Real Beauty

This video was shown to me last year by my Concepts of Self teacher Professor Wade. It had an immediate reaction on me. At first I wanted to deny the message, to run from the horrible truth. The sad fact of the issue is that it is undeniably true. It tells us that to be perfect, to be wanted, to be better, we cannot be ourselves. Looking back on that ad now through the lens of Darwin, I see a clear evolution of human culture.

How is it that we have arrived at this moment. Where we adore the appearance more than the person? I'll take a jump and say this has been an issue ever since the human race was a patriarchal society. Elizabeth Stanton piece in Darwin(Pg. 426) pushes the idea that this patriarchal society arose from Christian religion. She tells us that women are put into a subordinate role because of the temptation of Eve and the fall of man. Looking at many other religions, women also are cast in the same role. This religious persecution helped men rise as the leaders of humanity thousands and thousands of years ago, and it is only in our contemporary times when women has begun to assert themselves from under the rule of men. Even as the shift was happening it was opposed by some of the most revolutionary minds. Darwin, a brilliant man, made a list of the things marriage would bring him " ... constant companion, (friend in old age) who will feel interested in one, object to be beloved and played with - better than a dog anyhow - Home, and someone to take care of the house ..." (Darwin, 1958:232,233)

"better than a dog anyhow" those words stopped me. He is comparing a loving relationship with his future wife to a dogs companionship.... This kind of thinking arose from his research in evolution. Women being inferior was an absolute for his theory to work. Darwin observed that natural selection only applied to the males because they were the ones in dangerous situations. They fed the family, they found shelter, they are the ones who foughtt for a mate. Females on the other hand did little in the wild, they stayed at the nest, or home and tended to the young. Their only other task was to submit to the male.

Philip K. Dicks story The Golden Man captures Darwin's point of view perfectly. Cris is another step in evolution. Not only can he see into the future, but he is irresistible to women. These two attributes in combination give him the greatest chance of survival. In the story, a brilliant women by the name of Anita Ferris is reduced to a submissive role when she encounters Cris. These Darwinian theories are called into question by Evelleen Richards in her article "Darwin and the Descent of Women". Her opinion on Darwin's ideas was that he was trapped in the Victorian style of thinking when it came to social class and that his ideas of women are needed to confirm his theory.

Women's conditions have evolved radically within the past century. The suffrage movement gave the right to vote. Since that moment women have begun to change society. For the first time in American history a women ran for president. However, mass media often still paints women as objects to only be looked at. This is beginning to breakdown though. I watched a clip of The Incredible's recently. A line by Edna (the costume maker) snagged me, " Super models. Heh! nothing super about them... spoiled, stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves" These small remarks are a simple way to alert people to our adolescent view of women. The video I share with you is part of Dove's campaign for Real Beauty. Instead of finding professional models they are using non-tradition models like normal mothers, to express the opinion that the human race is above this petty beauty contest.

After reading Darwin I can observe this evolution of human culture. Hopefully within this generation the evolution of women's roles will reach new heights and become truly equal. Small steps like Dove campaign are closer to making that dream a reality.

Works Cited
Dick, Philip K. "The Golden Man." The Philip K. Dick Reader. New York: Kensington Corp, 1997. 31-55. Print.

-----. (Nora Barlow, Ed.). 1958. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1809-1882. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.

"Evolution" No wonder our perception of beauty is so distorted. Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. Dove. Web. 26 Nov. 2009. .
Richards, Evelleen. “Darwin and the Descent of Women.” in Darwin. 3rd ed. Philip Appleman, ed . New York: W.W.Norton, 2001.
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “The Women’s Bible.” in Darwin. 3rd ed. Philip Appleman, ed . New York: W.W.Norton, 2001.

The Incredibles. Dir. Brad Bird. Prod. John Walker. Perf. Craig T. Nelson Holly Hunter Sarah Vowell Spencer Fox Jason Lee. Walt Disney Pictures, 2004. DVD.