14 DAY TRIAL // Women are constantly under pressure to look good. Moreover, they say, if one woman in a certain group or line of work does something about her appearance and steps up her game, the others are forced to rise to the new standard as well, whether they like it or not. Men, on the other hand, have it very easy: suffice it that they be average looking, but have wits and brains on their side, William Leith of Daily Mail’s View from Planet Bloke believes.
Our society relies heavily on this double standard when it comes to looks, and the media images that have been in circulation for decades show it clearly: women have to strive for perfection, while men are OK if they’re simply above average. The kind of pressure that this puts on the regular woman, the one that has to go to work, take care of her family and perform chores around the house (unlike movie stars and celebrities in general) is immense, while apparently leaving men plenty of space to move around.
To illustrate his case, Leith offers the example of Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, who recently starred together in the romantic comedy “The Ugly Truth.” While everything about Heigl screams perfection, or the closest thing to it, from the hair to the brilliant smile, and proportioned and toned body, Butler looks like the kind of guy one expects to see sitting on a nearby stool at the local pub. He’s average at best, Leith says, so perhaps women all over the world should feel bad about being put to this kind of trouble when the gents get away with it so easily.
Then again, perhaps things are never as simple as they seem at first glance, Leith argues. For instance, while Butler might not be what we may call “gorgeous,” his appeal lies elsewhere: his strong personality, that certain sense of utmost confidence that follows him around whatever project he might do, his sense of humor, his wits and, last but not least, the fact that he’s a brilliant actor. In fewer words, in the power he has. Men don’t have it easier, they just fight by different rules than women, the Mail piece further argues.
“Our screens are full of good-looking women and average-looking men. And, what’s more, if this is a problem, it can only get worse. Think of cosmetic surgery, and all of those other things women can do to make themselves more beautiful. The nips and tucks and fillers and plumpers. It's an arms race. When one female newsreader edges closer to perfection, the others must follow. What a difficult world in which to be a woman.” Leith says of the emphasis placed on good looks in women’s case.
“Women, it’s true, are under pressure to be beautiful. But men are under pressure, too. They are power objects. The male world, in other words, is just as competitive as the female world. Women look at men and see a glorious world that does not depend on looks – a world in which you don’t have to put make-up on every day, don’t have to watch every mouthful of food you eat, and don’t spend so much time wondering when you’ll finally capitulate and go under the knife. Men scope each other out. Under the surface, they seethe with aggression. They are power-hungry and competitive. To get on as a man, you need to be in touch with a certain type of male power, a sort of tamed aggression. No surgeon can give this to you. And make-up won’t help in the least.” Leith argues.