On the whole, there is still an enormous difference between the premium put on physical beauty of women and the lack of concern about the same with regard to men. Consumerism, as well as the higher standard of beauty and style for men created by wider acceptance of male homosexuality, has gone some way to bridging the gap, especially for younger men. Probably the gap will remain, though, as long as men have more money, power, and intellectual recognition than women.
BTW, beauty is inherently anti-egalitarian -- you are either more or less beautiful according to the limited standards set by the dominant ideology; whereas style can be much more democratic -- men and women can create an endless variety of styles and make them work for themselves.
As for sexual attraction to the "opposite sex" (why do sexes have to be "opposite," though?), women who try, for personal or professional reasons, to cultivate an image of gender-specific sexiness tend to become oppressed, whether they succeed or fail in their attempt. Marilyn Monroe spectacularly succeeded in becoming a sex symbol for men; and she did so very wittily. Her brains and acting ability, though, went unrecognized, many equating her screen persona with herself, which depressed her. If you have to cultivate sexiness, you might do so pan-sexually, as Marlene Dietrich, for instance, did.
In any case, with life expectancy ever lengthening, most of us will spend long, long periods of life beyond the rules of the sexual game (unless you are Jeanne Moreau!). We might as well put more emphasis on such traditional left-wing concerns as social security and universal health care, at the same time as changing images of old women -- check out Barbara Hammer's _Nitrate Kisses_, <http://www.barbarahammerfilms.com/nk.html>. :->
Here's info on women and retirement security:
***** Women and Retirement Security
A Report Prepared by the National Economic Council Interagency Working Group on Social Security
Executive Summary
* Women Have Lower Income in Retirement than Men--And Thus Higher Poverty. In 1997, median income for elderly unmarried women (widowed, divorced, separated, and never married) was $11,161, compared with $14,769 for elderly unmarried men and $29,278 for elderly married couples. Thus, the poverty rate for elderly women was higher than that of men: in 1997, the poverty rate of elderly women was 13.1 percent, compared to 7.0 percent among men. Among unmarried elderly women, the poverty rate was significantly higher--about 19 percent.
* Social Security Is Particularly Important to Women. Elderly unmarried women--including widows--get 51 percent of their total income from Social Security. Unmarried elderly men get 39 percent, while elderly married couples get 36 percent of their income from Social Security. For 25 percent of unmarried women, Social Security is their only source of income, compared to 9 percent of married couples and 20 percent of unmarried men. Without Social Security benefits, the elderly poverty rate among women would have been 52.2 percent and among widows would have been 60.6 percent.
* Women Face Greater Economic Challenges in Retirement. First, women tend to live longer: a woman who is 65 years old today can expect to live to 85, while a 65 year old man can expect to live to 81. Second, women have lower lifetime earnings than men do. And third, women reach retirement with smaller pensions and other assets than men do....
* Poverty Rates Among Unmarried Elderly Women--Especially Widows Who Make up 45 Percent of All Elderly Women--Are High. Divorced women are a growing share of the elderly population, and their poverty rate is higher than the overall elderly poverty rate. And finally, poverty rates among elderly minority groups are unacceptably high.
* Among Current Retirees, Women Have Much Less Pension Coverage Than Men. Only 30 percent of all women aged 65 or older were receiving a pension in 1994 (either worker or survivor benefits), compared to 48 percent of men.
* Pensions Received by Women Are Worth Less than Those Received by Men. Among new private sector pension annuity recipients in 1993-94, the median annual benefit for women was $4,800, or only half of the median benefit of $9,600 received by men. And among women approaching retirement, pension wealth is much smaller: for example, single women had average pension wealth that was 34 percent of the single men's average.
* Among Workers, Women's Pension Coverage Depends on Work Status. Overall, fewer women workers have pensions through work, 40 percent of women compared to 44 percent of men. However, women in full-time jobs are equally likely to have pension coverage as men; in 1997, 50 percent of women in full-time jobs had pensions compared to 49 percent of men. It is important to note, though, that women are much more likely to work part-time or be out of the labor force than men.
<http://www.ssa.gov/policy/pubs/womenrs.html> *****
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Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>