“The ideal woman,” writes
Jia Tolentino, “has always been generic.” She looks like an Instagram, even if you see her in real life:
She’s of indeterminate age but resolutely youthful presentation. She’s got glossy hair and the clean, shameless expression of a person who believes she was made to be looked at. She is often luxuriating when you see her – on remote beaches, under stars in the desert, across a carefully styled table, surrounded by beautiful possessions or photogenic friends. Showcasing herself at leisure is either the bulk of her work or an essential part of it.
In this outstanding essay, Ms. Tolentino explains how capitalism, patriarchy, and technology lead many women into a perpetual process of optimizing. Advancing in your career means scarfing down kale salads every day at
Sweetgreen while checking work email. Exercising focuses less on health and more on looking taut.
Barre, with its “rapid-fire series of positions and movements,” offers the most efficient path. Only once you’ve made it can you enjoy
Lululemon, whose pants, according to the founder (a man), “just actually don’t work” on “some women’s bodies.”
Ms. Tolentino, an eminently talented writer, is spot on about culture. This essay, an excerpt from
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion (released on Tuesday, already a bestseller), is no exception. It’ll push your thinking, get you to laugh, and help you connect the dots. (20 min)