Exploring the Beauty Myth in Kiera Cass's Novel 'The Selection' (2012)

Abstract

This study aims to dismantle beauty myth in the novel The Selection (2012) by Kiera Cass. In the novel, Kiera Cass depicts a female character who always faces beauty standards. In analyzing the issue, the writer applies the concept of feminism from Naomi Wolf in her book Beauty Myth (2002) by using a qualitative method that focuses on the concept and impact of beauty myth as evidenced through a collection of narratives in the novel. The results found in this study are female characters only show four of the six beauty myth concepts described, such as work, culture, hunger, and violence, and the most dominant concept is culture. In addition, the writer also found the impact of beauty myths referring to restrictions on social freedom, causing discomfort, creating competitive conflicts, and losing a lot of time.

Keywords: Beauty Myth, Beauty Standards, Culture, Feminism.