Beauty: Beheld in the Eyes of Society Essay

There is an old saying that ravisher is in the eye of the beholder. However, there argon definite social concepts of corporeal bag. Most of the time, deal associate smash with roughthing that is seen, instead of tasted, or smelt. Therefore, a much precise definition of sweetie would sound like, beauty is the character or set of qualities that give pleasure to eyesight. umteen things may not be as glorious to one and and(a) person as they be to someone else people have many a(prenominal) different outlooks on what beauty really is. Females in particular have historically faced ram to conform to a particular stock(a) of beauty. The media presents edict with phantasmagorical trunk types promoting people, especially women, to look like them. The desire to be beautiful has receive more attention by blinding the public with images of the beautiful people. The uttermost of the message the media portrays to our society is more harmful than beneficial to the average pe rson. Many people result say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, tho society has a expectant impact on todays standards of beauty.Beauty is a collectively undecided conception, which implies that each individual may interpret the estimate of beauty based on his/her own prejudice opinion. Humans appreciate beauty in many different ways. some(a) consider beauty to be seen through nature, others may see beauty in the ancient Grecian statue of the Venus De Milo. Someone, or something, that one finds beautiful some other person may not. Beauty is something subjective. It has various meanings to different people because no one person is the same and their standards and tastes differ as well. In her essay Perceptions of Female Beauty in the 20th Century, Louise Wood savoir-faires the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant by saying the judgment of beauty is different from cognitive or moral judgment because it is hazarded subjectively, that is, exclusively in reference to th e person making the judgment. For a judgment to be truly aesthetic, rather than merely idiosyncratic, the person making the judgment must be adamant that their opinion be consensus.In simpler terms, Wood is saying that, ones perception of beauty is different from their mental or moral perception because, it is based on emotion instead of reasoning. This statement is what has conk to the many different interpretations of what true beauty is. Since there are many conflicting views, the true meaning of it has been lost and therefore skewed by the opinions of others, and in some cases for the worse. Cultural standards have led to perceptions of beauty or the lack of beauty for as long as the human hie has existed. Culture is defined simply as a way of life, or how people do things such as, how they eat, celebrate festivities, their behavior, their attitudes, moral values, and religion. People will tend to look at their own natives in their culture as beautiful because their notion of beauty may be different than another cultures perception of what is beautiful. In some Afri flush toilet countries, a big body and big buttocks would be considered beautiful for women.In western countries however, there is a tendency for women to starve themselves to comply with the misconception that macrocosm extremely thin or slim is beautiful. Many people aptitude share the opinion that the standard idea of beauty includes being tall, thin, and clean-living skinned, but this mindset might not fit everyones standard of beauty. Paul Ford states in his clause Beauty in divergent Cultures that In Nigeria, women are encouraged to be more full-figured as it demonstrates malodorousness and the ability to carry and birth many babies.In some southeastern United States Asian cultures, wherein war resulted in a lack of food, a more full-figured woman demonstrates a higher social status. Being thicker in roll can boast of being well fed and healthy. In these ways, beauty implies sup eriority and cultural status. However, standards of beauty depend upon the social conditions of the times in which one lives. Still, different cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. There is no skillful or wrong standard for considering one groups idea of beauty to be superior or inferior to another. Either way, the nitty-gritty of beauty is pervasive throughout the many distinct communities around the world.The majority of this eras perception of beauty is spread throughout the media. Since the beginning of The Age of Media media has twain empowered and limited woman. The media unvariedly alters how individuals view themselves and others. In the Social psychology quarterly volume 62 it states, With their power to frame, define, and neglect aspects of the social world, the bargain media are a principal social and cultural institution (Milkie 191). It has been prove that media images do have a powerful effect on unseasoned women today, due to the extensive reinfo rcement on our everyday lives. Milkie states in her article that The central position of the media in everyday life ensures that symbols distributed through the media fail points of focus and interaction in the population (191). Television, magazines, and advertisements are the most super C medium for which these standards are dis frivoled. A person cannot escape these magazine c overs, constant advertisements, or the entire enjoyment industry in general.All aspects of the entertainment industry overwhelm todays society and are extremely responsible for its changing perceptions and trends. Images of female bodies are everywhere. Women and their body parts deal out everything from food to cars. Popular film and television actresses are becoming younger, taller and thinner. These media outlets are all setting standards of beauty that are not only unrealistic but could prove to be dangerous in an effort to be attained. In Frank Biocca and Philip Meyers article in the Journal of Co mmunication, they listed that When catch magazine surveyed its readers in 1984, 75% felt too dim and only 15% felt just right. Nearly half of those who were underweight report feeling too fat and wanting to diet. Among a sample of college women, 40% felt overweight, while only 12% were actually too heavy (125).This article also reported that womens magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than mens magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of womens magazines include at least one message rough how to change a womans bodily appearance by diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery (125). While television can be said to reflect the standard of beauty for women, it seems to portray them in a light of approval or disapproval, positive or negative, that affect womens views on how they should look. It is clear that throughout history, the role that society plays has had a great impact on what is considered beautiful.Although physical beauty is unquestionably great in the minds of todays society, more people are impulsive to embrace it in many different forms. Todays fairly Woman is gradually stepping away from the mannequins with sex appeal and glamorous plastic film legends that are shown worldwide. Todays beauty represents a new breed. though the criterion of what is considered beautiful has come a long way some still feel that the standards of beauty remain subjective. Because of this, no one persons perception of beauty is considered superior or inferior, right or wrong. However, as long as societys standards continue to play a significant part in American culture society will always have a great impact on what one deems as beautiful.Works CitedBiocca, Frank A., and Philip N. Meyers Jr. Journal of Communication. The bendable Body Image The Effect of Television Advertising and Programming on Body Image Distortions in Young Women 42.3 (1992) 108-33. Print. Ford, Paul. Beauty in opposite Cultures. N.p., 22 July 200 9. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. . Milkie, Melissa A. Social Comparisons, Reflected Appraisals, and Mass Media The Impact of pervasive Beauty Images on Black and White Girls Self-Concepts. Social Psychology Quarterly 62.2 (1999) 190-210. Print. Wood, Louise. Perceptions Of Female Beauty In The 20th Century. Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. .