Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women's Lives

For the many third- and fourth-wave feminists who wonder what struggling with their appearance might mean for them in terms of their allegiance to the movement, Whitefield-Madrano debuts with an examination of this personal yet very public issue. The author provides women with not only hard and social science behind their gender's obsession with beauty and looks, and how it may be related to evolution, but also explores the implications of wanting to be pretty in a world that requires women to be fierce competitors with men. Are women caving to the patriarchy when they wear makeup and care about the size of their waistline? Or are they taking ownership of their look and being empowered? These are but some of the nuances that are skillfully navigated as the book outlines the history, theory, and expert feminist voices who have been shaping the female view of self for generations.