Lately I have been thinking a lot about what society defines as beautiful and what is actually real in the fashion industry. When you look at those fashion ads in magazines, did you know that what you are looking at is altered? Those models in Victoria Secrets magazines are stunning, but did you know that those photos are photoshopped before going to print? Not only has society set a standard for what we all should considered beautiful, but they have altered reality. Not even the most stunning model can reach those standards without being tightened, smoothed, and lifted in a computer program.
Beauty surrounds us. It draws us in. It creates happiness and joy.
But what is beauty?
Beauty is defined as (1.) A combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, esp. the sight. (2.) A combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense.
But what does that mean to you?
Beauty is subjective. It is often a personal experience. What is beautiful to you, may not be as beautiful to someone else.
Yet society has changed our perspectives of beauty. The industry has told us what we must think is beautiful. They have told us that we have to have high cheek bones, unobtainable thin waist, long legs, and absolutely no fat under the arms.
No wonder our perception of beauty is so distorted...
And is beauty a cultural thing? A time period thing?
When you look at other cultures, other periods in time, you find different attributes that define beauty.
So...is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Or is beauty based on what society tells us it is?
If you look close enough you can see beauty in everything.
-Rebecca
24 comments:
Real beauty is natural. My wife is prettiest when she's not wearing makeup or done her hair up. (She doesn't believe me of course...)
Beauty is what you make of it. Our culture is trying so hard to define what beauty is.
www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Definitely.
I hope this post makes people think about themselves and what makes them beautiful. Society will trick you every time.
On a completely different note, I dedicated something to you on my last Thursday post. I hope you like it:)
TYPO FIXED... probably more lurking. :)
Looking at your pictures just made me think that one key to being able to see beauty in all its forms is to be able to find it in nature.
When you watch the world as it exists without human psychology influencing it, you begin to see that appearances are about function, and not so much about pleasure.
And when you understand that, you begin to understand what pleasure really is: your own biased perspective, because what is pleasing isn't universal to a species.
Sorry to get so philosophical! lol I could probably just say: beauty isn't about what we are so much as it is about WHO we are. :)
I love the Dove ads that show the real person as opposed to the photoshopped version. It's amazing, and infuriating, to see just how much images are altered. It's no wonder there is such an epidemic of body image disorders in our society.
Great post, Rebecca!
There is definitely beauty in everyone and everything. Zane, with all of his physical differences, is one of the most aesthetically (and spiritually) beautiful people I know.
Thanks for posting this, Rebecca.
BTW...I need to call you. We haven't talked in ages!
Amen. Have you ever checked out Beauty Redefined? Love them.
Wouldn't it be nice if advertisers were open to the notion that consumers can find beauty without having a falsely created image of it thrown at us? Great post!
As cliche'd as it sounds...beauty does come from the inside.
Yes, we may see attractive wrappings but, in time, they all fade and what we're left with is the true nature of a person.
That's what we should fall in love with.
@Alex- I agree, natural beauty is real beauty and no makeup is prettiest. Just keep telling your wife how beautiful she is...even is she doesn't believe you. :)
@Gina- Yes, our culture does try hard to define beauty and that is sad because beauty can mean so much.
@Robin- And society does a good job at "tricking" and telling us what beauty is. Thanks for the dedication. I loved it :)
@EJ- I agree! There is so much beauty in everything...you just have to look for it. And yes- beauty is more than what we see. It is who we are.
@Julie- I love the Dove ads, too. Dove has done an amazing job at getting us to look at what real beauty is and how the industry changes our perception.
@Susan- Zane is amazingly beautiful in so many ways and so are you. Can't wait to chat and soon! :)
@Charlie- I will check out Beauty Redefined. Thanks :)
@Andrea- Yes. It is too bad that advertisers have to alter things so much to get an image that they think is beautiful...so very sad. There is beauty everywhere-
Thanks! :)
@Mark- I completely agree with you. And we should love ourselves for who we are...on the outside and inside...
I completely agree: beauty is everywhere and in everything; we just need to look for it. :)
Beautiful post, Rebecca... thanks for this... it's SO HARD sometimes because we have so much pressure on us!!!
Beauty really does come from within. I don't know how people can date or marry someone who's good looking (by society's standards) but has a crappy personality. I just can't do it.
Both the wife and I work out really hard and eat well, but we don't do that for society, we do that for ourselves. We want to look good for one another, and we want to be healthy so that we can stay in each other's lives as long as possible.
@Dana- Yes, we just have to look :)
@Morgan- I agree...It is hard to like who we are when so much pressure is put on us.
@ABFTS- I think being healthy is important. Exercising and eating well for your health is a must. And so important. But that is about health not beauty. Some of the most stunning models are far from healthy and that is what many strive for. It is sad. We need to understand the difference and love who we are, how we look.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
From a roiling tornado to a picturesque setting sun. I see beauty in everyone I meet, the young, and the most beauty I spot is in the elderly. You can see a life lived in their eyes, so majestic.
In today's society, I don't trust anything I see in magazines due to photo shop and chop, and this is so deceiving for young people today.
@Cathrina- So deceiving. It is hard to know what is real or not real in photographs anymore. And I agree- age is so very beautiful
Society has failed in its attempt to define beauty for me. Photoshop can add glamor and glitz, but not real beauty. And that's not even looking any deeper than skin. It's a shame that people try so hard to be someone else when the person they already are inside is likely more beautiful than who they're trying to become.
Well said!
Thanks for posting on this Rebecca! I think we all need the reminder sometimes of how natural beauty is the best. We have to learn to be happy with what we've been given. I know that can be hard for me because it seems I can always find others who seemingly have it "easier." But I don't know what their inner struggles are. They may not have it easier.
I especially love the Dove ads. Loved watching that video. It's amazing what makeup and photoshop can do!
Inner beauty truly is the best because the confidence and peace you have inside will radiate out and others will pick up on it. I've noticed this is what most people are drawn to. No one likes the snooty gorgeous people.
Thanks for reminding me where I need to keep my focus :)
Everyone likes diff music, art, and writing. Beauty for me is my wife, and my baby boy:)
I think a lot of people don't realize how much altering goes into those magazine photos and TV ads. It's funny in a sad way that not even the models themselves can live up to those standards.
I believe that when beauty resides in the core of a person, it shows through no matter what the outside looks like.
I LOVED your last statement Rebecca!
I am one of those few people that do see beauty in everything.
I think the world would be a much better place if we all did.
And yes, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. At least that's what I think. I am not one to LOVE something just because society dictates it.
Post a Comment