Social Perception Of Beauty Essay

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Our Social Perception of beauty in America All young girls in America can remember watching the movie Beauty and the Beast by Walt Disney. At that time, it was a story of love and triumph, a girl falls in love and gets her prince charming. As we grow older, we question that movie and its intentions that we were too young to understand. Who is the real beauty and who is the real beast? A puzzling question due to our society constantly telling us how we need to look and be perceived as in order to not be “the beast” and more of “the beauty”. IS BEAUTIFUL ALWAYS GOOD? IMPLICIT BENEFITS OF FACIAL ATTRACTIVENESS by Van Leeuwen and Macrae have conducted a study that discusses the implications of attractiveness and whether we associate that with positive or negative words. 20 women and 16 men from Dartmouth College were presented with a number of words and a picture of an attractive or unattractive person in the background. Researchers found out that attractive faces triggered a positive reaction which proved to them the stereotypic social perception that “beautiful is good”. This latter possibility is theoretically important because, if true, it suggests that the “beautiful is good” stereotype may shape people’s evaluations of others in a covert manner”. (Beautiful is always good) The participants associated more positive words with more attractive people which depicts the socialization we have in America that being beautiful is more acceptable and positive. Many social aspects come into play when talking about beauty and why we think that “being beautiful is good”. Social Media plays an important part in America and the role that beauty plays in our everyday lives. Young girls are getting exposed each day to magazines, bil... ... middle of paper ... ...ps is a positive one because they associate beautiful models with having a gap. Many covers and images are being photo shopped with thigh gaps, the less the thighs are touching, the better they look, a message that alters the perception of beauty yet again.” Specialists say achieving a so-called "thigh gap" is risky and virtually impossible.”(USA today)Girls are now asking boys if they like girls with thigh gaps, a question I find worrying. I do not understand how America comes up with these new concepts that destroys young girls mind and adds pressure to them. Achieving a thigh gap is like a gateway drug to eating disorders. Our social perception of beauty is being morphed into an unreachable point; girls and boys are being lied to into thinking this is what being beautiful is. In a study conducted in 2005, researchers wanted to learn about memory and beauty.

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