s breasts develop into firm breasts (Brumberg,
1997). Thus, right from the onset of beauty, girls were forced to focus on attaining almost
unattainable standards of beauty instead of focusing on pursuits that increase their power and
influence in society.
Explain why Debra Gimlin classifies the female body as a piece of “cultural plastic”.
Debra Gimlin classifies the female body as a piece of “cultural plastic” because, like
plastic, it has become malleable. Through operations, such as plastic surgery, women can
change their body’s appearance multiple times just to fit the prevailing cultural trends
(Gimlin, 2004). Thus, just like plastic can be molded into different shapes, women’s bodies
too, under the pressure of culture, have become like plastics.
Explain why an emphasis on media as a contributing factor to disordered eating
patterns ignores women of color.
The media has been accused of contributing to eating disorders by encouraging the
stereotype of thin white ladies as the standard of beauty. Since these standards only applies to
white women, the resulting problem of eating disorders has been limited to white women

WEEK THREE GENDER QUIZ 3
alone. This emphasis of media as a contributing factor in the development of eating disorders
makes it seem like it is not a problem among women of color. This is, however, not the case
as women of color are also affected by eating disorders contributed by factors, such as sexual
abuse, poverty, class injuries, and racism (Thompson, 1992).
After watching “Killing Us Softly 4”, why would you say women are the most popular
central figures in the majority of advertisements across all industries?
Women are central figures in many advertisements because their lack of social power
when compared to that of men. Their body’s can, therefore, be objectified to suit various
societal needs. In the process, they have promoted destructive and distorted ideals of
feminine beauty that have caused a lot of harm to many women.

WEEK THREE GENDER QUIZ 4

References

Brumberg, J. J. (1997). Breast buds and the “training bra”. JJ Brumberg The Body Project:
An intimate history of American girls, 108-118.
Gimlin, D. L. (2004). Cosmetic surgery: Paying for your beauty. Feminist Frontiers, 6, 94-
108.
Naomi, W. O. L. F. (1991). The beauty myth: How images of beauty are used against women.
Vintage.
Thompson, B. W. (1992). “A way outa no way”: Eating problems among African-American,
Latina, and White women. Gender & Society, 6(4), 546-561.