Sarah's review
Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty by Nancy L. Etcoff
I read this immediately after reading The Beauty Myth because it was billed as a rebuttal. The idea is that "beauty" is not a social construct after all, but an evolutionary fact.
Since it was billed as a rebuttal, I feel compelled to rate them against each other. Survival is definitely easier to get through. It is better written. It is full of fun facts and studies. I read both books on vacation and Survival definitely seemed more appropriate for the beach!
But I couldn't help but feel that it didn't have a cohesive argument; it didn't have something important to say like The Beauty Myth did. I think the main mistake was inviting the comparison by referencing The Beauty Myth. As a stand-alone book about why we find certain characteristics attractive, it was very interesting and I'm glad I read it.
But I wasn't convinced that evolution is all that is going on.
And strangely, even though it was a lighter read, it was actually mo...more
Since it was billed as a rebuttal, I feel compelled to rate them against each other. Survival is definitely easier to get through. It is better written. It is full of fun facts and studies. I read both books on vacation and Survival definitely seemed more appropriate for the beach!
But I couldn't help but feel that it didn't have a cohesive argument; it didn't have something important to say like The Beauty Myth did. I think the main mistake was inviting the comparison by referencing The Beauty Myth. As a stand-alone book about why we find certain characteristics attractive, it was very interesting and I'm glad I read it.
But I wasn't convinced that evolution is all that is going on.
And strangely, even though it was a lighter read, it was actually mo...more
that is a depressing thought to imagine being up against billions of years of conditioning. And after reading the book, I thought maybe I should go color my hair. And I felt silly for having it short. :)
