Women have made great progress in improving their rights and roles within society and are now less likely to be seen as inferior by men. However, they still face many challenges, including being perceived as objects and being expected to dress and behave in a certain way. In his essay “Looking at Women,” Scott Russell Sanders analyzes how men often perceive women as objects due to their indecent wardrobes and their willingness to show off their bodies. In her essay “Why Women Smile,” Amy Cunningham explains the value of a smile and how it doesn't always reflect how a woman truly feels inside. Both essays spend a lot of time on women and how they are under the constant scrutiny of those around them. What Sanders and Cunningham's essays illustrate is that, as women try to shake old stereotypes, they discover that their identity is constructed from their outward appearance. The problem is and remains that women are complicit in the superficial construction of female identity that trades depth for surface because they have believed in the idea that a woman must exploit her external appearance to be successful in her public life. Female celebrities often point out that the media negatively displays women and sexually objectifies them through many mediums such as films, TV, video games, and advertisements. However, there are many female stars willing to pose provocatively for a wide variety of men's magazines such as Maxim, a European magazine aimed at men. Their hypocrisy in taking the photos invalidates the thesis that men exploit female sexuality, since they too are eager to take those photos. These women are so ready to seize the opportunity to pose seductively for the camera, in the middle of a sheet of paper, to be seen and represented. It's hard to believe that they want to be thought of as intelligent, brilliant women when they appear so artificial and vain. Good looks can only take a woman so far before she has to rely on her intelligence and abilities. From clothing to body language to facial expressions, women are constantly scrutinized by the public, and especially by men. It is a cause and effect relationship as men looking at women makes women feel like objects, which in return makes them want to become like pieces of toys for men to look at and play with. Sanders and Cunningham clearly demonstrate that women are much more than just their appearance and have much more to offer than a provocative image or a plastic smile. However, it is up to women to change how they present themselves to the world if they want to be seen in a different light..