Unmaked Women

I agree with the author that women are constantly marked by our society and marked more than men are. However, I do not believe that every woman is marked. We are socialized to notice good looking people and place them on a pedestal based on their physical appearance. Many women who are not trying to stand out, but are what we would label as "ugly" go unnoticed.

Women perpetuate this cycle. Men do not judge women the same way women judge each other. Men do not even use most of the vocabulary women have created to describe each other. Even if another woman is more attractive, they are slandered with negative terms. Women mark each other much more than men do. If women ceased to mark each other, our culture could change.

I believe women do have a need to stand out in the workforce. Women are judged extremely harshly in contrast to men. The workplace is an environment of inequality. Women who succeed tend to stand out. Men stand out with the quality and efficiency of their work. Women need to accomplish this as well as their physical appearance. While this is extremely unjustified, it is the reality today. We have been taught from an early age at a micro-level to have a negative attitude towards women and their abilities. Whether or not our family gives us the message directly, it is there.