Hey everyone! My name is Tricia and this week, I want to discuss the theme of beauty displayed by Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters.
Throughout the novel, we can observe how beauty plays an important role in characterizing both people and society. In the novel, both women and men are portrayed to be greatly preoccupied with beauty and we can see the power of American influence that had on the perception of beauty in the Philippines. However, some of these characters exemplify the emptiness of beauty and glamour and show that American culture’s influence on beauty has flaws too.
In “Movie Star,” Hagedorn uses Lolita Luna, a famous movie star who uses beauty to manipulate and gain power, to show that being beautiful and famous does not necessarily get you whatever you dream of getting.
She punished him with her beauty… She agrees with those who attribute her success to her flagrant sexuality and magnificent body… She is a movie star who thrusts her hips and tongue out at the General in that privileged, mocking way of hers, complaining… (Hagedorn 170-171).
Lolita dreams of moving to New York or Los Angeles to study acting and pursue her dreams beyond of what she has in the Philippines. Lolita Luna uses her physical beauty and fame to manipulate powerful men like General Ledesma and believes that her beauty will lead her to pursue her dreams. However, Hagedorn states
Lolita realized she had deceived herself…She is a talented actress, but she does not know it. Lolita is paid well for her movies, but she’s always broke (Hagedorn 171).
I think Lolita is fooling herself by thinking that she can get and be whatever she wants just through believing in her great physical appearance. Relying on her beauty and fame, Lolita comes to realize she has nothing and is depressed.
Other examples of beauty displayed in Dogeaters include Joey, a prostitute who uses his beauty to lure customers, Rio’s mother Dolores, who cares just entirely about her looks, and Daisy Avila, who wins a beauty pageant but is not pleased.
The concept of beauty displayed by Hagedorn’s Dogeaters leads to the following questions:
- Do you think Hagedorn was promoting or discouraging the Philippines to adapt to American’s influence of beauty?
- Do you think society’s expectations and praise for being “beautiful” have a more negative or positive affect on people? If you think it has a negative affect, why do you think people still try to follow these images of being “beautiful?”
- Many different cultures have their own definition of “beauty.” For example, in my Korean culture, the standard of being beautiful is having pale white skin, having a small facial structure, having long silky hair, and a thin body. Share with me the standards of beauty from your culture. Also, share with me your personal thoughts on the “standards of beauty.”
English 4W: Transnational America 
1) I absolutely believe that Hagedorn is discouraging American influence in the Philippines. However, in this particular scenario, I do not believe beauty pageants in the Philippines are influenced by the United States. Praising beauty is a common thing to do every where in the world and it has been throughout time. Hagedorn denounces beauty because of the way it is employed to manipulate others.
2) I believe society’s expectations and praise for beauty have a negative affect on people. I feel as if “beautiful” people are more appreciated and more privileged than “ugly” people simply because they appeal more to people. Furthermore, beauty leads to manipulation as is the case with Luna and General Ladesma. The General lauds Luna because she is beautiful. besides being stronger and more powerful than she is, he breaks down to her. he is dominated by Lolita because he longs to have sex with her. Physical appearance, in this case, is used to show how people fall prey to it.
3) I believe that the idea of beauty from your culture is similar to mine. specifically though, in my culture, short, light skinned, big-booty women are most desirable. Even though I believe that it is wrong to want women for their physical appearance instead of their inner beauty, it happens naturally. similarly, lauding others for their beauty happens in every culture. it is a natural instinct.
What are your personal standards and beliefs on beauty?
Why do you believe the world cares about beauty so much?
From Hagedorn’s perspective, would a society without beauty be ideal?
How else in the novel has beauty triumphed? has it ever lost?
since beauty does not last forever, how do you think the characters who are “beautiful” work their way around others?
Referring back to what you said about beauty pageants not being influenced by the United States… Based upon research I learned that beauty pageants started in the 20’s with “Miss America.” Although we are not sure that the U.S. was the complete influence of beauty pageants in the Philippines, I do believe that, following Hagedorn’s theme of portraying American influence in the novel, she was using the beauty pageants to show us the negative impact of American influence.
I agree with you in the sense that society’s expectations and praise for beauty has a negative affect on people. Today’s society is so caught up on how people look and how they are portrayed by other people. I believe that because of this, everyone tries to look or be like someone they are not. Thus, this leads to people losing uniqueness and people set upon just one idea of beauty. For example, recently there has been a new popular trend called the “thigh gap.” The “thigh gap” has been popular amongst girls from junior high school to women in their 20’s. This trend has been portrayed by skinny models on tumblr, instagram, and other social media where having a gap between your thighs is the new definition of being skinny and beautiful. From my personal experience, I have seen friends starve and put their health at risk to follow up on what society has called “beauty.”
Hey Tricia,
1. I believe that in the novel, Hagehorn is discouraging the Philippines from adapting to America’s notion of beauty. I believe the America’s influence on the country has lead to a preoccupation on a preconceived notion of beauty that we can also see in characters, such as Dolores and Pucha.
2. Societies expectations of “beauty” definitely have a negative effect on people and we are able to see it in the novel through Baby Alarcon. In the novel she was demoralized that her features were different than those that her parents deemed as beautiful. As a result, he because so nervous around her parents she would sweat profusely. Although these expectations are negative, people still follow these trends in order to feel accepted as a part of society.
3. Due to the Spanish influence after colonialism in Guatemala, lighter skin and more European features were considered to be beautiful. In my culture, often times people with more indigenous and darker features were discriminated against due to the color of their skin. However, I believe that everyone is unique in a different way and there is no way of predetermining or dictating what someone should look like.