What Characteristics of Women are Attractive to Men
Since the beginning of man and through the rise and fall of many different civilizations there have been differences of opinion on what makes someone beautiful, or more importantly what characteristics of women are attractive to men. The answer to this question is perhaps the billion-dollar question. I say this because the answer to this question is sought by women every day through billions and billions of dollars of plastic surgery, beauty products, and stylish clothing. Put simply, the main question that I am discussing is, are there some things that all women have in common that makes them attractive to men?
This question arises from the fact that although I, as a man, do have preferences in personality and appearance in looking for a mate. I can still find things about all women that are attractive to me, Whether it is an aspect of their personality or something physical, like nice eyes. It is this habit of most of the men I know to look for the good in girls that make me wonder what exactly makes women in general beautiful?
Before any of this can be seriously thought of though, we must first consider the concept of beauty in relation to women. The question here is of course, is our concept of beauty innate or is it defined by our own individual tastes shaped by life experiences? Thinking along these lines, we must go all the way back through history to ancient Greece and Plato, who wrote in The Symposium:
And the true order of going, or being led by another, to the things of love, is to begin from the beauties of earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty, using these as steps only, and fro...
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...there some things that all women possess that make men find them attractive? For the most I think so, but based only on the environment in which you live. We, as men in the 20th century can no more speak for beauty in the middle ages than men in the middle ages could speak of beauty now. What men find beautiful has changed so quickly that what was once found attractive in a woman 40 years ago is considered some what unattractive now. Basically most men of the same environment can find some beauty in most women
Works Cited
Jones, W.T. Hobbes to Hume. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1969
Sahakian, William S., and Mabel Lewis Sahakian. Ideas Of The Great Philosophers. Suffolk University: Barnes and Noble, Publishers. 1966.
Solomon, Robert C. Introducing Philosophy, Seventh Edition. Orlando: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 2001.
know beauty in any form”(86). We are so conditioned to see female beauty as what men
Throughout history, people have placed irrefutable importance on beauty, resulting in the struggle to fit in, and the distraction from individualization. Although cultures apply prominence to different areas, beauty and the fascination of the body remain common threads. Ideally, beauty would be open to interpretation and appreciation no matter where it appeared on the continuum. In her book 'Molly Brown', Margaret Hungerford, a late 19th century novelist, famously suggests, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Yes, there is no disputing that different people are drawn to distinct characteristics of people, which is essential for reproduction and acceptance. If we were all inclined to the same characteristic of one's personality or body image,
While everyone has their own preferences and definitions of what it means to have sex appeal or to be beautiful, collectively as a society, we can state that the beauty standards for men have by and large stayed the same over time. Conversely, the beauty standards for women have changed significantly. What was once considered undesirable is now alluring; what was once resented is now
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?
Define a beautiful woman. What kinds of adjectives come to mind? Do her inner qualities make her beautiful as well? What does "beauty is only skin deep" really mean? I always thought what made a person truly and genuinely beautiful, is whats on the inside. So often, we judge women on their appearance first, then their abilities. Did you ever wonder how this came about and why we all do this today? dont try to deny it, were all shallow and addicted to entertainment, its simply our culture, our way of life. Naomi wolf tries to explain the reasoning and ideas behind the beauty myth. She defines it and all its aspects, leaving it up to the reader to judge how to take it in and what to make of her points. She backs up all her claims with evidence and well researched claims, making her message hard to deny. This message isnt only imperative to women, but to men as well, because women arent the only ones being manipulated by the media into feeling insecure and unhappy with themselves. There are 6 major sectins in the beauty myth, work, culture, religion, sex, hunger and violence. Wolf points out many valid points, such as marketing tactics, cosmetic surgery, stereotypes of women as sex objects and men as success objects. She states that beauty is something someone else has. It a forever unattainable goal in which many people strive most of their lives to achieve.
All cultures value and revere beauty. Whether it’s different types of hair, skin color, body type or makeup, each and every culture holds unique standards for physical attractiveness. Women seem to always be at the center of this natural, human interest in beauty. Men idealize the woman they want and women idealize the woman they want to be. It is a human need that is constantly at odds with the desire to be accepted, either internally or externally.
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.
Those who have studied history and the role beauty, specifically feminine beauty, in society, have come to the conclusion that beauty in theory does not encompass only the simple definition as stated above. However, beauty plays a large part in the status of a person in society, even more so with women.
The term ‘beauty’ may have very relative significance. Something can be beautiful for us, but ugly for other people. The external beauty of a person is often the first thing that we pay attention to. This is the result of the association of beauty with good and ugliness with evil. Through the outer appearance we make a general opinion about a given person. Such a way of thinking may be very misleading. In order to get to know the person we need to look to the inside – into the soul. This is the place where the real beauty and ugliness are hidden.
Beauty is something that many in this world strive to attain. One of the reasons that there are so many people with low self-esteem can be traced back to the early years of their development, a time when they come into their own and learn who they actually are. If not for the pressures of a “perfect” beauty, one could live a considerably happier life. The beauty of a women's face has been described throughout history; the term "beauty" has evolved over time and it is not until recently that woman have been told that they must have the latest trends in cosmetics or they will be overlooked. Personally, I believe that true beauty lies within a person’s soul.
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.
Throughout history many researchers came up with ideas on what makes a person beautiful and what cause them to be unattractive. Plato, a famous philosopher, argued that the face that held the golden proportions was what made a person beautiful. “The width of the ideal face would be two –thirds its length and the nose no longer than the distance between the eyes” (Espejo 24). These are only a few things that make up the golden proportions. Researchers claim that averageness is what makes a person good looking (Espejo 24). However, according to Lisa DeBruine an experimental psychologist, “When it come to some key features, such as big eyes and small chins in women, being distinctly nonaverage can be better” (qtd. in Espejo 24). Big eyes and small chins are feminine traits. How masculine or how feminine a face is could determine how attractive the person is.
Beauty can be seen by a person in several ways, and it is perceived by most to be only skin-deep. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “It is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.” Additionally, the definition from the Oxford Dictionary says, “Beauty is a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.” In short, beauty is described as something attractive and likeable to the eyes. Nonetheless, beauty should not be seen on a physical level, but it should also encompass a person’s character. To further elaborate and understand beauty, one should know how the media perceives beauty towards
Beauty is the innate ability all things possess to inspire a sense of admiration and awe. Society today has a skewed up sense of what beauty actually is. Many believe it is all how the person or thing looks, they think it is about the looks of a person or their physical features. Beauty is beyond the physical state. Webster’s dictionary defines beauty as “an assemblage of graces or properties pleasing to the eye, the ear, the intellect, the æsthetic faculty, or the moral sense”, but beauty cannot be summed up by one source, beauty is what is all around.
Humans are naturally attracted to beauty, especially in other humans. The reason for this is our subconscious desire to extend our own lineages into the future. Beauty plays into this because beautiful people are treated better than those society deems less