The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

The beauty myth is a societal construct that imposes impossible physical standards on women, primarily to control and suppress them as they gain professional and social power. It damages women's mental and physical health through eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and self-doubt, while pitting women against each other. This myth varies across cultures and is reinforced by media, marketing, and patriarchal structures to distract women from their progress and maintain male dominance.