Читать книгу Blessing the Curse? - Ksenija Magda - Страница 10

Men who are situated at the top of a hierarchy often try to acquire a goddess, a woman that has climbed to the top of a beauty hierarchy through pageants and beauty contests. Having a beautiful goddess at one’s side is an additional proof of a man’s success, for every god needs a goddess. There is a whole industry that supports goddesses, and a constant war about who is more beautiful, which is supported by ever-changing fashion trends, expensive salons, pedicures, manicures. Being a goddess takes a lot of work and money, but if the right man comes along, it will all pay off, for a man of stature will pamper his goddesses because her beauty adds to his status in the world.

Yet goddesses pay a huge price for this status, as they have to surrender their other gifts to the pursuit of beauty. Nevertheless, a whole culture of mothers teaches their daughters (sometimes as early as two or three years old) that if they want a good life, they need to win beauty contests. In most cultures, women are taught that getting a man as soon as possible and as high up the hierarchy as possible will ensure her a good life. Unfortunately, when sex and money are no longer satisfying, goddesses often realize that they want a life for themselves apart from their successful husbands. Moreover, when they lose their looks (and beauty is temporary, as we all know), they are usually exchanged for a younger goddess. Other women often look at goddesses as witches and fear that they will lure away their husbands, jeopardizing their own positions.