Simone de Beauvoir, a French existentialist writer, challenges the notion that women are naturally born as women. Instead, she argues that femininity is a social construct formed by male perspectives and expectations. De Beauvoir contends that women have historically been encouraged to conform to male-defined beauty standards, emphasizing passivity and objectification. Despite societal pressures, she asserts that women possess the freedom to reject these stereotypes and strive for equality.
Vocabulary:
• Stereotypes: Widely held but oversimplified ideas or beliefs about a particular group.
• Femininity: Qualities or attributes associated with being female.
• Artifice: Use of artificial means to achieve a particular appearance or effect.
• Constrain: To restrict or limit someone or something.
Source: BBC