The Halo Effect: Three Factors Of Body, Beauty And Fashion

707 Words2 Pages

My name is Stephanie; I am an 18-year-old female. I was born and raised in Hong Kong. My family consists of me, my mother and father. Despite not having any siblings, I would say I had a very happy childhood, which was constantly filled with sporting activities. Before studying at The University of Hong Kong, I studied at West Island School, an international school that is located in the Pokfulam area as well. During my time at West Island, I undertook the International Baccalaureate. Currently, I am in the BBA programme in HKU. Some of my interests include keeping up with the latest fashion trends and newly launched cosmetic products. In addition, I really enjoy watching television shows, my favorites would have to be Grey’s Anatomy and The …show more content…

Upon watching the YouTube video on the Halo Effect (The Halo Effect – Science of Attraction, 2010), I realized that my presentation of self is definitely affected by all three factors of body, beauty and fashion. The Halo Effect is defined as a cognitive bias that influences an observer’s overall perception of an individual, product, or company, which in turn affects the observer’s thoughts and feelings about the particular entities’ qualities and character (Long-Crowell). Thus, the impression that a person has a halo surrounding them is created. As seen in the video, when Dan repeats the script with two different tones, the audience reacts differently to what is said, generating assumptions based on their previous experiences encountered with similar individuals. Drawing from my own past experiences, I have subconsciously developed an understanding of what is expected of me during certain social interactions, and how “The Halo Effect” can influence one’s opinion of me. Therefore, this affects how I present myself, especially through the mediums of body beauty and fashion. For example, during my transition into university, the amount of people I knew were …show more content…

Attractiveness and femininity are socially constructed concepts which includes having specific traits. The Chinese perception of beauty is heavily infused in the Hong Kong society, which entails having big eyes and fair skin. In order to convey an impression that is in my interest, and to avoid stigmatization, calculating manners are used to fit into the narrow perception of beauty. For example, I put makeup on my face every day before leaving for school. I use BB Cream which evens out my skin tone and to create a fairer and whiter look, additionally, I use mascara and eyeliner to create the impression that my eyes are big. Therefore, the use of makeup has enabled me to better fit into the ideal perception of beauty, which can in turn create the halo

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