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Objectification Of Women In The Great Gatsby

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Brooke Lippman English 10 Nemeroff May 30, 2023 The Price of Perfection The objectification of women displayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is a commentary on the evolution of beauty standards and the importance of wealth and “things” in society then and now. Material wealth and how you present yourself are two essential factors to qualify as ‘society’ then; however, when thinking about culture today, what defines us? Fitzgerald’s depiction of Daisy illustrates what was socially acceptable for women during the 1920s. Tom’s ability to give “her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars” (Fitzgerald, 76) is a commentary on the importance of wealth as well as the idea of something pulling Daisy …show more content…

Fitzgerald’s commentary on the word ‘nice’ can be interpreted to mean pleasant or wealthy. However, if he was attracted to her because she was kind, wouldn’t Gatsby talk about their time together in relation to this? Her economic status, paired with the civilized aspects of being wealthy, is genuinely what Fitzgerald means when saying “nice” as he spends the following two pages talking about “her rich house” (Fitzgerald, 149). The text demonstrates that the underlying “thing” Gatsby loved the most was her wealth. It was the fact that “he had never been in such a beautiful house before” (Fitzgerald, 148). that more so attracted Gatsby to Daisy rather than Daisy …show more content…

The implications of social media on teens, adults, and children have forever altered the standards of beauty as well as the general upbringing of young adults. Today, teens globally use apps like Instagram, Tiktok, and Snapchat daily, scrolling through pictures and posts of friends, family, mutuals, or celebrities. It has created empowerment but also unease for many females. How people present themselves on social media today has the same effect as how people would have presented themselves at Gatsby’s parties then. The value in society of having “things” is still prevalent as material things like named brand clothing and other items, along with the status associated with cars and even with private schools, are viewed by many from a social or wealth perspective. However, the hold over our society today is more prominently amplified by the beauty standards advertised by social media. Engendering these false depictions of what you should look and act like is more detrimental to society as the effect of it begins earlier. In “The Great Gatsby,” characters like Daisy do not hide behind a screen like our population does today. Yes, Daisy does wear this “mask” of how she feels (don’t love this mask of how…) through her actions and appearance, but social media’s cloak is far worse than faking it till you make it. It becomes a game of who can look like they

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