'The Beauty Myth'

As most women of a certain age can tell you, men who have The Barbie Syndrome share a common characteristic--interest in young women. By young ... I mean young as in women who are not in their age group, let alone their generation.

JANET, my just-turned-40 Sister-friend, is sipping her second Margarita and talking about the getting-older-thing. Though she has never been age-conscious, suffice it to say that, right now, Girlfriend has a serious attitude.

Janet's less-than-optimal mind-set has a lot to do with a recent blind date she went on. After some promising get-to-know-you chitchat revealed they had numerous common interests, Janet was certain that, not only would there be a second date, but that Boyfriend had real relationship potential. Until, that is, she mentioned her recent birthday. That's when the Brother almost broke a speed record trying to finish his dinner and their date.

"The way he acted, you'd have thought I said I was looking for a man to father my children," Janet says, trying to make light of her date from hell but clearly still stung by being dumped so quickly and cavalierly. "Brother had a bad case of The Barbie Syndrome [TBS]."

As most women of a certain age can tell you, men who have TBS share a common characteristic--interest in young women. By young I don't mean vital and vibrant. I mean young as in women who are not in their age group, let alone their generation. Of course, men involved with younger women is hardly new. But lately it seems the media have made them news. And it's getting on my nerves.

Oh, I know. I shouldn't care about the fawning coverage the media give to men, particularly rich White ones, who are involved in relationships with women half their age. (Think: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. And my personal favorite, Tony Curtis and Jill Vanden Berg, who at age 30, is not only a stunning 45 years younger than Curtis, but a dozen years younger than his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis.)


Information On The Beauty Myth:
A book produced my Naomi Wolf, which examines how beauty is a demand and judgment upon women. Which is known as ‘How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women’.

The beauty myth is sometimes viewed as succeeding The Feminine Mystique, which relegated women to the position of housewife, as the social guard over women.

What She Looks At:
Modern conceptions of women's beauty impact the spheres of employment, culture, religion, sexuality, eating disorders, and cosmetic surgery.