Margaret Hungerford's Molly Brown: The Perception Of Beauty

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Throughout history, people have placed irrefutable importance on beauty, resulting in the struggle to fit in, and the distraction from individualization. Although cultures apply prominence to different areas, beauty and the fascination of the body remain common threads. Ideally, beauty would be open to interpretation and appreciation no matter where it appeared on the continuum. In her book 'Molly Brown', Margaret Hungerford, a late 19th century novelist, famously suggests, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Yes, there is no disputing that different people are drawn to distinct characteristics of people, which is essential for reproduction and acceptance. If we were all inclined to the same characteristic of one's personality or body image, …show more content…

Man is a social product." Additionally, society is our comprehensive understanding of the reality that confronts us, externalization is the physical and mental outpouring of human beings into the world, and objectivation is the process by which the externalized products of human activity attain the product through internalization (Berger and Luckman 1967:61). This perception of beauty that everyone in America consumes either voluntarily or forcefully is described by many different definitions with common aspects. Jennifer Milland of Dove's Real Beauty Campaign categorizes beauty by: long, shiny hair; clear, soft skin; cosmetics; thin body; straight, white teeth; and trendy clothes." In the documentary "Good Hair", African American's describe the socially constructed image of 'good hair' as: white hair; the lighter, the brighter, the better; straight, flowy, and 'relaxed' (Rock 2009). Because of this, they face the pressure of measuring up to an impossible standard. In an effort to artificially display their commitment to this standard, they have formed a multi-billion dollar industry that relies on India's biggest export of hair to blend in with the white …show more content…

Berger and Luckman illustrate this through their interpretation of beauty. By comparing it to a spider web, they explain how influential members of society play an integral part in creating the beauty design. In order interpret the web, I collected and analyzed data from the February 2017 issue of Vogue Magazine. Despite the models not being representative of the United States' population, it is relevant because everyone faces the intimidation of the same standards the models successfully display. Significant research has been done on these standards and the social phenomenon of beauty, yet research into its effects could be strengthened on the individual level. Through examining these standards as well as the consistencies amongst the several beauty interpretations, I will put on my sociological glasses and see what American's are daily exposed to, and the undeniable effects it has on

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