Resarch methods: critical analysis. Black & Sharma.

Research methods: MSVC 207
Assignment 1: critical analysis.
Black, P. and Sharma, U. (2001) ‘Men are real, Women are ‘made-up’: beauty therapy and the construction of femininity,’ Sociological review.

In this critical analysis I’m going to analyse the research done by Black and Sharma’s in their sociological review, ‘Men are real, women are ‘made-up’: beauty therapy and the construction of femininity.’ Throughout this critical analysis I aim to identify what the authors are trying to through their research, list and explain the ways in which this research is limited and list and explore the ways in which the authors have justified undertaking this research and what they relate the research to.
They explore three main things. They outline the work of beauty salons and investigate in depth the truth in terms of what goes on in a beauty salon. In the research it is noted how salons have their own ambience, the décor of the beauty salon reflects the ideology of that specific beauty salon. The beauty salon also has a particular layout, with its own smell of products which form the environment in which body maintenance is preformed, complete with uniformed staff. The relationship between femininity and the beauty industry is examined throughout this research; women go to beauty salons in order to hold onto their femininity. They’re not necessarily striving for beauty, but just to look normal, to look like a woman. Hair removal is a big issue in regards to holding onto femininity and at the salon waxing takes place.
They also discuss, how the body is now seen as a commodity, how the body needs maintenance, the expansion of the beauty industry and the emotional side between a therapist and their client.
The professional claims of the beauty therapist is that there’s emotional labour within their trade. The therapists interviewed stress, how as well as physical beauty treatments are carried out, they are also closely related with the emotional relationships clients have with their beauty therapist. Relationships are developed and beauty salons are a place where females can go to escape their domestic and work related stress, so they benefit by sharing burdens.
Noted, is the expansion of the leisure industry, thus an expansion in the beauty industry. Acknowledged by the beauty therapists interviewed, is the shift in women’s independence which has elevated the number of women using beauty salons. It’s apparent that women’s bodies are becoming more important due to the increase of such a consumer society. There is a growing pressure for women to conform to the idealised view of women within society. In magazines women are constantly confronted with beautiful women starring back at them which puts them under pressure to appear like the models they see. Like the culturally specific beauty ideals which they are presented with, women are targeted as consumers. It has evolved into a sophisticated, business industry. It comments on how the leisure industry has helped push forward the beauty industry. There are now gym’s in hotels as well as beauty salons, so people can work out and then reward themselves with a facial.
With the rise of feminism, women are earning their own money and are in control of their finances along with the freedom to chose what they do with it. Also the shift in who women are looking good for, in the past it was in order to gain a husband but now they’re wanting to look good for themselves. It states that a beauty therapist suggested a client gets a facial because her husband would be spending the same amount of their income on football tickets.
There are two ways in which Sharma and Black state that their research is limited. This is down to the fact that the research was secondary, not primary. The research gathered was carried out by therapists, not actual clients, giving a secondary source of empirical research which is based on experience rather than fact. Very limited observation was actually carried out in an actual beauty salon, it was left to the beauty therapists to describe the environment as well as explain the reasons in why women use beauty salons.
Another limitation they noted was the issue that they did not address men or ethnic women. It is commented on how it was dominantly white, young, middle class women who were interviewed which would lead to quite a narrow answer as not all classes, ages and ethnicities were explored.
There is also another limitation to this research which Black and Sharma did not notify, which is the lack of variety in which they interviewed in regards to location. All interviewees were based either in one large midlands town or a northern city and all the beauty therapy teachers all attended the same northern city college. These sources would equal similar answers due to the people interviewed coming from the same place.
Black and Sharma justified undergoing this research, as it is a topic that has not received much academic study before hand. It is stated that the beauty industry has been subject to a lot of criticism, yet with very little empirical study to support this critique. There is also a lack of research into women’s feelings towards their bodies or their views on ‘beauty.’ They also don’t mention women’s day to day experiences. Another reasoning behind their research was to explore an environment that women go to in order to seek femininity. Such investigations into the feminine environment have been overlooked in the past in urban sociological research.
To conclude, the three things identified in this research are the relationship between femininity and beauty salons, how the body is seen as a commodity and the expansion of the beauty industry and the increase of feminism in regards to who women are looking good for and the increase of independent women. There are also comments on how the research is limited in regards to interviewing therapists instead of clients and the lack of variety in people they interviewed. They also didn’t touch on women’s attitudes towards beauty.






Bibliography
Paula, B & Sharma, U. (2001). ‘Men are real, Women are ‘made-up’: beauty therapy and the construction of femininity,’ Sociological review, Oxford: Blackwell publishers