Who defines beauty - Research Paper Example

Who defines beauty? The concept of what is beauty has elicited so much debate from the times of Plato in ancient Greece to Some argue that there is no universal definition of beauty whereas others state that there is. On the one hand, beauty has been linked to survival in the animal kingdom where females seek the perfect mate that would improve the survival odds of their offspring. On the other hand, today Western magazines and movies are at the forefront in influencing the world with a standardized description of beauty largely geared towards creating demand for certain products and services. This paper shall look at these two broad perspectives on beauty to find out whether it is universally defined or not. From the arguments raised in understanding these two perspectives the paper shall ultimately seek to answer the question who defines beauty. Universal beauty metrics Universal metrics of beauty do exist. For example symmetry has been scientifically proven to be inherently attractive to the human eye across age, culture or gender (Feng Para 3; Cowley 1). This universal preference for symmetry is also observed in animals and scientists believe that symmetry points toward presence of a strong immune system. The similarity being referred to here is bilateral symmetry which is manifested by the extent to which the left and right sides of the body and face match and not necessarily about proportions (Cowley 2). This however does not mean that body proportions do not play a role in beauty. On the contrary, body proportions have been also found to be another universal marker in the perceptions of beauty. Scientists found that in general, men prefer women with low waist-to-hip ratios of roughly 0.70 (Saad Para 3). Also, healthy, fertile women typically have waists that are 60 to 80 percent the size of their hips, regardless of their weight (Cowley 4). This means that Men prefer women who have less adipose deposited on their waist than on their hips and buttocks. This too has connotations on reproduction with research showing that women with high waist-to-hip ratios having a greater likelihood of suffering from infertility and diabetes (Feng Para 14). Finally, personality and demeanor have also been found to be universally accepted as a key influencer on people’s perception of whether someone is beautiful or not. Feng (Para 17) cites a scientific survey that showed both men and women ranked kindness and exciting personality as more important traits in a potential mate than good looks. This is a slightly more modern approach to beauty and its research has not been as extensive as that for symmetry and body proportions. Non-universal metrics of beauty The influence of gender and culture has been found to offer the greatest opposition towards the idea of having beauty that is universally defined. Gender comes to play given that men and women perceive beauty differently. Research from around the world shows that whereas appearance is valued by both sexes, men place a greater emphasis on it than women (Cowley 3). The modern woman on the other hand places greater emphasis on personality and demeanor as a measure of beauty. Moreover, scientists have found that a woman’s perceptions of beauty actually change throughout the month following their menstrual cycle (Feng Para 12). Culture, though, has the greatest influence on our different perceptions of beauty. In Africa, women who have a full figure are considered beautiful whereas in the Western world, the pressure on women is to remain thin to be beautiful (Albers Para 2). Cultural differences have the ability to even distort some of the attributes that we identified earlier in the paper as universal metrics of beauty. For example in Myanmar, women of the Kareni and Padaung tribes wear necklaces to elongate their necks because beauty is associated with the length of a woman’s neck. Such practices could distort body symmetry. A better example to illustrate the strength of culture with regards to defining beauty is the increasing Westernization of beauty across the globe. Western corporations eager to increase their revenues are homogenizing the world through magazines, movies and fashion. The rising middle class in the developing world is eager to emulate the behaviors and norms of the West to the extent that both men and women are beginning to define beauty using the stereotypes of the West such as the hour-glass body figure, small nose, small jaw and large eyes, and defined cheekbones for women. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder Ultimately, beauty is a very subjective issue and thus can only be judged by the receiver. For one, with increased education both men and women are using more measures to determine what is beautiful and what is not. For example men have discovered that women favor dominant males and as such men may forgo their health, safety and so on in order to acquire rank so that they can have the power that makes them attractive to women. Elliot Aronson, a social psychologist at Stanford University, argued that how one sees oneself to some extent determines how attractive others see them (Feng Para 20). This is especially important given that it is almost impossible to find a culture that appreciates one’s body as being beautiful just as it is, without manipulation of either shape or weight. Furthermore, we are no longer living in the Darwanian era where natural selection ruled and our purpose in life was merely mirrored towards reproduction and survival of the fittest. This means that we are no longer restricted to defining beauty within the constructs of finding a suitable mate. To put it better, finding a potential mate today involves looking for more than the ability to procreate. Today, both sexes are looking for intelligence, personality, compatibility and most of all the moral compass of the potential partner, friend, acquaintance or work mate. Unlike animals, men and women of today are seeking for greater meaning and purpose in their lives. This naturally means that our rationale of what beauty is slightly differs from that of our Darwinian counterparts. All said, beauty can only be judged by the receiver. Works Cited Albers, Susan. “Fat Is Beautiful.” Psychology Today. 6 Apr. 2010. Web. 24 May 2012. Cowley, Geoffrey. “The Biology Of Beauty.” The Daily Beast. 2 June 1996. Web. 24 May 2012. Feng, Charles. “Looking Good: The Psychology and Biology of Beauty.” Journal of Young Investigators 6.6 (2002): n. pag. Web. 24 May 2012. Saad, Gad. “Beauty: Culture-Specific or Universally Defined?” Psychology Today. 6 Apr. 2010. Web. 24 May 2012.  Read More