In her famous video, Killing Us Softly, Jean Kilbourne mentions that women are often told to let their appearance “do the talking.” And, in another post, we’ve talked about how women are encouraged to do anything, as long as they look good doing it. Which brings me to this page from this month’s Seventeen:
Text:
Make a big impression! On the first day of school, tell everyone about yourself without saying a word: Just pick the look that makes the right statement for you!
And:
17 Tip: To make your eyes look really open and awake [I guess ’cause class is boring and you were out late partying last night?], line both your top and bottom lash lines with gold shadow.
And:
Focused! Subtle shadow lets people know you’re serious about school.
Jezebel reviews this month’s Seventeen magazine, chock full of anxiety-inspiring questions that all essentially translate into: “Are you sure you’re good enough?”
Comments 3
Le — July 13, 2008
I always laugh at the contradiction of the American adolescent mindset. On the one hand, you wanna be noticed by the cool kids by looking good enough to stand out. On the other hand, you're basically trying to be like everyone else cuz every kid in school is trying to look cool and acceptable. This type of contradiction is set up so the individual NEVER achieves satisfaction until you get to college and realize all the stuff you obsessed over as a teen mean nothing.
I guess I'm mostly speaking about my own experience.
Seventeen Magazine is crap, but you knew that. « Ottermatic — July 13, 2008
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Maddy — July 14, 2008
Going to college? Make sure to bring a pair of glasses! Glasses will make you look SMART! Who cares if you really are?