15 Comments
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Nicole A's avatar

nice read and very well written! you got it right: if women were truly empowered in neoliberal capitalist societies, they wouldn’t need to sexualize themselves in search for validation and profit. if the body of a woman is turned (or has to be turned) into a product, for the eyes and pockets of men, primarily, that means they don’t really hold the power they thought they had, even if they made this choice willingly.

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Miranda Saul's avatar

Exactly! That’s a very important distinction to make! Thank you very much :)

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Juliana's avatar

great essay!!! love love love

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Miranda Saul's avatar

Thank you so much!

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morgan's avatar

you worded this so well! what a thought-provoking read.

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Miranda Saul's avatar

Thank you so much!

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⭑ ayesha's avatar

Beautifully written. The last paragraph really hits like a punch

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Miranda Saul's avatar

Thank you so much!

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Frances Eliza's avatar

Thank you so much for this beautiful article and for reminding me I need to reread A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

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Miranda Saul's avatar

Thank you so much for reading it!! And yes you must, Wollstonecraft never stops being relevant somehow

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Leaf's avatar

Really has had me thinking about how much of my life and presentation revolves around how I look. I spend HOURS in a day fussing over the scarring on my chin or am always catching glimpses of myself everywhere. If it’s not the chin then there’s always something else that’s ‘wrong’ that compels me to poke at myself in the mirror.

If I’m out, or at work, then I must be pretty enough to hold people’s attention, or what’s the point? I was never anything but an artist on Instagram but when I experienced the greatest heartbreak of my life, all I did was share photos of myself like bait

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Miranda Saul's avatar

Imagine how much time we would have to think about important things if we weren't so involved in how we looked? This is by design. Allegedly, the Facebook algorithm was trained to advertise beauty products to girls who had recently deleted selfies. We never stood a chance!

But give yourself grace, unlearning these things takes a long time.

Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience :)

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Leaf's avatar

Oh my god the thing about the Facebook algorithm is so sinister. But truly so worthwhile and I’m so grateful for candid essays like yours that can reflect back at how we behave in these circumstances. I absolutely love the references you’ve given.

So much to think about!

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jas's avatar

this was insane and so nessecary to say. also, your writing style is addictive. cheers

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Miranda Saul's avatar

thank you so much - that’s an incredibly generous compliment and it means a lot!

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