Size Six: The Western Women's Harem Summary

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The social controversy, "men control women’s femininity," is not a new topic in literature or in community. Mernissi Fatema, a Morocco sociologist, writes the article, "Size Six: The Western Women's Harem,” about an incident when she visits an American clothing store, attempting to buy a skirt which was smaller for her. However, the seller leaves negative opinions about Mernissi by saying she is too big for the skirt and refuses to help her to find another size since that is her appearance’s problem. Mernissi explains that beauty should be considered as a youthful moment. But as women get older, beauty becomes their self-esteem and responsibility. Mernissi acknowledges that both Western and Eastern women believe their society’s purpose is “to make women feel unwelcome, inadequate, and ugly," and that men often take control over the ideology of women’s beauty (Mernissi 278). Mernissi’s argument tells the readers that women become dependent on men’s expectation of their beauty. Mernissi states her arguments in an article issued by TheChicagoManualOfStyle, "Size 6: The Western Women's Harem,” about how men influence women’s ideology of beauty. From the incident above, Mernissi states that the American seller…show more content…
For instance, women make their lives more difficult by preferring men taller or older than them. Another example is that the media plays a significant role in the gender socialization process by instilling gender ideologies on the society. Newspaper, media, and social network effect the thinking and behaviors of women. This proves that they are the victims of the post-modern societal discourse and being controlled over by their society’s view on beauty. However, it is true that Western ideology of feminine beauty does not always depend on men’s desire for women. It is the human nature of self-esteem and self-satisfaction to one’s

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