Beauty in Its Most Hideous Form

Bhuta 1

Vrinda Bhuta

11/12/14

English 100-24

PH 1 Rm 129

Beauty in its Most Hideous Form

“Beauty, as defined by society at large, seemed to be only about who was best at looking like everyone else,” (Grealy). Beauty has always been a part of society; a woman’s wide hips and smooth curvature signals her fertility while a man’s brawny build indicates his ability to defend and provide for his family. However, these primitive views have been significantly altered by the media and by society itself. As time has passed, images of the “perfect” man or woman have become distorted. Women are no longer striving for wide hips and baby fat, but rather for more slender body frames. In addition, men have taken into account the notion that having a more muscular body signifies attractiveness, not physical strength. Modern society is filled with sheep who, at the first sign of change, follow after their new leader.

In the modern world, beauty is everything; having the right clothes, hair, body, and make- up signals social acceptance. For instance, “women who advance most at work, studies agree, are more attractive, thinner, taller and have a more youthful appearance than their female colleagues who are promoted less often,” (Sinberg). Society views appearance as a way to determine worth and value: the better-looking a person is, the higher chance that person has on being at the top of the social ladder. This leads to the inevitable question of why society views physical appearance so highly. This is due to the fact that “we also believe in the 'what is beautiful is good' stereotype

– an irrational but deep-seated belief that physically attractive people possess other desirable characteristics such as intelligence, competence, social skills, confidence – even moral virtue,” Bhuta 2

(Rationis). An example of this view holding true for modern society is reflected in the well- known “Charles Atlas” advertise which depicts how one man stands up to a bully after becoming

‘built,’ ( Atwan, 110). By showing that one man takes a stance against bullying encourages the fact that good looks are associated with good personality. Furthermore, in the Nixon v. Kennedy election of 1960, there was a debate not only versus the Republican and Democratic candidates, but also between their constituents. Voters who listened to a radio broadcast of the debate believed that Richard Nixon had won while television viewers felt that John F. Kennedy had the upper-hand. The reason for this uncertainty as to who won the Nixon-Kennedy debate was that

Richard Nixon was recovering from a fever at the time of the show-down while John F. Kennedy had time to prepare both mentally and physically for the election. Additionally, Kennedy put on make-up and looked appealing to television watchers of the debate. Television watchers found

Kennedy to be the winner of the debate mainly because he looked better than Nixon, thereby enhancing the fact that beauty surpasses knowledge in social views. Society alters people’s views on beauty, but who is the enhancer of these communal views?

The “leaders” of these collective views are the media and big business corporations.

From billboards and newspaper advertises to television commercials and popular movies, physical appearance has been altered in more ways than seemingly possible. As years have passed, women are being portrayed as thinner and men are being illustrated as more muscular.

Big businesses are using insecurity as a means to invade individual households and promote goods and services such as fitness trainers, beauty products, and plastic surgery. By changing the

“ideal” appearance and using photo-shopping techniques, both males and females alike are constantly worrying about their physical appearances rather than their inner personality. “(The beauty myth) is actually composed of emotional distance, politics, finance, and sexual Bhuta 3 repression,” (Wolfe, 13). Beauty hinders people from realizing their true potential and putting their minds to a greater good. Bhuta 4

Works Cited

Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Themes, Texts, and Images for Composition. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print.

Grealy, Lucy. Autobiography of a Face. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.

Rationis, Vox. "Mirror, MirrorA Summary of Research Findings on Body Image." Mirror, Mirror. 11 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. .

Sinberg, Laura. "Think Looks Don't Matter? Think Again." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 5 Dec. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. .

Wolfe, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. Toronto: Vintage, 1990. 8-19. Print.