Society 's Beauty Mask?

As of recently, the media has been flooded with positive interpretations of beauty standards all over the world. According to various sources, beauty ideals, in women especially, are socially constructed in order to judge a person’s value based on physical attractiveness; therefore, it is highly encouraged that people pay attention to their looks and take care of themselves, in order for others to create a positive first impression of one’s character. It is no secret that beauty standards vary from one culture to the next and it is difficult to establish a universal principle of what is considered beautiful. Many countries’ ideals contrast one another and, as a result, allow for stereotypes to emerge. This is the case between American

The argument of The Beauty Myth is that as women have received more eminence, the standard of their personal appearance has also grown. Wolf’s position on the issue is that this type of social control is potentially just as restrictive as the traditional roles of women. The Beauty Myth discusses how society’s viewpoint of beauty is detrimental to women because it causes many emotional and psychological problems to women who strive to become “perfect”. This book is important due to the fact it raises awareness to the issues that many young women are currently facing.

I see and hear how perfect we girls have to be. From others who have no clue how much it takes to be the “picture perfect beauty queens” they want to see. I turn the television on and see advertisements of makeup products and how flawless the products will make you appear. Here and there we have to hear “buy this, buy that it’ll make you pretty.” Like are we not already? We are pressured to look a certain way. Not only by cosmetic companies but also by people around us. Being natural is something society does not agree with. “Crooked Smile” by J Cole is a great example of what a woman goes through every day.

In 2008, the YWCA USA developed a report, Beauty at Any Cost, which discussed the consequences of the beauty obsession on women and girls in America. This report showed that not only does this beauty obsession result in decreased levels of self-esteem, but it’s also hitting on the pocket of many American women. The YWMCA reported that $7 billion is spent each year on cosmetics (Beauty at Any Cost, 2008, p. 7). It’s evident that the cosmetic industry influences consumers in some way. This beauty obsession has created a billion dollar industry, which holds the power to shape and change women’s perceptions of beauty.

There is a cliché quote that people say, “Beauty is in the eye of beholder.” But in the essay “The Ugly Truth About Beauty” (1998) Dave Barry argues about how women who spend countless hours on their so called “beauty” whereas men seem not to care. Barry uses juxtaposition and exaggeration to poke fun at men and women behavior and shed light on the harm that the beauty industry is doing. When Barry argues his point of his essay he addresses both genders, but more specifically teenage to middle age men and women, but he writes about it in a humorous and light-hearted manner.

In today’s society beauty is a very important component to everyone. In order to be liked you must be thin, pretty, and smart, and if you don’t possess one of these qualities then you must buy products that will help you achieve them. Women especially have to face these standards every day for the rest of their lives. The beauty myth is a way for the patriarchy to control women through power, control, and consumerism.

It’s difficult to envision a world where idealized female imagery is not plastered everywhere, but our present circumstance is a relatively new occurrence. Before the mass media existed, our ideas of beauty were restricted to our own communities. Until the introduction of photography in 1839, people were not exposed to real-life images of faces and bodies. Most people did not even own mirrors. Today, however, we are more obsessed with our appearance than ever before. But the concern about appearance is quite normal and understandable given society’s standards. According to Jane Kilborne, “Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the

It was not only till the Nineteenth century where makeup became gender inclusive to society and became a women dominated industry. As the years progressed society was conditioned to think that makeup was made for women. Outside ancient Egypt women had done above and beyond to enhance their beauty to become better suited for a mate or to be considered beautiful. Before makeup was even introduced to world, women went to the extremes of using burnt matches to darken their eyes, using berries to stain there cheeks and lips, and even swallow oxblood to improve overall complexion. And if it wasn’t for the help of social media, men would still be struggling to this day to get the cosmetic recognition that they deserve. Gender roles has always created social boundaries for not only men but for women as well.Women have also dealt with the hardship of trying to be accepted in a society. Since the nineteenth th century restraints of not being able to vote, or work has carried on to the Twentieth century. Women are taken seriously when it comes to sports or having physical strength. Till this day women are making less on their paychecks compared to men. Both genders have their disadvantages and both deal with trying to break the labels that have been created. A new societal culture is happening and regardless of gender the traditional constraints that have been created it is becoming less significant in not only the

It is clear that society has a great effect on women and how they look at themselves and what they see is being beautiful. [Women] continue to be identified more with their sexuality and judged more by appearance and according to narrower ideals of beauty. As a result, those without the proper looks or attitude tend to lose out (<a href="http://www.contemporaryartproject.com/cap/Othercontent/Portraityoung.htm">http://www.contemporaryartproject.com/cap/Othercontent/Portraityoung.htm</a>). That statement clearly defines the age that we are living in. Society and the media (television, movies, magazines, etc.) portray women as unattractive and unfashionable unless they buy the latest footwear, clothing, fashion, jewelry, make up, hair products, and generally look a certain way. Unfortunately, many women believe that all of these products will help make them beautiful, desirable and attractive. This has had a negative affect on women because they will spend hundreds of dollars on these beauty products, diets, diet pills etc. in hopes to look like what is presented to them on television by supermodels, actresses, and celebrities. Some women may even go as far as to develop

The idea of beauty has been going on for generations. Every type of person has their own idea of what is considered beautiful. In the 1950s, women were considered beautiful if they had soft curls, rosy cheeks and wore outfits that showed off their curves. Since this time period, beauty has changed drastically. The question people may ask nowadays is, what makes a women beautiful in our generation? Beauty now is defined by tall, petite females. The images shown in magazines and on television give women a false sense of reality because all these models look superficial. Women go through many steps to be considered the ideal image of beauty. A great example of this is the Dove Evolution commercial. This video focuses on the use of makeup, lighting and editing software’s that eventually make the women appear much different then she originally would.

It 's not a mystery that society 's ideals of beauty have a drastic and frightening effect on women. Popular culture frequently tells society, what is supposed to recognize and accept as beauty, and even though beauty is a concept that differs on all cultures and modifies over time, society continues to set great importance on what beautiful means and the significance of achieving it; consequently, most women aspire to achieve beauty, occasionally without measuring the consequences on their emotional or physical being. Unrealistic beauty standards are causing tremendous damage to society, a growing crisis where popular culture conveys the message that external beauty is the most significant characteristic women can have. The approval of prototypes where women are presented as a beautiful object or the winner of a beauty contest by evaluating mostly their physical attractiveness creates a faulty society, causing numerous negative effects; however, some of the most apparent consequences young and adult women encounter by beauty standards, can manifest as body dissatisfaction, eating disorders that put women’s life in danger, professional disadvantage, and economic difficulty.

What is beauty? According to society, to be beautiful you must have long legs, big boobs, and curves in all the right places. For years, the world of media has brainwashed young women into believing that to be beautiful you must have smooth skin, long lashes, and cake on makeup. Commercials, magazines, and other forms of social media have fabricated this image of what a “perfect woman” should look like. However, the harsh reality is that most of us don’t, I know I certainly don’t. Yet countless girls like myself still try to fit into this mould of perfection. Countless girls like myself go to great lengths just to come out short of perfection. And all too often, these great lengths come at a cost.

Have you ever thought about who created makeup? Or how it was created? When, where and how? Why was it created? How has it changed over time? Has it affected anyone? Well I’m going to tell you some of it. Make up wasn’t just created by powder or anything small and simple like that, no. Makeup actually has a lot of its own differences. In 180 BCE was when makeup had first had started but it wasn’t commonly used as much as then. People would limit the use of makeup because it was so expensive and hard to get and or find. The women who actually had it or used it were the prostitutes and the wealthier women. The “Cheap Knockoff’s” were the ones who were sold to the poorer women. The people didn’t really care if the slaves used makeup but

Often times, women are pressured by the mainstream media to upkeep a stellar appearance. They are expected to measure up to high standards without question. Even before most girls reach puberty, commercials are bombarding them with small Barbie esque makeup kits filled with lip glosses and chalky eyeshadows. The impact it has on impressionable children, both girls and boys is something that will likely last a lifetime if unlearned. Cosmetic companies who are marketing to young ladies say they can simply improve their looks to gain acceptance from their peers if they use the products they are selling. The makeup industry is a multi million enterprise that makes a profit from women’s insecurities and amplified pressures from society as a common tactic many cosmetic campaigns use is to push women to embrace the ‘natural look’ by providing products that will make it appear as if the individual is not even wearing makeup. Companies will spout out that with these products, the end result will be ‘you, but better.’ It is somewhat of an underlying and slightly manipulating slogan, as if to say how a woman appears could be improved because it is lacking in the moment. This distorts how we all believe how a woman is suppose to look.

Natural beauty, in this day and age, is a term that has many definitions because it is a controversial term. With the way people dress, act, and express themselves, it is extremely hard to find the true denotation of natural beauty. This is also true with the growing popularity in makeup in both genders. When asked to define it, people have formed their own opinions of the term along with the commonly known denotation, connotation, synonyms, and antonyms. The definition of the term also can be described and derived from my personal experiences along with others’. Though there is much evidence for and against the belief, natural beauty is more than what’s on the outside.