1) Throughout the essay Susan Douglass writes using a humorous and clever tone. Rather than simply listing examples of women and their image in the media, she uses language such as ” Women of the 1980’s still felt like worthless losers when they looked in the mirror or horrors of horrors tried on a bathing suit.”( 119) As a part of her critique, she focuses on women who are in constant need of improving their appearance. The advertisements show flawless women that have perfect bodies and thus represent perfect lifestyles. Douglas says, “The ability to spend time and money on oneself was a sign of personal success.” (118) In the advertisements Susan discusses, she concentrates on young, confident, “dimple free” women. Thus the insecure women who see these advertisements are constantly comparing themselves to the “perfect” women. From the essay one could conclude that Susan Douglass considers it “womanly” to be comfortable and natural with ones not so perfect body.

2) Douglass is doing an analysis on advertising that include the analysis of literature, film, fashion, sports, art and literature. For example, she says, ” The cult of narcissism saw in the 1970’s exploded in the 1980″s nurtured by Reagan’s me-first-and-to hell with everyone else political and moral philosophies.” (120). Her writing is cynical and through her many examples of women in advertisements, she provides an example of how the media is tainting and disrupting many women’s views about themselves. Women are more concentrated on their appearance and superficial thoughts due to the medias focus on the women’s body. Douglass, wants people to deconstruct the media and advertisements and realize they are using an image to sell a product.