As soon as a woman's primary social value could no longer be defined as the attainment of virtuous domesticity, the beauty myth redefined it as the attainment of virtuous beauty. It did so to substitute both a new consumer imperative and a new justification for economic unfairness in the workplace where the old ones had lost their hold over newly liberated women.

Summary

This quote suggests that when societal expectations for women shifted from being solely focused on attaining domestic roles and virtues, the concept of beauty was introduced as a new standard of societal value. This shift occurred alongside the rise of consumerism and served as a means to sustain economic inequalities in the workplace for liberated women. Essentially, the beauty myth was created to enforce new societal norms and justify the continuation of unfair treatment and disparities based on appearance and attractiveness.

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