BEAUTY MYTH IN THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL BY PAUL FEIG (2022)

Abstract

This article discusses the portrayal of beauty standards experienced by the main character in the film The School for Good and Evil (2022). The story shows how beauty is socially constructed through appearance, behavior, and moral expectations imposed on the characters, especially Agatha, who is considered unsuitable for the School for Good because of her physical appearance. Using a descriptive qualitative method, this study analyzes selected scenes and dialogues through narrative elements to reveal how the beauty myth operates in the film. This research applies Sandra Bartky’s feminist theory of beauty oppression (1990) as the main theoretical framework to explain how beauty standards discipline women’s bodies and identities. The findings show that the beauty myth in the film is portrayed through stereotyping, social exclusion, and moral labelling. At the same time, the main character deals with these pressures by rejecting norms of physical beauty, prioritising empathy and loyalty, and redefining beauty in terms of inner values.