#please dont hesitate to bring forward counterpoints because i do feel like im missing or misunderstanding something

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

another thing that confuses me about the feminist debate around „pretty privilege“/beauty bias is that i see the same women say „attractive women face problems because they’re attractive“ but „beauty is subjective/not tangible“ like which is it? because either there are attractive women and they face issues or attractiveness is not relevant because its less tangible than other (more severe) dimensions of inequality. and do they really face these issues due to being attractive or because theyre women? because i dont see attractive men face the same issues. i would call it misogyny.

its possible to face misogyny and yet have advantages in other regards - from what ive gathered regarding attractiveness this is mainly related to social acceptance, attractive people having an easier time fitting in and making friends and being treated preferentially on the job market (with the infamous exception of women being denied for being „too beautiful“ which i would again attribute to misogyny rather than attractiveness). which can help build self-esteem and mental health (which does not mean attractive people cant develop mental issues for other reasons) and impact material reality.

dont twist my words now because beauty bias and white supremacy are not even in the same realm and also cant be separated because racism influences beauty ideals and perception, but if you can acknowledge that white women profit from being white, and lightskin women profit from that compared to darkskin women, while still facing misogyny for being women, it should be possible to imagine that attractive women profit from their attractiveness but it can „backfire“ because of misogyny, like it can for white and lightskin women respectively (for example when they are fetishised for their whiteness or being white passing). misogyny is inescapable but it doesnt mean there arent different positions within the system of patriarchy. consider that misogyny even backfires on men despite them having male privileges (for example being sanctioned for being feminine). and if you can acknowledge that fat bias exists it should be possible to acknowledge beauty bias too?

im a bit sad how the debate is going because i see a lot of potential for solidarity here, but for that we first have to acknowledge that there are differences, that attractiveness or lack thereof does create inequality, but that we are more connected because we are women than we are separated by attractiveness. women sharing experiences how they are treated because of their looks is so important. attractiveness is weaponised to separate us. and i would also like to see acknowledged that attractiveness is not just femininity (sociocultural) but it plays a huge part. guess i just miss some more nuance because i see a lot of takes that either claim attractive women dont face misogyny or less attractive women dont face misogyny when in reality misogyny just takes different forms.

i feel like a lot of backlash comes from the difficulty of distancing ourselves from beauty as value, even as feminists. its just not socially acceptable to call someone unattractive. the experiences of average looking and unattractive women are often dismissed because „no woman is ugly“ while the experiences of attractive women are dismissed because the empty promise of beauty was drilled into our heads.