Informative Speech: Female Beauty Standards

Female Beauty Standards: Comparing West and East (U.S. and Asia)
Debate and Public Speaking | Informative Speech
All around the world, there are different countries and places in which hold different perspectives and identities. Within these separate places are multicultural backgrounds which then include beauty standards. Growing up in the United States and being exposed to social media, magazines, and clothing store ads, we come to realize what beauty means in the eyes of American viewers. However, what Americans define as beautiful may not be the same for many other countries. In today’s informative speech, I will be juxtaposing western and eastern female beauty standards specifically targeting the United States and Eastern Asia which includes

countries such as China, Korea, and Japan. The three central ideas being proposed are American beauty standards, Eastern Asian beauty standards, and in what ways do people achieve these looks. If you feel out of place because you don’t have the tan skin and curvy figure that Americans idolize, just remember that out there are countries with all different kinds of beauty standards and that no matter how you look, you present yourself as an ideal for at least one place.
First, let’s jump in by refreshing our mind on the basis of American beauty standards that are set forth for women. By now, everyone here should know that media sets the standard that all women should look a certain way in order to appeal others. According to Quora.com, here in the U.S., women with tan or copper skin, hot and mature features, with a curvy or hourglass figure sets the example. More specific ideals of beauty include arched brows, heavy contouring and highlighting, and large breasts, hips, and butts which all contribute to the concept of “sexy.” I will be passing around a picture of Fifth Harmony, a popular girl group in which embodies these ideals. Listed below are the members’ names and their age just for reference. By taking this information, we can conclude that sexual prime in the u.s. Is during the late teens and early 20s. According to rehabs.com, “English-speaking, European, and first-world Western nations often broadly share in the same conflicting messages of beauty found in America. Britain has a similar struggle with popular messages promoting unattainable thinness, leading to weight issues and widespread dieting among women – 1 in 4 are on a diet, and over 50% of girls say that girls their age struggle with body image. In Australia, eating disorders affect a million people and cost the economy $70 billion a year.”
On the other side of the spectrum lies Asian Beauty Standards, which roughly lines out exact opposite ideals. As said by Quora.com, the ideal asian woman consists of white or fair skin, young and girly features, and thin figures. Other specific features include straight brows, large eyes, double eyelids, small noses, v-shape face, and in some places like Japan actually consider crooked teeth a sign of youthfulness. Now, I will be passing around a picture of a popular Korean pop girl group named Apink which embodies the ideals as stated prior. Listed below the members are again, their names and ages. This can conclude that sexual prime is in the early teens (middle/high school) which contributes to the cute concept. According to MarieClaire.com, “IF YOU WERE TO CREATE THE IDEAL Asian woman, what would she look like? She would be thin, of course, and her skin would be pale, unlined, babyish in its softness and poreless-ness. Her hair would be thick, shiny, black or dark brown, preferably straight, and certainly long. You would be able to paint her in just two swipes of gouache, a figure as unspecific as she is iconic: a knife-slash blade of ink for her torso, a brushstroke of black for her hair. It would be an easy image to make because here's what you wouldn't need to bother rendering: hips (or girth of any kind, for that matter — the idea of replacing the word fat with the more salubrious euphemism of curvy has never quite caught on among Asians); skin that shows the sorts of marks that all other races have grown to, if not celebrate, then at least accept (freckles, moles, sunspots, even the occasional wrinkle); short hair.” In EAST ASIA, specifically SOUTH KOREA, “has the least diverse form of beauty there is in Asia. The general trend is this: thin, oval shaped faces, small noses, double eyelids, long, dyed hair, extremely slender bodies, milky white skin” said by Quora. According to an article called Women’s Body Image and BMI by rehabs.com, “Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia were almost wholly absent in Japan and China in the early '90s. However, Chinese women do exhibit a significant fear of weight gain. Japanese women, too, are becoming far skinner in recent years and are very critical of each other's appearance. Twenty-nine percent of Japanese women are now underweight.”
East Asians are honestly obsessed with having pale faces. When I went shopping for lip tints at The Face Shop which is a Korean skincare store, I received three free samples for with my purchase. All three were specifically cleansing foams and creams that claim to achieve a white pale face. Almost all the products from asian beauty lines, especially korean ones, contain a whitening substance or sunscreen. According to popsugar.com, “the SPF stands for sun protection factor. A few sunscreen labels also list a "PA" ranking, like this Shiseido sunscreen pictured. PA ranking refers to the amount of protection the sunscreen offers from the UVA rays, since SPF just ranks protection from UVB rays. PA rankings are listed as PA+, PA++ and PA+++ with the more plus symbols the more protection from UVA rays, the rays that may cause long term skin damage and therefore age the skin.
Always look for a broad spectrum sunscreen as they will protect you from both UVA and UVB rays.” My mom during our trip back from Asia over the summer decided to visit the duty free shop.

In there they were selling cosmetics. My mom ended up buying a cushion foundation, also known as a bb cushion, which is pretty much foundation in a small compact to take it wherever you go. Thinking that she was a natural beige, she bought two sets of that color. When she eventually tried it on, the natural beige made her face look like a straight up ghost. Surprisingly we got the second to darkest shade. On the back it said SPF 50 PA +++. American beauty products rarely ever use sunscreen within their products, especially to the extent of SPF 50. When they do decide to go under the knife for Plastic Surgery, it is rarely ever for breast augmentation or butt implants and what-not. Plastic Surgery in East Asia are mainly used to achieve a slimmer face by shaving down the jaw, double eyelid surgery (which everyone in this room has except me), and a nose job to slim down the frame. Eyelid tape, eyelid glue, and Circle lenses are alternatives to achieve the large and doll-like eyes that East asians

desire.
Americans on the other hand, view tan skin and a curvaceous body as “perfect.” Sun tanning lotion, fake tan, and self-tan are often used to achieve this sun-kissed look. To get the curves, women do squats, go through diet plans and teas, and get breast and butt implants done.
To get the mature and sexy ideal, women get nose jobs, botox, and also trending recently is the Kylie lip challenge. According to The Washington Post, Like the Ice Bucket Challenge, taking the Kylie Jenner Challenge is a thing that people do — and people are being warned against.
“Very young girls — significantly younger than Kylie, who is only 17! — are participating,” Emily Orofino of Popsugar reported. “… After placing their lips into the shot glass, they suck the air out of the glass, creating friction. However, because the glass isn’t flexible … the shot glass can break under all the pressure, causing serious injuries that require stitches to repair.” “The new trend in trying to DIY lip plumping is quite concerning,” Dendy Engelman, a dermatologic surgeon, told Seventeen. “Not only can significant pain, swelling, and bruising result from these suction techniques, but there is potential risk for scarring and permanent disfigurement with repeated attempts. Then, there are those who say women — particularly young women — should not be modifying their bodies in painful, potentially dangerous ways to emulate Hollywood’s notion of what a woman should look like.
All in all, through the information I’ve provided juxtaposing Eastern Asia and Western beauty standards, we come to the conclusion that there is are no boundaries to beauty, and that not one person can embody the definition of “beauty” for the whole world.

I hope that everyone here can take this speech and realize the differences between not only surrounding cultures, but also expectations. It is important to remember that a person will tan skin will be valued differently for example, here in the U.S. than that of China, and so on. So if anyone is feeling pressured to look a certain way, there really is nothing to be ashamed of- whether it’s crooked teeth, pale skin, wide hips, etc. With different beauty standards come different perspectives and

identities.