Marya Mannes: Loss Obsessed
on Tuesday, March 24, 2020Marya Mannes Money Quote saying our obsessions inspire us to see things in opposite ways. Marya Mannes said:
“If American men are obsessed with money, American women are obsessed with weight. The men talk of gain, the women talk of loss, and I do not know which talk is the more boring” — Marya Mannes
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In this quote, Marya Mannes seems to be critiquing preoccupations with money and weight that she perceives as dominant cultural conversations in America along gender lines.
By stating that American men are “obsessed with money” and “talk of gain”, while American women are “obsessed with weight” and “talk of loss”, Mannes implies these topics dominate discussions in a way that she finds tedious. Her comment that she doesn’t know which type of talk is “more boring” conveys Mannes’ perspective that both money and weight serve as overly common conversational focal points in a manner that she views as tiresome.
Overall, the quote portrays Mannes’ viewpoint that American society in her time had an overemphasis on financial discussions among men and dieting/body image dialogues among women that she felt lacked depth or variety, even if understandable social issues. Mannes appears to be advocating for broadening public conversations beyond these narrow preoccupations.
Birthday: November 14, 1904 – Death: September 13, 1990