What is Beauty?
Beauty was so many things over the centuries.
During the European renaissance, fatness, big hips, pale face and light skin was considered beautiful, healthy, fertile, and wealthy.
Thinness and tanned skin was symbol of poverty, starvation, labor in the fields under the sun.
Today, in most parts of the world, beauty is the opposite. Being slim and having tanned skin is synonymous of beauty and health.
Obese people are, now, considered lazy, gluttonous, unhealthy, greedy, sloppy. And pale skin is considered looking sick.
The concept of beauty is constantly changing.
But something never changed. The beauty practices continue to be a form of torture. Especially for women.
The concept of beauty is constantly changing.
But something never changed. The beauty practices continue to be a form of torture. Especially for women.
There were many aggressive beauty practices in the past, like the tight metal corsets the european women, of the medieval times, used to wear.
So tight that breathing was very hard and affected the internal organs' function. Many died.
Or, in ancient China, where, traditionally, young girls used to have their feet bound, in order to break the bones and shape them to the ideal "lotus feet"- a ridiculous small feet of 7/10 cm.
As today, after so many years, beauty rituals are still quite painful.
Or, in ancient China, where, traditionally, young girls used to have their feet bound, in order to break the bones and shape them to the ideal "lotus feet"- a ridiculous small feet of 7/10 cm.
As today, after so many years, beauty rituals are still quite painful.
- High heels that are uncomfortable and affects the spine,
- Waxing,
- Covering the face with layers of 1001 makeup products,
- Face and lips injections with toxins,
- Hair extension,
- Fake eyelashes,
- Silicone bags inserted inside the body,
- Cosmetic surgery,
- Tattoos,
- Piercings,
- Liposuction,
- Chemical peeling,
- And many others.
But, why women, off all times, are so willing to deliberated hurt themselves, for beauty?
Although, the western standards of beauty are the most globalized, beauty is different in every country of the world:
- In some areas of Nigeria and Mauritania, girls are fattened during months to be attractive for their future husbands.
- In tribes in Myanmar, long necks are considered beauty, so the girls, at a very young age, start to wear brass rings around their neck to stretch their necks.
- Face and body scarification without any anesthesia, is a beauty practice in many tribes of west Africa.
- Face and body scarification without any anesthesia, is a beauty practice in many tribes of west Africa.
- In the Middle East, women buy whitening creams for face and body. Light skin is considered more attractive.
And many many others.
Women always felt the pressure to be beautiful, but men are starting to feel it too.
Can Beauty be quantified?
And many many others.
Women always felt the pressure to be beautiful, but men are starting to feel it too.
There are more and more are male beauty magazines, male cosmetic products, men in the gym, male beauty services.
In the pursuit of the muscular body, a good skin, to smell good, to have a waxed body, a popular haircut, shaped eyebrow, trendy beard shaving, fashionable clothing, piercings, tattoos, etc.
Men with belly and lack of hair aren't feeling so comfortable in they own skin anymore.
Before, it was more about being strong, successful, to provide, to perform. Men, now, have more reasons to feel insecure.
Can Beauty be quantified?
It seems it can!
European painters and sculptures from the Renaissance times used calculations, called the golden ratio, to determine the perfect beauty symmetry. Many plastic surgeons are using them today.
As there are other measurements for the perfect body to match fashion models, singers and actresses, as: 90(bust) -60(waist) - 90(hips).
Why is Beauty so important?
Beauty gives pleasure to the senses. Beauty is attractive to the senses. It's harmonious, stimulating, inviting. It's easy to fall in love with, a fascination.
The opposite of beautiful is ugliness.
Nobody wants to feel repulsiveness, as no one wants to be repulsive.
People want to be enjoyable to the view.
There are many forms of beauty, but the physical, causes an immediate effect.
Nobody wants to feel repulsiveness, as no one wants to be repulsive.
People want to be enjoyable to the view.
There are many forms of beauty, but the physical, causes an immediate effect.
So, who hasn't blessed by genetics, will do everything possible to fix it. And the beauty industry is more than pleased to help.
In the end, beauty is a pressure to match the beauty standards of each society.
But beauty can have a dark side
Beauty can be an illusion.. a trap.. a beautiful shell with a rotten fruit inside.
A beautiful flower that turns into a carnivorous plant.
Like picking your food for the package.
Beauty can be arrogant, selfish, spoiled, demanding, cruel, self-centered, high maintenance..
After all beauty is not synonymous of goodness.
Some people take advantage of their beauty. Using it for manipulation, to get a good catch, for attention, to build careers.
But beauty can suffer too, by being called dumb, superficial, by being sexually harassed, raped, envied, deceived.
What happens when time brings age?
Beauty is related with youth, but youth is temporary.
So, beauty is ephemeral.
Wrinkles and gray hair are just the first signs of time.
Today's technology and healthy life can minimize the signs of aging. Oldness "can" be delayed but sooner or later it will be impossible to hide.
What will remain are the deeper connections, true feelings, friendship. Beauty cannot help here.
Beauty.. the metamorphosis process
Along the history women needed to transform themselves, reshape their bodies, color their faces, hair, to accessorize,etc.
In short, to hide the way they look, to match what is beauty in their time.
All this trouble and pain for what?
To be attractive for males? to please males? for mating? for procreation purposes?
Maybe, not conscientiously, cause women today are allowed to study, to work too, to be active in the public life, to travel, to date, etc.
But, in the end, for whom these women want to look beautiful for?
Why are women so persistently looking for love?
What is the purpose of dating?
What is the biggest desire of married couples?
What is the main goal of everybody's life?
To find the other half, get marry, and have children. A happy family!
Are our independent women still, somehow, submissive to man wills and desires?
Or are they, perhaps, just taking advantage of the weaknesses of men... that is to resist to beauty?
Or are they, perhaps, just taking advantage of the weaknesses of men... that is to resist to beauty?
Otherwise, for whom are women trying to be "beautiful" for? For other women? For themselves?
So, why they don't just wear makeup for themselves in home? It is, clearly, not for themselves..
...Why women still want to be "beautiful" objects?
Why women don't embrace their own beauty?
Their natural beauty...
It seems that women see themselves as ugly worms, that need to go through the beauty procedures, to be transformed in the beautiful butterfly...
..After all, don't these modern women love themselves?
So why are they changing the way they look?
We born unique for some reason..
Why are we all trying to look the same?.. by following beauty standards..
"Beauty is a short-lived tyranny"
- Socrates
"Beauty has no obvious use, nor is there any clear cultural necessity for it. Yet civilization could not do without it."
- Sigmund Freud and Its Discontents