The Iron Maiden

In the essay The Beauty Myth, the author presents the notion of the Iron Maiden. As she exposes in her writing this is a device in which individuals are trapped, they suffer through starvation or the metal spikes that are fixed in the casket. The Iron Maiden represents for many women if not all, the beauty trap. There are certain standards in every society; in our society the norm for women is to be as thin as a stick, to have flawless skin, luscious hair, perky breasts and round bottoms. Women by far contrast to men are trapped by the ideals of beauty that society imposes on them. Many women look themselves in the mirror and see distorted images of themselves. They see in their reflection doubt, frustration, fear and insufficiency. They doubt that they are not good enough, they are frustrated by they beauty norms they do not fulfill, they fear their image defines them and many times they feel like despite of everything they accomplish that they lack what society wants from them. And how can we not feel this way if in every turn we make there is a magazine or a billboard reminding us of what a we “should” look like. I myself cannot walk through a store without feeling anxious; I start questioning myself how many pounds do I need to loose to fit into that dress? Or how many sit-ups do I have to do to look good in that pair of shorts? The real question is why do I have to make myself fit into anything? Why can’t I just be me and be ok with the weight I have? This should be every woman’s questioning, so we can then work to redefine the beauty standards.