The High Importance of Women’s Physical Attractiveness
The theme of fantasy versus reality is a central focus that reappears throughout the film 25th Hour directed by Spike Lee. In this film, the main character Monty is sentenced to seven years in jail for drug dealing. On Monty’s final day of freedom, his father proposes two options for him: driving to the prison to serve his sentence or fleeing to a town so he can make a new life for himself. While pondering on the second option, Monty construes a false view of a wonderful life filled with joy and happiness. He does not take into account however, that fugitive recovery agents will constantly be searching for him, making his life very difficult. Like Monty, many people in today’s society have a distorted understanding of reality. In particular, contemporary American society holds a misconception about the connection between women’s physical attractiveness and personality. Our culture views beauty in a distorted way due to the mistaken belief that outer appearances reflect the type of person a woman is.
Dating back to the Renaissance era during the early 15th century, the ideal “beautiful” woman would have a voluptuous body with a pale ivory skin tone and a wide and high forehead. She would also wear voluminous skirts and blouses with puffed sleeves and low necklines to show off the curves of her breasts. During the Victorian era in the 18th century, the appearance of moles was considered attractive. Women would draw black marks on their faces to simulate these moles. They would also powder their hair white and wear extravagant high wigs with decorated curls. It was not until the roaring 20s when flappers became popular did being slim become an attractive feature...
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...changes with time. A woman who is considered “beautiful” in the past may be considered less attractive in the present. Therefore, beauty is completely subjective. It is false to pair a good personality to a pretty face based solely on a woman’s outer appearance.
Our culture’s view of beauty is severely construed. As seen in successful ad campaigns featuring “beautiful” women, my personal experience, various groups of friends, and the image of the ideal perfect woman, we falsely believe that physical appearances, particularly in women, are directly related to personalities. We hold the image that what is considered “beautiful” during a certain time period is parallel to the type of person someone is. When it comes down to what really matters to us, it is the person we are and the person we strive to become. Our physical appearances can only carry us so far.
know beauty in any form”(86). We are so conditioned to see female beauty as what men
Showing off your body was the new trend of the ‘20s. Flappers of the 1920 era started wearing shorter dresses and sleeveless tops to seem keener. Before the 1920’s, it was rare for women to even show their ankles let alone their knees. Not only did women start to wear “skimpier” clothing, but they also garnished themselves with accessories. It was all about that bling. Girls were obsessed with pearls, diamonds, and just about anything that looked expensive. They hated cheap dull accessories and wanted the real McCoy. Clothing was not the only change during this time. The way women did their hair and makeup changed. Flappers started wearing a lot of makeup and styling their hair differently. “Flappers raised their hemlines, bobbed their hair, and applied make up with abandon.” (Armburst, Lloyd) No one wanted to be considered a bug-eyed Betty, and they did whatever it took to make themselves more alluring. This new style of women was the bee’s
Beauty has evolved over the years. It all started with the Egyptians, who cultivated beauty in an extravagant way. Ever since then there has been a dramatic change in beauty and fashion which occurred during the decades of the 1920s, also called the era of the Flappers. It was a time where “good girls” could become worse in the evening. The 1920s was when cosmetic industries became bigger, with the help of the media. Every pharmacy and department store in the world had a makeup counter. The type of makeup women would purchase from the makeup counter were the latest powders, vanishing creams, pan stick, lipstick and mascaras. The “flappers” were the type of girls that wore all of those products and a lot of makeup. The use of heavy makeup became the fashion of the era, because of movie stars like Clara Bow and Mae Murray, who created the flapper attitude. Clara Bow was the one that started the cupid’s bow lip which became popular. It also created the image of 1920s women with their bow lip and dark eyes.
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart” (Kahlil). People focus more on the outward appearance instead of the inward appearance. One’s inward appearance is comprised of their character, values, morals, and the true nature of their heart. On the other hand, the outward appearance is composed of one’s dress and grooming. The inward and outward appearance determines whether or not a person is ugly or beautiful. The choices that we make also define whether or not one is ugly or beautiful; choices made in the past can sometimes be repeated in the future.
It seems if a woman does not follow what the television or magazines do, they will be considered a ‘disgrace’ to society. “By the 1930’s, mass advertisements on radio and in magazines persuaded women to purchase cosmetic products by appealing to her fear of growing old or being rejected by social acquaintances,” (Gourley 56). The beauty industry specifically targeted women, using the ideas of an often highly feminine related idea of vanity. This also talked about women’s apparel in clothing and how they weren’t able to dress casually since they would be titled, slob. As looks represent a lot in a woman, the body type of a woman has always struggled with maintaining since the ‘perfect’ body types are not what everyone has. “In the 1890’s women had full bosoms, round hips. In actual measurements they were probably no rounder than Miss Cox but they seemed so because they were shorter, tightened their waists into an hour-glass effect … Now, though, the ideal figure must have a round, high bosom, a slim but not wasp-like waist, and gently rounded hips” (“This is What…”). Ideals women that society has pushed onto women to be for them to have any chance in romance. Though many women can drift away from this the women, though they won’t admit to it, had struggled to meet the ‘set standard’ for women. This shows how after women have gained the rights of voting, gender roles
What is beauty? How do human beings decide who is attractive and who is not? Society is full of messages telling us what is beautiful, but what are those definitions based on? Do we consciously decide whom we are attracted to, or is biology somehow involved? The issue of beauty and how we define it has been studied for centuries. Scholars from all fields of study have searched for the "formula" for beauty. Darwin in his book The Descent of Man wrote, "It is certainly not true that there is in the mind of man any universal standard of beauty with respect to the human body. It is however, possible that certain tastes in the course of time become inherited, though I have no evidence in favor of this belief." (1) Science has tried to look at beauty beyond the conscious level. It has tried to determine what roles biology plays in human attraction. Scientists have discovered that symmetry and scent play a role in defining human attraction. (3) But while this can begin to explain beauty on the most basic of levels, what accounts for variations in the standard of beauty? The idea of beauty varies within different societies and communities. Do these cultural preferences have a biological basis? What is the relationship between biology and society in relation to the idea of beauty? How do they relate to each other, and how do they differ? In particular what role does science play in the preference that many societies, (in particular South Asian, East Asian, and North American Cultures), have for fairer skin?
Women have been facing crisis of body image since the dawn of man, for competition in breeding purposes, however women came under great scrutiny because of this. Often through history, they have been at the same level of livestock, treated poorly. Creating a rise in the early 1900’s to create the movement about pushing for the equality of women in the United States; it was after then when media first started adopting an ideal image of women in American culture, when marketing research found the use of images of ideal women in their campaigns made for higher sales.
In the essay “What Meets the Eye”, Daniel Akst explains scientific facts about the beauty of men and women matters to people. He argues that attractive individuals receive attention, great social status, marries, and gets paid more on a job. One can disagree with Akst’s argument because anyone with the skills and knowledge, despite the appearance, can gain a decent relationship and can get paid well. Akst looks at beauty as if it can lead individuals to an amazing and successful life, but he is wrong. Nancy Mairs’ and Alice Walker’s views on beauty are explained internally and through self-confidence. Both women’s and Akst’s arguments on beauty share some similarities and differences in many ways, and an
Models of Rubens, Rembrandt, Gaugin and Matisse were all rounded, plump women.A plump and healthy women was admired as it reflected wealth and success.(14). Where as images of women have become slimmer since the 1950’s according to Jennifer A. (Australian journal of nutrition and dietetics).
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” a phrase that everyone has heard of at one point in his or her life. Walk by a cashier aisle in a supermarket and a there will be magazines shouting “How to lose 30 pounds in one month!” “Buff up with this weird new workout routine!”. “Fashion that’ll slim you down!” and the like. Is the concept of beauty and ugly really homogeneous, or does it vary? Is it just weight that’s considered? Exploring different ethnic groups prove that what one person thinks is beautiful may or may not be the same as the next person. (The article will mainly be focused on the women though, since their “worth” is judged more on their appearances than men. It will also be rather general on each ethnicity.)
The concept of “beauty” is something that everyone feels, thinks, or wants, in order to fit society’s standards. In today’s society, we are often faced with the unrealistic ideals of what beauty is. Due to society’s constant portraying of unrealistic beauty ideals, this reinforces a negative influence upon women’s idea of beauty, resulting in a negative impact in their confidence, and self-esteem, which leads to others, specifically women to be manipulated by society’s corrupted outlook of what beauty is. To add onto this issue, we are constantly surrounded by sources of this negative influence in our everyday lives, including magazines, television, advertisements, and so on. However, women specifically, are more prone to be victims of this negative effect, thus will have more pressure upon themselves to match society’s idea of “beauty,” which includes unrealistic and sometimes unattainable beauty standards. Women especially, can sometimes be so deeply manipulated by society’s unrealistic ideals of what is beautiful, such that it’s possible that they don’t even realize it Furthermore, in order to do so, women often will receive negative impacts rather than positive impacts, such as in their confidence and self-esteem. The negative effects of society’s beauty ideals also lead women to have an overall corrupted idea of what is “beautiful.” Society creates unrealistic ideals of beauty towards women through the media by creating an unrealistic image of what women should look like to be considered beautiful. Men negatively affect women’s idea of beauty by using the unrealistic beauty standards exposed by society which further pressures women to try to fit society’s idea of what is beautiful. Beauty pageants negatively affect women’s ov...
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.
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”.
How many times have we heard or said the clique “don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” yet we focus so much of our attention on our physically appearance. Everyday we encounter images in the media that make us believe we have to look a certain way. Physical beauty is portrayed as important and essential in order to find love and acceptance. Although physical beauty is moderately important, it is less than inner beauty for it diminishes with age.
The first and most popular interpretation of the word “beauty” is seen as outer appearance. On that perception, “beauty” and “attractiveness” have a significant difference even though they are word cousins. A beautiful looking person may be attractive, but an attractive person does not need to be beautiful. One person may look at someone beautiful with “deep satisfaction in the mind” because that person admire how beautiful the other is. Someone, who is not striking beautiful looking, may attract other people just by how they express their personalities. The others who are attracted to that particular individual because they feel connected, happy, and comfortable around that person. While attractiveness may result in long lasting relationships, physical beauty only brings short term pleasant feeling in the mind. Yet, beauty as outer look conquers many societies around the world. For instance, American culture tends to value the way a person look. That value is transmitted from one generation to the next by families, peers, and media in the process of enculturation. Young children come to adapt ways of thinking and feeling about physical beauty from their families first. The show