Comparison of American Ideals of Beauty with Ideals in Non-Western Cultures Since the 19th Century - Assignment Example

As per the American context, beauty as an ideal focuses on the physical attractiveness of women. This belief manifests itself at a very tender age through fairy tales read to children. As a result, young girls grow with the impression that beauty is instrumental in creating a positive future. The typical explanation of beauty in western cultures is that an ideal woman is tall, white, thin, and blonde with large breasts and a narrow waist.  A Comparison of Beauty Ideals among Americans and Non-Western Cultures.

In both cultures, thinness is part of the ideal beauty of a woman. For instance, Asian and African women are thin naturally while the American ladies undertake measure such as taking diets in order to maintain a thin body structure. Fat women have also attempted to find ways of restoring thinness. According to Fedorak (2014), both cultures regard being overweight as a sign of laziness and lack of self-control. This particular aspect has led to an increase in the number of plastic surgeries in both cultures aimed at getting rid of fat Contrasts of Beauty Ideals among the Western cultures and Non-Western Cultures Beauty is not all about the feminism of the girl-child.

It also takes men into consideration. Since the 19th century, women prefer muscular and toned men in western culture but in non-western cultures such as Asia, flower boys are more popular as compared to muscular men. The western perception places its concern on beauty mainly on the physical attractiveness while the non-western cultures place emphasis on the ability to perform certain roles related to women in the society (Fedorak, 2014). Feminism in the western culture has evolved since the 19th century and is now more of nudity with regard to the dress code.

On the other hand, the non-western nations have been following traditional cultures, emulating traditional dressing to preserve dignity in the community. Conclusion Both cultures do criticize fat women and tend to appreciate thin women. The western and non-western cultures are also very careful on ethical matters such as eating disorders that tamper with the ideal aspects of beauty.