1) In Susan Douglas’s essay, she write about how women are portrayed as beautiful ladies that are meant to look very “womanly” and sexy.  She says how they are meant to be beautiful and wear makeup and look pretty.  But she does not talk about equality of women and men, and how women are not just expected to be beautiful and look good but can also work just as men do and do not have to be perfect and beautiful as media portrays them to be.  These are the underlying assumptions in Douglas’s essay.  It explains how women are portayed as all makeup and beautiful, not as plus size or as hard working women that can do just as men do.

2) All throughout this essay, Douglass talks about narcissism and how women are portrayed in the world of men.  The essay discusses narcissism as liberation and about all the debate over cosmetic companies and commercializing of their products as showing women as having to be beautiful.  All over the media there are commercials for makeup, perfume, and all these products that portray women to look more beautiful.  It is the media and cosmetic companies that are responsible for what people think of women and how they are shown.  Women’s bodies are shown on television as slim and beautiful, with plenty of makeup and perfume and smooth skin and very sexy.  Even today this is still how women are portrayed.  But this is not good.  Women as well can do work just as men do.