> From: Marvin Gandall <marvgandall at videotron.ca>
>
>> A much more muted and benign form
> of self-objectification is the tendency of many progressive feminists to
> wear lipstick, perfume, and dye their hair.
>
> But Marvin, I like to wear cologne, and I keep my nails a little long
> because, well, I don't have that many attractive physical attributes but I
> do have nice nails. And believe me, if I could get away with dying my
> hair--as it is, I'm going to shave my head and my grey, grey mustache for
> job hunting next week. Perhaps that's self-objectification, or perhaps I
> simply like to ornament the object that is my body.
>
> And once I get that job, I'm getting my ear re-pierced,
>
> John or Johnene? You make the call
--------------------------
Point noted - it's also men, but it may go beyond a simple desire to
ornament the body.
It seems functional. So long as there is competition for goods and sexual partners, it seems there will necessarily be efforts to match or surpass the standards of physical fitness and appearance laid down by the community in order to obtain these. Under capitalism, where there is intense competition for jobs and partners, these needs have spawned a huge industry.
The biologists would say that if it's still more prevalent and pronounced among women than men, it stems from the fact that men were once picked for their capacity to bring home the bacon - often still are - and women for their ability to be produce offspring, hence the greater need to look young and fertile. But it would appear that as males face greater job competition - partly as a result of the mass entry of women into the workforce - they have become increasingly subject to the same pressures to look look younger and fitter, so these distinctions have levelled out. Those "Grecian formula" ads for men were aimed directly at older male job insecurity.
But I'm really straying out of my territory here, and should leave it to the anthros and sociologists.