Beauty in Contemporary Society - Essay Example

? Beauty in contemporary society The issue of significant and relevant of concept beauty in modern society has raised continuous debates among social thinkers and professionals from various cultural and professional backgrounds. Some scholars have argued that, beauty is one of the most essential aspects that define modern society’s growth and development. There are as well those who argue that, considering the issue of beauty in one’s daily activity is a sign of powerlessness and discrimination. A good number of cultures such as Japanese culture have high value on beauty and cuteness. On the other hand, some professional in western culture have different understanding and perceptions towards beauty. As a result of this, human being from different social settings offers unique opinions on what the term pretty and beauty means to an average person. However, owing to the significant of the term beauty in some communities, researchers and global scholars have engaged in intensive empirical investigation to examine the meaning and significant of the term beauty in different community (Susan 47). The subsequent essay will therefore offer a complex dialectic paper that will examine the function and role of beauty and cuteness in contemporary society. English language has labelled the meaning, function, and influence of the concept beauty differently. By referring to the meaning that is attached in the term beauty by English scholars and media, one’ s culture and experience of beauty has a very essential role in defining the responsibilities and functions of an individual in the society. Based on the available statistics, beauty has a role of defining one’s biological and physical makeup and development. Therefore, to some extent, beauty has a considerable level of significant on one’s facial attributes. Beauty is as well used to describe one’s position in the society. For instance, by referring to the available literature from different cultures, attractive female are described by physical appearance such as larger lips, higher cheekbones, and small chins. All these traits are therefore effective representation of sexual maturity. On the other hand, an attractive male is expected to have average size and bilateral symmetry that defines one’s reproductive success and cue health. Women also describe shorter forehead as well as bushier eyebrows as another core trait of an attractive man. Therefore, in a considerable number of modern societies, beauty plays a very essential role in defining sex partners. Men and women as well rely on physical beauty in selecting their spouses in life. However, despite playing a significant role in defining sexual and life partners, in some social settings, beauty plays a very limited role in the selection of couple. Other factors such as wealth, family background, social class, and occupation have a critical role in the selection of spouse. Researchers have as well found out that, in some contemporary society, beauty and other social and economic factors have an equal role in shaping one’s future destiny. Young people in the society value equally all aspects including healthy and physical appearance in deciding their sexual partners and spouses (Mary 131). In some social settings, certain exposure to faces influences people judgement towards one’s behaviours and traits. For instance, attractive physical and visual exposure raise bar to one social position in a good number of modern societies. Contrary, individuals with unattractive physical appearances in some societies hold the lowest position in the society. Recent studies on young people have indicated that, adolescents who are presumed to have bad physical looking compared to others have very unattractive feeling towards beauty. As a result of this, unattractive women do not like engaging themselves in activities that involves public relations. Instead, they opt to do activities that will elevate their position in the society such pursuing their career or participating in profit making activities. On the other hand, unattractive women in the society have negative perceptions towards media responsibilities and occupations. Therefore, by referring to the available information, it is factual to conclude that, in some social setting, beauty is used to determine one’s role and responsibilities in the society. Individual in some societies select their occupation depending on their physical appearance and beauty. Some researchers have on the other hand come up with very different findings regarding beauty and occupation. In some societies especially in developed states, one’s mental ability, experience, and merit are some of the cores driving factors that defines one’s career and participation in social activities. One’s beauty therefore has very limited role in shaping one’s career destiny. In other situations, researchers have claimed that, physical appearance and merits have an equal role in defining one’s occupation in some contemporary society. For instance, in some occupations such as journalist, despite considering individual academic and professional merits, other factors such as physical appearance, assent, facial expression, and physical glooming and presentation plays a very essential role in defining one merit. A good number of mass media services especially electronic media values and considers one’s physical appearance before making their recruitment selection. By examining the accessible researches findings, unattractive women tend to shy off in participating in some activities such as fashion model magazines and in public campaigns initiatives. In addition, physically unattractive women developed low self-esteem and do not have the required confidence to face some social activities and challenges such as engaging in a relationship. Body image among physically unattractive women who engage in public activities and undertakings tends to be poor as they lack the required courage to face audiences in public addresses. In most instances, researches and social analysts have claimed that upward social comparisons and recurrent exposure to mass media raises body dissatisfaction as well as disordered eating among female and male adolescence. Therefore, despite the cross-cultural shared perception and themes in the evaluation and analysis of physical attractiveness and beauty, the perception on beauty can change over time depending on media exposure and social integration and development Although modern social and mass media has a considerable role in influencing the role and function of beauty in contemporary social settings, culture has critical role in judging the impact and role of beauty in modern society. In this context, culture is described a values, perceptions, and beliefs that are associated with beauty. Verbal labels and language that are associated with beauty have proved to hold a considerable role in the definition of the role and impact of beauty in the society. In some society, beauty is mostly associated with female gender as opposed to male gender. Some cultural terms that are associated with gender such as hotness are new inventions that are associated with contemporary generation. Based on the accessible research finding in modern social setting especially in developed countries like United States of America and United Kingdom, the concept beauty has a very limited role in shaping one’s destiny. Beauty is largely associated with infants as opposed to mature people in the society. As opposed to beauty, people in modern society value attractiveness in shaping their destiny. Attractiveness in this case plays a very essential role in the selection and determination of long-term partners and mates in a relationship. On the other hand, verbal label of beauty is not synonymous in diverse society. Different societies hold different meaning and understanding on beauty. Therefore, by examining the meaning and function of the term beauty in different societies, the role of beauty and cuteness is determined by cultural definition and meaning of the concept beauty. Depending on the cultural definition of the concept beauty, some community uses natural physical appearance to determine the role and position of an individual in the society. Role and responsibilities in this form of society are determined depending on the physical appearance without considering other factors such as academic and professional merits. However, in other societies especially in civilised communities, physical appearances have very inadequate role in defining individual position, role and responsibility in the society. Beauty is defined to be a natural appearance that has very limited role in defining individuals’ abilities and competence (Rosemarie 385). Some scholars and social thinkers also link beauty with powerlessness. As per their descriptions, those people who values beauty to define their position in the society are always weak and in most cases valueless in the society. In most instance, cute people uses their physical appearances to dominate social issues and to some extent in earning social positions and privileges. Scholars who believe that valuing beauty is a sign of weakness related physical beauties with cute objects that are formally noncomplex and simple. In addition, these social thinkers and scholars have claimed that a good number of members in modern society use physical appearances and beauty to accelerate male chauvinism and underrate women in the society. Cuteness is in most cases is associated with unthreatening character, feminine, and infantile. Therefore, in modern social settings, cuteness is largely associated with disability or injuries. By referring to the argument of professionals and thinkers who underrate the role of cuteness in the society, beauty especially on women have over years been used to exploit and misuse male gender in the society (Sharon 67). Beauty is as well a commodity of aesthetic. In most instances, cuteness is closely associated pleasure of domesticity and easy assumptions. A good number of modern adolescence therefore uses their physical appearance to earn financial resources and other valuable resources and commodities. Therefore, by referring to the value of physical cuteness in modern community, human being uses a lot of their wealth and resources to improve their physical appearances. However, despite having considerable level of significant to some people, the application of makeup has severe impacts on one’s health. By referring to statistics that are contained in healthcare systems in United States of America, in the recent three years, cases of young people who are reporting for health complications due to employment of artificial lotions to advance their beauty has raised significantly. Therefore, a part from helping some people, attempts to advance one’s beauty has as well proved to be very inefficient and disturbing (Henry 687). Despite facing various critics from different social and cultural scholars, the concept beauty has played a very essential role in creating employment opportunities. For a starter, some physically attractive women use their physical appearance to get promotion and advertisement employment. Modern magazines are characterised by images and pictures of attractive women. Mass media and especially television services use attractive objects in advertising their programs and new products in the market. Secondly, statistics has shown that, modern global market is largely dominated by profit making organisations that specialises in the production of beauty products. The number of industries that produces beauty products has also risen significantly. Promotion of new-fashioned beauty products has therefore created a considerable level of employment in modern society. Thirdly, industries that capitalises in the production of beauty products have over years made a considerable amount of profit. Therefore, beauty industries have played a very essential role in enhancing economic development in global market. Finally, beauty products have raised the living condition in contemporary society. Despite increasing the amount of earning in some family settings, the introduction of new products in the markets has systematically improved the living condition in the society. Beauty industry is as well rated as one of the most innovative and creative industry in the society. The creativity and innovation in modern beauty industries is largely enhanced by increased competition in local and global market (Lois 69) In the light of the above analysis, it is clear that, professionals from various backgrounds have different understanding on the role and impact of cuteness in contemporary society. There are those who argue that, cuteness has played a very severe role in degrading modern social and cultural beliefs and perceptions. Cases of immorality in the society are largely attributed to the concept beauty. Beauty is as well used to underrate people who are not physically attractive. However, based on the available statistic, it s clear that, beauty has a very essential role in facilitating the development of modern society. Despite creating employment opportunities, the concepts beauty has played a very essential role in enhancing social and economic development. Therefore, professionals and social thinkers who are opposed to the concepts and ideas that are contained in beauty ought to understand the meaning of beauty in modern society. Work cited Henry Pang. Miss America: An American Ideal, 1921-1969. Journal of Popular Culture 2 (2009), 687-96 Lois W. Banner, American Beauty. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983. Print Mary Ryan. The American Parade: Representations of the Nineteenth-Century Social Order in Lynn Hunt, ed., the New Cultural History. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. Print Rosemarie Garland Thomson. Body Criticism. Disability Studies Quarterly 17, 4 (2007) 284- 286 Sharon Romm. The Changing Face of Beauty. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, 1992. Print Susan Bordo, Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007. Print Read More