Search
Close this search box.
Heather Widdows (Birmingham)
No Duty To Resist: Why individual resistance is an ineffective response to dominant beauty ideals

2021 | 2022

ISSUE NO. 1 | VOLUME CXXII

MONDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2021

17.30 - 19.15

Due to the ongoing pandemic, The Aristotelian Society will be holding its meetings online via Zoom until further notice.

To join the presentation and discussion period for each talk you will need to follow this link.

If you have any problems or concerns about the software, please contact mail@aristoteliansociety.org.uk. You do not need to have a Zoom account or to download anything in advance but we have found that the software works better on Google Chrome or Firefox, rather than other browsers. Please log into the “waiting room” at least 5 minutes in advance of each talk.

Abstract

In this paper I argue that the way to reduce the power of overdemanding beauty ideals is not to advocate that individuals have a duty to resist; that the way to challenge dominant beauty norms is for women to simply refuse to engage in beauty practices and body work. I begin by refuting the argument that women who ‘do’ beauty are suffering from false consciousness. I then give five additional arguments against advocating a ‘duty to resist’ as an effective means to challenge dominant beauty norms. First, that it has proven to fail. Second, it is an individual approach which divides and silences. Third, it induces shame and blame and undermines effective collective action. Fourth, it ignores the empowerment that beauty engagement can bring. Fifth, it fails to recognise the privilege which makes resistance possible. If we wish to change the power what is a dominant and increasingly demanding beauty norm we need to focus away from what individuals’ do or don’t do to their bodies.

about

Heather Widdows

Heather Widdows is the John Ferguson Professor of Global Ethics and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Exchange) at the University of Birmingham. She is Deputy Chair of the Philosophy sub-panel for REF 2021 and was a member of the 2014 sub-panel. Her most recent book, Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal (2018), was described by Vogue as “ground-breaking” and listed by The Atlantic as one of the best books of 2018. She is author of The Connected Self: The Ethics and Governance of the Genetic Individual (2103), Global Ethics: An Introduction (2011), and The Moral Vision of Iris Murdoch (2005). She has co-edited, with Darrel Moellendorf, The Routledge Handbook of Global Ethics (2014). She co-runs the Beauty Demands Network and Blog and the #everydaylookism project.

FINAL Paper*

*No draft paper is available for this talk.

Meeting Address

Due to the Covid-19 situation, The Aristotelian Society will be holding its meetings online via Zoom until further notice. To join the presentation and discussion period for each talk you will need to follow this link. If you have any problems or concerns about the software, please contact mail@aristoteliansociety.org.uk. You do not need to have a Zoom account or to download anything in advance but we have found that the software works better on Google Chrome or Firefox, rather than other browsers. Please log into the “waiting room” at least 5 minutes in advance of each talk.

meeting time

The Society’s philosophy talks take place every fortnight on Mondays throughout the academic year. Each talk starts at 17.30 and lasts for approximately an hour. The remainder of the time is dedicated to discussion, which ends at 19.15.

Catering

All of the Society’s philosophy talks are catered with fairtrade teas, coffees, and biscuits.

Admission

In line with the Society’s mission to make philosophy readily available to the general public, all talks are free and membership is not required.

Draft Papers

Following over a century of tradition, draft papers for all the talks are available in advance. Please note that draft papers can only be cited with the authors permission (see below for final publication and subscription details). The draft paper for a talk is available approximately one week prior to its schedule delivery.

Final Papers

For the past 141 years, the Proceedings has featured widely respected papers delivered by a range of prominent philosophers, such as Alfred North Whitehead, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell, A.J. Ayer, P.F. Strawson, Karl Popper, Elizabeth Anscombe, Bernard Williams, Hubert Dreyfus, Alexander Nehamas, and Onora O’Neill. Final drafts of the papers – including discussion notes and exemplary graduate papers – are published in the Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society.

Accessibility

The venue at Senate House is wheelchair accessible and there are disabled toilet facilities on the ground floor. If you require a disabled parking space, or a hearing loop, please contact hdelascasas@aristoteliansociety.org.uk in advance, so that we can reserve these for you. Service animals are also welcome.