| Women are often caught in a double bind between the rewards offered for embracing masculine values and their own betrayal of the feminine. An awakening to this truth usually occurs in midlife or later, and the shift can be profound due to the historical lack of value of the feminine in Western culture. This thesis explores the impact of the beauty myth and patriarchy on women as they age. Using a combined hermeneutic and heuristic approach, these aspects are examined through the film Chocolat, with the main character likened unto the Greek goddess Hecate and in relation to the author's experiences. Various dynamics involving the beauty myth, the influence of the patriarchy, aging women, and the concept of the crone as a stage in women's development are examined to provide a reframing and normalizing of emotions for women embarking on a new, older phase of life. |
