“Narcissism as Liberation” Questions for a Second Reading

1. Douglass views women as being very self-indulgent and only caring about themselves and their appearance. She uses witty descriptions of women like “…snuggling with their white angora cats while wearing white silk pajamas” (Douglass 117) to make the reader visualize this stereotypical view of women. Douglass stresses the idea of narcissism, saying that women have taken on a narcissistic personality. This personality is “other-directed” and consumed by self doubt. The many images of women that Douglass expresses poses women as self-absorbed in their own beauty. She discusses how women strive for perfection, whether it is thinner thighs, less wrinkles, or flawless skin. Douglass criticizes women saying that this strive for perfection almost makes them look silly and less perfect than before. “…the various forms of white goop that we [women] slopped on our faces had amazing names that cloaked the products in mystery were keeping supposedly technophobic and techno-dumbo females engaged and credulous” (Douglass 123). This stereotype of women is one that Douglass spends a lot of time discussing. She portrays women to be liberated in the sense that they are free to try more things. However, they are less intellectually capable to make decisions to try new things; therefore, they remain “techno-dumbos”.

2. Douglass uses many different types of interpretive strategies in her writing, including lingo. She talks extensively about women’s liberation and how narcissism has played a role in this movement. She also incorporates the “narcissistic personality” to this idea of liberation. This is the self-absorbed way in which women act. Douglass stresses how the media and advertising is responsible for determining the meaning of women’s bodies. Unfortunately, the media can interpret women any way they like. According to Douglass, this is done through representations of appearance and self-indulgent behavior. A woman’s personality and individuality is at stake here. Because of these media representations of the “ideal” woman, women lost their own sense of self when they try to be more like the woman in the magazine or the woman on tv.

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