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Societal concept of beauty
Analysis of the beauty myth
Analysis of the beauty myth
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Recommended: Societal concept of beauty
What is beauty? How do we decide who is attractive and who is not? Society is full of information telling us what is beautiful, but what fact is that information based on? The topic of beauty has been studied, analyzed and controversial for centuries. We all know the feeling you can have when you hear a beautiful song that brings joy to your heart, stand in a field of flowers that excites your eyes, or admire a face that is visually pleasing. As human beings, we are all drawn to beauty, but what is it that makes something beautiful? The controversial issue that surrounds beauty is that some believe that true beauty is defined by someone’s outer appearance, while others believe it is something that is experienced through a person’s character. Beauty is defined as “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.” The secret of beauty has been a quest of humans for centuries. It has been determined that women and some men spend up to one-third of their income on products and procedures that enhance their looks. We spend way too much time looking in the mirror, scrutinizing, worrying, fretting, and wishing we could change something about ourselves. We dream of looking like the girl at work because she has great hair, or the girl we met at a party because she was skinny, with the perfect nose. This happens because we are constantly being bombarded with messages from social media. We look at magazines that show us airbrushed models and TV shows that consist of actors that spend hours in hair and makeup. Daily we see ad campaigns for stores that feature women whose looks are unattainable. Do we put ourselves through the torture because we think outer ... ... middle of paper ... ...utside, but equally important to love yourself on the inside. There will always be different levels and standards of beauty and not everyone will agree on who is beautiful and who is not. For some people, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many women possess outer beauty but true, wholesome, and powerful beauty comes from within your heart. Outer beauty may be what draws a potential partner to you but it is the inner beauty that will make them stay. A confident, independent woman is a force to be reckoned with. Nothing can drag her down or bring on self-doubt. Every women needs to know that they are beautiful, just the way that God made them. There will never be another you, so why would you want to be someone else? Beauty comes in different forms for every woman. Authentic, amazing, exquisite, special, and unique: that’s what you are, and that’s what beauty is
Living in the world today is a totally different experience than it was decades ago. Today’s society has become judgmental and closed minded, seeing things for only what they are and not what they could be; it has become a society opposed to change, and obsessed with perfection. A major part of this societal perfection is being “beautiful,” but what constitutes beauty? Defining what beautiful is could not have been a simple task, because it is something based on personal perception. A perfect example of this was a line recited by the Prince in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella: “Do I love you because you're beautiful, or are you beautiful because I love you (1997)?” As individuals, determining what beauty is and why someone is beautiful is a complex, ever-changing process, with a rationale behind it no one seems to understand. Meaning, perception is subjective and therefore the perception of beauty is also subjective.
We hear sayings everyday such as “Looks don’t matter; beauty is only skin-deep”, yet we live in a decade that contradicts this very notion. If looks don’t matter, then why are so many women harming themselves because they are not satisfied with how they look? If looks don’t matter, then why is the media using airbrushing to hide any flaws that one has? This is because with the media establishing unattainable standards for body perfection, American Women have taken drastic measures to live up to these impractical societal expectations. “The ‘body image’ construct tends to comprise a mixture of self-perceptions, ideas and feelings about one’s physical attributes. It is linked to self-esteem and to the individual’s emotional stability” (Wykes 2). As portrayed throughout all aspects of our media, whether it is through the television, Internet, or social media, we are exploited to a look that we wish we could have; a toned body, long legs, and nicely delineated six-pack abs. Our society promotes a body image that is “beautiful” and a far cry from the average woman’s size 12, not 2. The effects are overwhelming and we need to make more suitable changes as a way to help women not feel the need to live up to these unrealistic standards that have been self-imposed throughout our society.
The concept of beauty is a subject society speaks on through many channels. Social media plays a tremendous role in how society measures beauty and how to achieve these impossible standards. People from all walks of life have become obsessed with the idea of beauty and achieving the highest level it. In many cases, those who do not meet societal views of what is “beautiful” can become very resentful to these predisposed notions of beauty. David Akst in his writing “What Meets the Eye”, is bitter toward women and their ongoing obsession with beauty.
Beauty is a cruel mistress. Every day, Americans are bombarded by images of flawless women with perfect hair and smooth skin, tiny waists and generous busts. They are presented to us draped in designer clothing, looking sultry or perky or anywhere in between. And although the picture itself is alluring, the reality behind the visage is much more sinister. They are representations of beauty ideals, sirens that silently screech “this is what a woman is supposed to look like!” Through means of media distribution and physical alteration, technology has created unrealistic beauty ideals, resulting in distorted female body images.
When we look at women images, we will see they are thin, beautiful, sexy, and fashionable. They are different from average women. The women who see perfect women images every moment are not pleased with their appearance. In addition, they are losing their self-esteems, because they believe that they must look more beautiful, sexier, and more fashionable. Most females are aware of society’s emphasis on the importance of appearance, while knowing the social standards of beauty. Those females are strong-minded individuals who reject current standards and have a positive body image.
Growing up children get drilled different moral sayings, one of which is “beauty comes from within” but does it really? The answer is no, we are drawn in by physical appearance then later personality comes into play. When intrigued by someone’s appearance so much that it draws one person to another this is attraction. There are certain aspects off a person appearance that make them attractive to multiple people, things like facial symmetry and body size ratios this is their attractiveness. Upon looking at someone we do not know we are analyzing their facial symmetry or the ratio of their head to shoulders because it’s instinct. It’s a variety of different factors that come together to produce what an individual recognize as attractiveness. This paper will include these factors of attractiveness from a psychological stance, three different articles will be examined and brought together to assist in understanding attractiveness.
What is beautiful? According to “The Oxford Dictionary” beautiful is pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically, but who decides what is beautiful? Do we decide for ourselves what we find beautiful, or attractive? Or does the media decide for us? Depicting “perfect” women, with the “perfect” waistline, or “ideal” men with the “ideal” muscles; making celebrities even wishing to look like themselves. Susan Bordo, author of “The Globalization of Eating Disorders” stresses the dangers and effects media has on women and men globally, putting out “false normals” that can only be reached by photoshop, or body modifications.
In American culture today, society's view of beauty is controlled by Hollywood, where celebrities are constantly in the lime-light. The media watches Hollywood's every move, and is quick to ridicule “A-listers” whenever they dare to gain a few pounds or to let an uncontrollable pimple show. The media has created a grossly distorted mental image of what should be considered beautiful, and with almost every junior high and high school-age girl reading and viewing this message, the idea has been instilled in them as well. This view of beauty is causing many teenage girls to become obsessed with a highly problematic and unattainable goal of perfection.
Society’s definition of beauty can be very visual and shallow. Beauty should not be determined by someone’s appearance, it should be about the person’s characteristics and personality. Society’s standards of beauty can both positively and negatively influence someone’s self-esteem. People tend to feel pressured into looking and playing...
I would like to begin with the fact that women have always been known to dedicate their time to beauty. Those who are devoted to their appearance most often believe that beauty brings power, popularity, and success. Women believe this, because they grow up reading magazines that picture beautiful women in successful environments; not to mention they are popular models and world famous individuals. Beautiful women are no longer just a priority for most advertising, but we have become a walking target for the working class employers. It is documented that better-looking attorneys earn more than others after five years of practice, which was an effect that grew with experience (Biddle, 172). We cannot overlook the fact that it is always the most popular and most beautiful girl who becomes homecoming-queen or prom-queen. While these are possible positive effects of the "beauty myth," the negative results of female devotion to beauty undercut this value. These effects are that it costs a lot of money, it costs a lot of time, and in the long run, it costs a lot of pain.
The definition of beauty is varying among different people in the world. Even though almost everyone knows the term beauty, many people are struggling in defining it and persuading others to agree with their opinions. Beauty is defined by a combination of qualities existent in a person or thing that fulfills the aesthetic feels or brings about profound gratification. Many people define beauty as a term to describe a person’s physical appearance; they often think that beauty comes from magazines, video girls, or even models. Although the term beauty can define a person’s physical appearance, true beauty lies in the way one acts and thinks rather than the way one look.
Across the globe, few people have difficulty recognizing someone who is considered beautiful. Beauty is often sought after, revered, and sometimes interpreted as a personal virtue. Standards of beauty are usually social marker determining cultural status, social acceptance and suitability as a mate.
more than that. Inner beauty is about your heart. It is displayed by actions like being kind,
There are so many different opinions on what beauty is. The idea of beauty is purely opinionated. Beauty is your own idea, skinny or thick, long hair or short hair, light skin or dark skin. How people define beauty is unique in many different ways everyone has a different opinion. No ones idea of beauty is the same. In society today it has become more materialistic based if you wear the latest designer or you have the newest pair of sneakers out and the true meaning of being beautiful has escaped our souls. Beauty is not just what we see on the outside it is so much deeper then what we see its what we also have to offer on the inside.Your intelligence is beauty your mind, body, and soul. Beauty is not a single image, but the active embodiment
Always remember, physical beauty doesn’t last forever but inner beauty does and it’ll make you the happiest person on the face of the earth and it might even spread to the little part of the world you can touch.