Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need
A. enhancing B. signified C. dimmed D. reliance E. delicate F. appeal G. worth H. radiant I. reinforced J. diverse K. intensifying |
For centuries, beauty has been the currency of womanhood, transcending class, culture, and time. More valuable than intelligence, athleticism, confidence, or kindness, physical beauty has always been a woman's most precious commodity.
In the Middle Ages, women would bleed themselves to achieve a pale complexion. A paleface 【小题1】 wealth. and nobility. Lead poisoning as a result of skin and hair powdering was equally common throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Complexion 【小题2】 edible wafers made of arsenic, known to cause cancer, promised to transform the most sallow (yellowish and unhealthy) skin into 【小题3】 health; remove pimples; and clear the face of freckles and tan.
Women's bodies were equally under criticism or attack. Corsets(紧身衣), at the height of their 【小题4】 in the 19lh century, prompted women to remove ribs and endure skeletal deformities and organ damage, in addition to the inconvenient and frequent fainting spells that they caused.
The list of dangerous, violent, and harmful practices imposed on women's bodies is endless, and the pathological obsession with female beauty has hardly 【小题5】 in recent years. Rather, with globalization and mass production, the 20th century brought unprecedented exposure to the beauty industry and saw the 【小题6】 of unrealistic beauty standards. Today, beauty is a $488 billion industry. where the Asia—Pacific now accounts for one third of the industry's global value and is one of the world's fastest—growing markets.
It is uncomfortable to acknowledge that, despite significant progress in women's rights, beauty continues to endure and be 【小题7】 as the dominant currency for women. Female beauty, no matter how expanded and 【小题8】 the definition, will continue to be an oppressive restriction on women unless we challenge the system that advocates the notion that beauty is a woman's primary currency. This notion harms women, occupies a majority of their time, and distracts society from the diversity of talents that we have to offer.
The answer to this problem is not the creation of more space for beauty content and conversation. Instead, let's lift and celebrate the diversity of other areas of female 【小题9】 including their contribution to sport, history, academia, science, politics, and business This does not mean that we ignore beauty entirely. Instead, we must admit that there is a toxic preoccupation with female beauty that is driven by a 【小题10】 on women's shame and insecurity.