The Culture of Beauty

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No two people in the world are the same or have the same ideas. The main reason for this is because everyone is an individual with their own perceptions. In addition, another reason is because of the culture they have grown up in and learned to accept. One’s cultural perception has a huge impact on their idea of beauty. Each cultural group has invented their own ideas to reflect their natural idea of beauty. A broad example would be the Eastern and Western ideals of beauty. The Western beauty is described as white, usually tan, thin, large breasts, small waists, and delicate features. Mostly all present day people from various races prefer a Western ideal of beauty. This idea of beauty is commonly used as a comparison tool no matter what race religion, or culture a person is. The Western culture and the never ending evolution of beauty has a huge impact on the Eastern ideal of beauty. More and more Eastern men and women have started to style and dress themselves into a more Western ideal. However, sexual desires are closely related to one’s idea of beauty. In Eastern cultures, sex is not a common topic and nudity is frowned upon. For example, in India, the women are naturally sexually appealing, so the ideal is more commonly based on what is appealing in society at the time (Jain).

People’s religion or beliefs is another reason for their idea or perception of beauty. The Western and Eastern cultures have different views on the topic of beauty and religion as well. In the Asian religion, in the Eastern world, beauty is to be greatly respected and reserved. This concept of great respect and reservation towards beauty is especially expressed in Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism. In these cultures, a woman’s actions and beha...

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...as beautiful (Jain).

Beauty is commonly defined as ‘a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses.’ However, this definition or idea is altered because of society and the media. Media is a fast moving negative influence on people in the United States. The use of advertisement helps the media get their next ‘must have’ object or image of an impossibly perfect model out into the world in seconds. Advertisement is everywhere we look. They are seen on buses, televisions, magazines, and stores. These images of advertisement pressures people everywhere to feel the need to get the new must have item or to beautify themselves in order to live up to society’s standards. Women are affected by media more harshly than men. They are constantly looking for a way to ‘beautify’ themselves. This is because the media relates the images

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