Who Defines Beauty - Research Paper Example

Who Defines Beauty? Beauty is a pervasive idea that has fascinated humanity since time immemorial. It is a word that continues to elude a universal definition and commands a broad range of arguments until now. People define beauty based from a point of view that either stems from something that is deeply innate from biology or something that has been imbued by culture. Depending on preference, the judgment of an individual’s beauty is either based on inherited objective biological qualities derived from human genes or subjective cultural influences acquired from the media and cultural environment. In short, beauty had become an issue between beauty’s most essential elements – nature and nurture. What is Beauty? Beauty has an array of meanings that we can apply. Some of antiquity’s great minds were the first of many to define human beauty mathematically linking it to geometry, specifically the Golden Ratio. Civilizations thereafter used the Golden Ratio in various visual art forms believing that the Golden ratio conceives a beautiful, even magical, value for their art (Zackowicz). According to Newman, goodness as the moral equation of beauty were also used by philosophers (1) while others described beauty according to the modern definition of the dictionary which expresses beauty as “qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.” (Merriam-Webster). The contemporary understanding of beauty is subjective or that any standard of beauty must be relative (Vacker) and is largely related to the maxim “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. It explains that a thing of beauty for a person may not simply appear as equally pleasing to another. Nature - Biological and Evolutionary Symmetry has been scientifically proven to be inherently attractive to the human eye (Feng). Biologists have long utilized symmetry - the extent to which a creature's right and left sides match - to gauge what is referred to as developmental stability (Cowley). The sense of attraction for symmetry is not only reserved for adults, infants were also found to demonstrate this trait as well. Infants have the innate ability to spend more time staring at pictures of symmetric individuals than they do at photos of asymmetric one (Feng). Scientists believe that preference for symmetry is linked with having a strong immune system. Thus, beauty is associated with more robust genes, increasing the chances that an individual’s offspring will survive (Feng). The idea and preference for beauty differs from culture to culture (Cowley). Aside from symmetry, males in western cultures, for example, generally prefer females with a small jaw, a small nose, large eyes, and defined cheekbones - features often described as "baby faced". Females, on the other hand, prefer males who appear more mature -- generally heart-shaped, small-chinned faces with full lips and fair skin. Individuals find facial symmetry as more attractive (advantages in sexual selection) and the eyes are the prime indicator of facial symmetry. We can say that when judging physical attractiveness, females and males look for features that show good genes, as well as good mate features (Hassebrauck). People generally select mates with whom they share the same level of attractiveness. The evolutionary theory states that such a preference for someone with similar genes results to the conservation of one’s own genes (Feng). In the contemporary society, attractive people tend to be more intelligent, better adjusted, and more popular (Feng).  Such a concept is known as the halo effect - due to the perfection associated with angels. A Harvard professor of psychiatry, Dr. Alvin F. Pouissant, states, “People tend to think that those who have attractive looks are more trustworthy or honest than people who are not attractive.”  A whole list of attributes such as being intelligent, happy, sociable, aggressive, healthy, and fun are assigned to attractive people. Below-average people are looked upon as less intelligent, unhappy, withdrawn, and even unhealthy. This inborn idea of beauty and good versus ugly and bad may offer a reason as to why attractive people earn more and receive more help (Opdycke 4). One theory behind this halo effect is that it is accurate - attractive people are indeed more successful (Feng). In some cases, the halo effect does not hold true for everyone. When choosing a mate, some may not prioritize looks. There are people who consider personality to be more essential. In one study, males and females considered kindness and personality to be more important than good looks. Nurture – Cultural Influences of Mass Media Mass media corrupts the perception of beauty. Media portrays women as having an ideal body type. The emergence of the slender body type as a beauty standard for women is especially salient in the mass media, and several researchers have demonstrated how the female body depicted in the media has become increasingly thin (Turner). Most times this extreme thinness is impossible to attain and also not medically recommended (Engeln-Maddox). According to a 2007 study performed by the American Physiological Association, exposure to females in the media is harmful to a little girl’s emotional and physical health. The young years are especially critical, because children tend to imitate more what they see. In a study conducted by Turner et. al, they found out that women's body image satisfaction is, indeed, influenced by their exposure to the thin ideal presented in fashion magazines.  Those who read fashion desired to weigh less and perceived them more negatively than did those who read news magazines. Fashion magazines exposure was related to a greater preoccupation by women with being thin, dissatisfaction with their bodies, frustration about weight, and fear about deviating from the thin standard. The perception of overweight (whether accurate or inaccurate), was associated with greater body image dissatisfaction among women (Turner). Women are being portrayed superficially as beautiful and it affects children as early as their childhood (Sands). Girls are groomed, as early as toddlerhood, to believe that they must achieve an unrealistic shape in order to be considered radiant. At a tender age of three, a child may receive her first Barbie doll. Barbie, a phenomenal doll and an American icon, is a slim curvaceous beautiful woman. For a lot of people, Barbie was flawless. She was and is still portrayed as many young girls role model (Sands). In 2001, another brand of dolls that was released is called the “Bratz Dolls.” Aside from sporting a curvaceous shape, pouty lips, heavy make-up and revealing outfits, these dolls promote superficiality and unrealistic ideas of beauty in the minds of these children (Sands). In addition to children, adolescents are also particularly affected by what they see in the media. According to the National Association of Social Workers, adolescence is marked by an intense emotional and physical change coupled by an increased value placed on peer acceptance and approval. As a result they now begin to focus on their physical appearance with a heightened attention to external influences and social messages about cultural norms. Nurture – Ethnicity and Stereotype Skin color is an important focus associated with the perception of physical attractiveness. Bias on skin-color originated in the United States alongside slavery and oppression. Whiteness was considered beautiful and virtuous while blackness was considered unattractive and less desirable. The African American communities internalized this perception; a research among African American college students revealed that lighter skin were seen as more attractive than dark skin, as well as young African American children show inclination for light-colored dolls (Hill). According to Turner, it is rare for women of color to be represented in fashion magazines and other types of media. Hence, the impact of the media's reinforcement of the thin and white ideal of beauty on the physical and emotional well-being of women of color should be understood. In western culture, magazines and cosmetics commercials manifest a particularly stereotype of what is attractive; nearly lighter skin. Therefore, light skin is considered more beautiful and more feminine. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison presents a comprehensive portrayal of the ways in which internalized white beauty standards distort the lives of black girls and women. The story provides hidden messages that whiteness are superior everywhere as shown by the white baby doll that Claudia has, Shirley Temple’s idealization, the consensus that light-skinned Maureen is more attractive than other black girls, the idealization of white beauty in the movies, and Pauline Breedlove’s preference for the little white girl she works for over her daughter. Pecola, the main character of the story, suffers most from the white beauty standards. This evident in Pecola’s belief in the association of beauty with affection. Hence, she wished and believes cruelty in her life will end if she possesses blue eyes. Conclusion Perception of beauty varies from individual to individual. Some may prefer physical appearance; others value personality while there are those who associate beauty with intelligence. Beauty as discussed by several researches and literature is subjective and exceedingly multifaceted; hence, the question of who defines beauty clearly yields no easy and definitive answer. In the end, it is best to answer this question by stating that beauty is defined by the mind that contemplates it and the modern-day understanding of beauty originates from the evolutionary instinct to procreate and the powerful influence of the media and the cultural environment. Works Cited Zackowicz, H. “Can Human Beauty Be Defined?” Yahoo Voices. 25 March 2007. Web. 10 May 2012. Newman, Carol. “The Enigma of Beauty.” National Geographic. National Geographic Magazine. January 2000. Web. 11 May 2012. Vacker, Barry. "Beauty And The Beast Of Advertising." Advances in Consumer Research. Volume 20, eds. Leigh McAlister and Michael L. Rothschild, Provo, UT (1993): Web. 10 May 2012. Feng, Charles. “Looking Good: The Psychology and Biology of Beauty.” Journal of Young Investigators, issue 6 (2002): Web. 11 May 2012. Cowley, Geoffrey. “The Biology of Beauty.” Newsweek Magazine, 60-67 (1996): Web. 11 May 2012. Hassebrauck, Manfred (1998). The visual process method: A new method to study physical attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior. Volume 9 issue 2, 111- 123. March 1998. Web. 10 May 2012. Opdycke, Teresa. “Attractive People: How Society Defines Physical Attractiveness.” LifeScript. 5 February 2008. Web. 11 May 2012. Engeln-Maddox, R. Buying A Beauty Standard Or Dreaming Of A New Life? Expectations Associated With Media Ideals: Blackwell Publishing pp. 258-266, 2006. Print. BreezySands. “Mass Media Has a Negative Impact on Women.” TeenInk. Web. 10 May 2012. National Association of Social Workers. “Practice Update from the National Association of Social Workers.” Adolescent Health Volume 2, Number 4, November 2001 Turner, Shiela L. "The influence of fashion magazines on the body image satisfaction of college women: an exploratory analysis". Adolescence, 1997. Web. 12 May, 2012. Hill, Martin. “Skin color and the perception of attractiveness among African Americans: Does gender make a difference?” Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 65, pp. 77-91, 2006. Web. 10 May 2012. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. London: Pan books, 1990. Print. Read More