The Alternate Female Identity - Part One

“Plain women know more about men than beautiful one’s do.” 

– Katharine Hepburn

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In her book: “The Secret Between Us - Competition Among Women” - Laura Tracy, wrote about the way both genders view and sanction the notion of bogus beauty. She wrote:

“Femininity and competition between women are tightly interwoven. It is the feminine woman who really doesn’t like other women. She can’t afford to. To this woman, all women are rivals, since she has been defined by men in her person and appearance. Women compete with each other when they put on makeup, when they wear high heels, and short, narrow skirts that constrict their movement, when they dye their hair, and when they starve themselves. Femininity means looking better than other women - femininity means competition between women to look better to men. The problem is we all do it.”

On computer, movie and TV screens and millions of American magazine covers, women are producing billions of dollars for themselves as well as many others with a dual or alternate identity. It is an automatically assumed alternate identity as well. This dual identity is much like that of a performing actress or masked robber. They can put it on and take it off at will. Most women do it everyday.

Indeed, some American women are constant, ubiquitous actors who automatically and sincerely believe their alternate identity is actually real. They know it isn’t but they have been using their fake ID for so long and there are so many of them that do it everywhere, they have actually trained themselves and everyone else as well, to actually believe that this dual identity is who they really are. But again, everyone know it isn’t. This insecurity has been programmed in from day one by older women, although when asked, they typically blame it on men, saying they do it “because that is what men want.”

I queried a female psychologist about this touchy subject and she responded saying it was actually a medical/psychological term called “distancing,” meaning denial or running away from the truth. She said:

“Most women do not want to acknowledge that they have been programmed to need faux looks in order to survive in our society. They like to think makeup isn’t necessary - but for them alone. Most think other women may need it but not really her. The denial also comes in the use of words she is attracted to when she buys cosmetic or other retail products. She’s attracted to marketing words such as ‘natural.’ In many ways, she can’t help herself - much of it is subconscious.”

Literally, bogus beauty is a continuous cover-up of a deeply rooted distrust or denial of a woman's own looks and abilities. We all know this and all of society is at fault. Cathy Newman, wrote an article for the national Geographic Magazine titled: The Enigma of Beauty. She wrote:

“Beauty discriminates. Studies suggest attractive people make more money, get called on more often in class, receive lighter court sentences, and are perceived as friendlier. We do judge a book by its cover. We soothe ourselves with clichés. It's only skin-deep, we cluck. It's only in the eye of the beholder.”

Cathy Newman didn’t really address the totality of effects of dual ID in her National Geographic article but it was extensive enough to show how our society is complicit in this problem. She also failed to address the need to get away from it’s over-use and why women should stop being so shallow for her own health reasons. Instead, Newman gives an example of how her 100 year-old mother still wants to go to the beauty shop to get her nails done in the latest fashion.

Another distinct part of this power of the dual identity is in the automatic assumption of another name, that is, if she chooses to get married and use her husband’s last name. Often, the financial power associated with the male name is what attracts her in the first place. If you consider the inherited wealth factor of American women, and for example, think of money and power Sam Walton left his wife and his children, then you can better understand this power of dual identity is for American women. Four of the five wealthiest women in America, the Walton ladies, didn’t earn a penny of it. They married it. Same with dozens of other wealthy American women. I know this isn’t anything new.

However, it’s important to understand that this auto-assumption of identity and dual-name ability is becoming less common because America’s “indie women” are choosing to not drop her maiden name and instead put in a hyphen between her former name and new last-name of her next husband. She’s also being coached to think along the lines of temporary husbands and prenuptial agreements (also see the chapters Power of the Mass Victim Mindset, The Housewife Hangover and The New Alpha Bitch). She has the choice to keep part of her past identity, perhaps for future legal reasons. If you consider the 50 million indie-women in America and the growing divorce rate, you’ll also note the clear trend of power of the alternate identity, with or without a man.

And by-the-way, I’ve never heard of a man ever taking his wife’s last name. He’s stuck with who he is unless he adopts a pseudonym.