The Death of Pretty and Dadbod

The Death of Pretty

"Pretty, pretty is dying."

     The Death of Pretty, by Pat Archbold can best be understood in that simple sentence. The article points out that in today's society pretty as a term is being replaced by hot. Pretty things are dying and by extension the innocence of a modern woman is also dying. Where once women wore sundress and shirts, those things have been replaced by short shorts and yoga pants. Archbald makes the claim, one which I can agree with, that men prefer pretty and all that in entails, over hot. Where pretty and innocent inspires a man's desire to protect, hot simply inspires a man's desire. Of course men want to protect but for the modern women, what is there to protect?
     Archbald hints that this shift has come partly as a result of men, partly of women, and mostly of idols. The people we look up to as stars, as icons of our modern age, have inspired women to become hot, gorgeous, and sexy. Our icons pursued this image because, as everyone knows, sex sells and women were just following their role models.
     It is perhaps ironic that the modern woman, in her effort to be independent over past women, have only succeeded in becoming objects of a different variety. A change that is not entirely for the better.


Dadbod: A New Word for a Timeless Physique

Dadbod is a term that has been around for a while but recently has seen a rise in popularity. It is a term which is jokingly leading to the objectification of men. Men have always been the ones to "play sports and eat pizza" as Spencer Kornhaber writes, but gives a word to it. However perhaps the most important idea that Kornhaber writes is that " a catchy name for you're physique doesn't mean you're special; it means that finally, you're like everyone else". The term dadbod is more important than it looks because it is just slightly bringing men down to the level we view other people at. It is making a joke and stereotyping a group of males away from the cultural norm.