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society's perception of beauty essay
society's perception of beauty essay
beauty and society
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In today’s society, there’s this need to be perfect in every way especially beauty-wise. A need to be society’s ideal form or image of beauty. If you don’t fit that image, then you are considered unattractive or inferior to someone that does. Also, society will try to convince you to hide yourself away from the public. Like power is equal to beauty. The more beautiful you are according to society’s standards, the more power and “privilege” you receive. This is why in the reading called “On the cutting edge”, by Anne Balsamo, she takes up the idea of the body as visual text which makes it able to be fragmented and placed under a microscope. As far as cosmetic surgery goes, Balsamo uses three mechanisms of cultural control which are “inscription, surveillance, and confession” (pg. 56). Surveillance is the another form of the Foucault’s model, where the body needs to be disciplined and watched so that it can conform to society’s standards and become a docile body. Inscription is the pathology and fragmentation of the female body being seen as flawed and always in need of repair. While confession is when the woman admits she is need of fixing or repairing, i.e. cosmetic surgery.
The “medical glaze” as described also by Carole Spitzack, is that the surgeon’s glaze is like Foucault’s medical glaze. This glaze presents the female body as unruly, excessive, pathological, and potentially threatening. The connection between how the cosmetic surgeon’s glaze translates the body like puzzle, as if it’s an object to encode, redefine, and then surgically manipulated the different “parts” of the body as see fit. Balsamo explains that relations of race, ethnicity, and class intersect to shape normative ideals of a “standard human” in diagram...
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...fession as “corrections” of medical conditions. Balsamo says the body is no longer thought to hold its own truths anymore because truths become technologically constructed. Cosmetic surgery can be by today’s standards as “fashion surgery”. Just like women who get tattoos or piercings, women who choose to cosmetic surgery as an avenue could be seen as using their as vehicle for staging cultural identities according to Balsamo. Even though she has argued that cosmetic surgeons demonstrate an unrelenting belief in a “westernized notion of natural beauty” and surgery is furthering this belief that the pleasing aesthetic face is one of pure, white, clean symmetric face. And that if you want to have power, privilege, and the social status, then you must strive to become that face that today’s society demands you have in order to be considered “normal” and “competent”.
She’s just so weak. If she would stand up for herself, no one would bother her. It’s her own fault that people pick on her, she needs to toughen up. “Shape of a Girl” by Joan MacLeod, introduces us to a group of girls trying to “fit in” in their own culture, “school.” This story goes into detail about what girls will do to feel accepted and powerful, and the way they deal with everyday occurrences in their “world.” Most of the story is through the eyes of one particular character, we learn about her inner struggles and how she deals with her own morals. This story uses verisimilitude, and irony to help us understand the strife of children just wanting to fit in and feel normal in schools today.
Sontag’s article, she characterizes modern society today as the correct manner for how women must be represented. There is no need to look further than the closest billboard to see today’s society’s beautiful woman with her necessary quality. The demanded characteristic of women places a disadvantage to them compared to men, who are not “graded” or treated depending on their appearances. The feature that men are evaluated on are their social aspects, which they can alter. Even though women and men cannot choose their appearances naturally, surgeries and beauty products can be used. One could think that it is the same for women and men, but that is false. As Ms. Sontag writes, “in a man’s face, lines are taken to be signs of character.” But by a woman, she writes, “every wrinkle, every line, every gray hair, is a defeat.” The norm for a woman’s appearance in today’s society is illogical and can get out of
In the poem "Next Day" by Randall Jarrell, the speaker is a lady who is very troubled by her increasing age. I think it is interesting that this was written in 1965 because that is the same year that the author died. It raises the question of whether the poem was about his own feelings or if it was about another person. Perhaps he knew that his life was coming to an end soon and before he died he wanted to convey his thoughts to others. The title suggests that the speaker is writing about the implications of the days to come and maybe learning to face them.
In today society, beauty in a woman seems to be the measured of her size, or the structure of her nose and lips. Plastic surgery has become a popular procedure for people, mostly for women, to fit in social class, race, or beauty. Most women are insecure about their body or face, wondering if they are perfect enough for the society to call the beautiful; this is when cosmetic surgery comes in. To fix what “needed” to be fixed. To begin with, there is no point in cutting your face or your body to add or remove something most people call ugly. “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery” explored the desire of human to become beyond perfection by the undergoing plastic surgery. The author, Camille Pagalia, took a look how now days how Americans are so obsessed
Surgeons discussed their widespread discomfort about how many people were getting plastic surgery because of these programs. When they were asked what they’re greatest fear is they responded, “The reason for getting plastic surgery”. They believe it is encouraging them to altar themselves in a negative manner. This is also one of the issues that Pink, an American singer, song writer, and actress brings to attention in her video “Stupid
The pursuit and glorification of the “white standard of beauty” (Patton, 2006, p. 24) by African American women in film, highlights the insecurity and stigmatization they face due to their colour. This desire to look like models on billboards and magazines, has drove them to peruse the shelves of beauty products, undergo plastic surgery and skin bleaching in order to have lighter skin. The mismatch between the comparisons of their black physiques against white ideal body shapes, has resu...
In the 19th century play, FASHION, Anna Mowatt develops the character plot as a contrast and comparison between being “natural” and “artificial in a world becoming preoccupied with fashion, and being fashionable. In the head notes, it was stated that Daniel Havens said FASHION is “the ugly image of the American Dream gone sour.” (Watt and Richardson) Fashion has a complex definition. The word ‘fashion’ can mean anything from the type of clothes you wear, how you communicate with others, the place you live, how you present yourself, or who you associate yourself with. In FASHION, Mowatt took a comical yet sober look at the definitions of “fashion,” applied it to real life in 1845, and through her characters, provides a mirror with which an audience/reader can evaluate themselves. I do not believe updating this play would be difficult because America has continued down the fast and destructive path in an effort to keep up with the “fashions” of the day.
I handed my school photograph to my mother. She stared from the photograph to me. Lord sweet Lord how come she so ugly. UGLY. UGLY.'
Sullivan, Deborah A. "Tightening the Bonds of Beauty." Cosmetic Surgery: The Cutting Edge of Commercial Medicine in America. N.p.: Rutgers UP, 2001. N. pag. Print.
The passage I chose to explicate is from Anzia Yezierska’s, The Lost Beautifulness. The passage is located on pg. 1254 of the Norton Anthology of American Literature 1912-1945. I believe this passage represents the main character’s and author’s view of the Depression-era individual vs. society. It reads as follows:
Society manifests its obsession with physical perfection by having surgical procedures done on daily basis. These surgeries allow for almost any cosmetic transformation. For example a person can have anything from removing a birthmark to inserting breast implants to having a tummy tuck done on their body. Society manifests their obsession with physical perfection by having these procedures done to them. These procedures enable society to achieve 'perfection';, much like Georgiana in the 'Birthmark';.
The capitalist liberal society which has become consumed by the consumerism of beauty enhancement, along with the heavy forms of coercion and manipulation, has caused us to forget just how far we have come since the Ancient Chinese Imperialistic patriarchal society. Body modification processes have become so common that women truly believe that it is their own conscious choice in making these changes.
In conclusion, the benefits of cosmetic surgery differ between people and situations; any negative thoughts of others may have an effect on a person’s decision to have a procedure done, but it is for the patient to decide if changing their body is the right decision for them. Regardless of the influences on the younger generation, unrealistic ideologies of patients, and moral issues others may have, plastic surgery will continue to be a huge part of society. However, society should be focusing on how to encourage others to seek happiness in whatever they seem fit, rather than choose to destroy the aspirations of others who choose to build a perfect body for
Advancements to science and technology marks one way people are able to change the way they identify themselves. With these advancements, very little about a person’s figure is set in stone. Aspects such as how tall a person is, how much they weigh, and how they look can be easily changed. For example, if someone doesn’t like the way they look, they can go pay a surgeon to morph their bodies into a figure they desire. Nowadays, people can even alter the genders that they associate themselves with, to a certain extent. Since 1997, there has been a 279% increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures performed (“American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery”).
Korea emphasizes on the importance of beauty as the examples shown above. The main reason of cosmetic surgery is that people are feeling an intense social pressure to look younger. People need to learn to have confidence in themselves and be content with the appearances which they have. A beautiful face is one that has a look of serenity, intelligence, generosity and graciousness. The results of plastic surgery are only temporary and have potential danger. By contrast, natural beauty is much longer-lasting and much more pleasing. The last but not the least is internal beauty is more important than external beauty. Being beautiful in the appearance without internal beauty is just like a gold ring on the pig’s nose. For one who has internal beauty like Mother Teresa is much remembered by everyone than Girls’