Societies Expectations of a Woman’s Appearance

Societies Expectations of a Woman’s Appearance

“Juliet” by Helen Fogwill Porter and “Red Dress” by Alice Munro are similar stories in which expectations of a women’s appearance are equated to their status in society. Clean, beautiful, and well dressed are socially acceptable expectations of a woman’s appearance. To become accepted, these criteria must be met and if not met, rejection is the consequence. These stories may be compared on the basis of their common theme of social image and expectation as revealed through the protagonists’ rejection, acceptance and realization of the significance of their appearance.
A common conflict in both “Juliet” and “Red Dress” is that both protagonists are tormented, either from the expectations they place upon themselves or from those inflicted upon them. In “Juliet”, Juliet is tormented by her peers due to that fact she does not meet the expectation of a woman’s appearance in society. Juliet is further tormen...