Self-Love as Resistance: Neoliberal Beauty Myth, Body Activism, and Asian American Girlhood in Young Adult Novels

Abstract Beauty standards often reflect a society’s expectations for ideal female citizenship, and girlhood is a key stage when girls begin to internalize these norms. Under neoliberalism, the beauty industry encourages girls to become lifelong consumers by promoting a standardized body ideal that is nearly impossible to reach. The gap between this ideal and girls’ real bodies creates anxiety about aging and weight, which leads to self-hatred, severe self-discipline such as dieting, and increased consumption. This self-hatred can also turn outward and create toxic peer competition and a sense that girls must compete against one another to succeed. In the United States, the beauty myth is further shaped by a white-centered ideal that excludes girls of color, deepening their insecurities and pushing them to consume even more. This article examines how young adult literature helps Asian American girls to confront this beauty myth. Drawing on Sean Connors and Roberta Seelinger Trites’ insights on neoliberal young adult fiction and Kristin Neff’s model of self-love, I analyze two Asian American girlhood novels: Paula Yoo’s Good Enough (2008) and Jean Kwok’s Girl in Translation (2011). Both novels show protagonists who initially struggle with confusion and self-hatred under the pressure of the beauty myth but gradually learn to practice self-love as a form of resistance. As they grow, they also become aware of the racial and class inequalities behind the neoliberal beauty myth, which helps them move from self-love toward caring for others and seeking for social change. Together, these novels employ body activism to challenge neoliberal ideas of beauty by separating it from competition and consumerism. They redefine beauty through love, relationships, and community support, offering Asian American girls an empowering and democratic embodiment of beauty.