REDEFINING IDEAL BEAUTY THROUGH ITS REPRESENTATION in SCARS to YOUR BEAUTIFUL Ida Rosida
SELF-LOVE AND SELF-ACCEPTANCE: REDEFINING IDEAL BEAUTY THROUGH ITS REPRESENTATION IN SCARS TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL
Ida Rosida and Dinni Yulia Saputri Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta email: [email protected]
Abstract The ideal beauty has a significant impact on social life. Those who feel that their body does not meet the idealized body view might have body dissatisfaction and low self- appreciation. This study is aimed at exploring a broader definition and understanding of beauty as it is represented in Scars to Your Beautiful, a song by Alessia Cara, from both its lyric and music video. Using content analysis and supported by the concept of the figures of speech, cinematography, and representation by Stuart Hall investigation on this beauty ideal is completed. Results show that Scars to Your Beautiful strives to redefine the term of beauty which cannot be determined only by certain criteria such as having a thin body, white skin, flawless and addressed to women only, but beauty also reaches a broader definition in all shapes size, color, and even gender. These findings highlight the importance of self-love and self-acceptance in the social context.
Keywords: beauty ideal, representation of beauty, body dissatisfaction
CINTA DAN PENERIMAAN DIRI: REDEFINISI KECANTIKAN IDEAL YANG DIREPRESENTASIKAN DALAM LIRIK LAGU SCARS TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL
Abstrak Kecantikan ideal memiliki dampak penting dalam kehidupan sosial yakni adanya ketidakpuasan terhadap tubuh dan berkurangnya penghargaan terhadap diri sendiri. Kajian ini mengeksplorasi definisi dan pemahaman cantik yang lebih luas sebagaimana direpresentasikan dalam lirik lagu dan video musik Scar to Your Beautiful oleh Alessia Cara. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah konten analisis didukung dengan konsep figurative language, cinematography, dan konsep representasi Stuart Hall. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Scars To Your Beautiful mencoba mendefinisikan kembali kata cantik yang tidak hanya ditujukan bagi mereka yang memiliki tubuh langsing, kulit putih, tidak ada gores luka pada tubuh, dan hanya ditujukan pada perempuan, melainkan cantik ini memiliki definisi lebih luas yakni pada semua bentuk tubuh, semua ukuran tubuh, dan semua warna kulit, termasuk gender. Hasil penelitian ini menegaskan kembali pentingnya mencintai dan menerima diri dalam konteks kehidupan sosial.
Kata Kunci: kecantikan ideal, representasi kecantikan, ketidakpuasan terhadap tubuh
395 INTRODUCTION 2014:194). The excessive of beauty ideal Beauty is a term that has a variety of emphasized on the media industry is not definitions and is very subjective. Beauty only a phenomenon found in western may initially be seen as the physical, such countries, but it has become a more as shape and form, but it also could equally global problem (Yan Yan & Kim Bissell be about its function and effects on people, 2014:195). Although often unrealistic and the environment one has inspired and unattainable, these beauty ideals (Yung 2017:5). However, most people transmitted through various socio- usually associate this term only with cultural channels and have been someone’s physical appearance when in internalized by women and even young fact, this term also applies to the nature or girls. (Rice et al. 2016:4). character within a person. The reason is In the past decade, research on body that beautiful physique enhances one’s image has increased and has generated social worth. Moreover, people with knowledge gathered about various attractive physique are more likely to be components and expressions (Tracy L. successful both socially and economically Tylka & Amy C. Iannantuono 2016:1). (Kuipers 2015:38). For people, particularly Until now, this topic is still one of the women, the perceptions of self-worth are most interesting topics to be discussed by based partly on their physical appearance, using different methods, theories, and including their body shape and body different social context. The current weight (Betz et al. 2019:100). A slim body research on beauty ideal was conducted is very desirable for most women in the by Diana E Betz, Sabik, and Ramsey world today. The women beauty ideals (2019) entitled Ideal Comparison: Body continue to glorify the thin ideal that Ideals Harms Women’s Body Image Through represents the female form as a slender, Social Comparison. This article discusses feminine physique with small waist and the beauty ideal using the theory of little body fat (Robinson et al 2017:65). psychology namely social comparison For these reasons, people continue to which is revealed that state and traits compete to have the ideal beauty. social comparison has a function in social A slender, small waist, feminine body relation. Next, the research of Robyn L. has predominated as the Western cultural Moffit, Neumann, and Williamson ideal for decades, and standardization of (2018) entitled Comparing the Efficacy of a this thin ideal is linked to body Brief Self-Esteem and Self Compassion dissatisfaction and self-objectification Intervention for State Body Dissatisfaction (Betz et al. 2019:100). One of the biggest and Self-Improvement. This research factors regarding is that people continue explored the efficacy of writing task for to be bombarded by information in the reducing body dissatisfaction using the mass media that transmits and strengthens psychological approach. These two values and norms, fashion and beauty researches focus their study relate to body ideals through models, movie stars, and images seen from psychological female celebrities in various media approach. Then, research by Alan Robert formats (Yan Yan & Kim Bissell and Sena Muta (2017) entitled
Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: Redefining Ideal Beauty Through Its Representation in ... 396 Representations of Female Body Weight in important as it is represented the broader the Media: An Update of Playboy Magazine definition of ideal beauty. Further, the from 2000 to 2014 that reviewed changes in song represents the real situation that women’s body size represented in Playboy happened in the world regarding body magazine from 2000 to 2014. This ideals that leads to body dissatisfaction. research shows that the representation of This occurs when the body’s weight and body image represented in Playboy shape are undesirable and beyond magazine is getting more real based on expectation (Moffitt et al. 2018:67). This the models’ body mass index. issue of body-dissatisfaction is known to Based on those three previous leads to depression, eating disorder, or researches, it is obvious that the discussion even suicidal thoughts as the effect of of beauty ideal seems never end. Further, beauty ideals, and it has become a real this research is aimed at exploring how matter and a global problem. Therefore, the beauty ideal is also represented in interventions to reduce body literary work such as song lyrics and dissatisfaction have long been considered music video. Apart from the rise of mass an important research priority (Moffitt media that describes the beauty ideals 2018:67). that are too unrealistic, there are also The used of representation theory by many artists and celebrities who try to Stuart Hall particularly constructionist criticize this beauty ideal through their approach, supported by figure of speech works or simply voice their opinions on and cinematography, it allows the social media and utilize their existence to researcher to reconstruct meaning of invite women to love their bodies. A beauty and finally could redefine the singer who voiced beauty ideals is Alessia meaning of beauty through its Cara in her song Scars to Your Beautiful. representation in lyric and music video. The song is talking about the current Further, this research will become a new situation in western society particularly view about beauty ideals as it is on how people especially women keep represented in Scars to your beautiful. glorifying the unrealistic beauty ideals. Additionally, Scars to Your Beautiful won The music video features people of all the MTV Music Video Award in the ages, genders, ethnicities, and United States in 2016, for the music video backgrounds simply show its models with the best social message. This award taking turn talking about their experience strengthens how important it is to analyze or personal struggle that they have had to the representation of beauty as it is overcome and share their thoughts presented in the song lyrics and its music regarding the beauty ideals. Each of them video. is representing themselves as the real definition of beauty in all shapes, sizes, METHOD and colors along with all their scars, This research utilizes qualitative flaws, imperfections, and differences. content analysis as the method of the Analyzing Alessia Cara’s Scars to Your research since this research relies on text Beautiful lyric and music video is and image data. Qualitative content
397 LITERA, Volume 18, Nomor 3, November 2019 analysis can be defined as an empirical represented in the music video using the approach, methodological controlled concept of cinematography. Both are analysis of texts within their context of analyzed based on the concept of communication, following content representation by Stuart Hall. Further, analytical rules and step-by-step models, how beauty is represented in the lyrics without rash quantification (Mayring and its music video then reveal the 2004). The instrument used in this broader definition of beauty ideal. research is the writers themselves as the subject of the study to collect the data, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION reading the lyric comprehensively, Results making notes, and analyze the corpus. The analysis shows three main results: The unit of analysis that will be used in First, beauty, based on Scars to Your this research is in the form of words, Beautiful, is defined as a quality within phrases, and sentences in the song lyric, every single human being that worth and in the form of physical depictions more than just physical attributes. The contained in audio-visual media, namely song is representing people in all range of the music video by Alessia Cara entitled ages, genders, shapes, sizes, and colors to Scars to Your Beautiful. This song was redefine the real definition of the term written by Alessia Cara, Warren “Oak” beauty which cannot be determined only Felder, Coleridge Tillman, Andrew by a certain physical criteria such as age, “Pop” Wansel, and DJ Frank E with gender, body size, body shape, skin color, production handled by Felder, Tillman, or as known as the beauty ideals. Second, Frank E and, Wansel. Scars to Your Beautiful is representing The theories used in this research are critics on beauty standards that have been the representation by Stuart Hall using built by the society and widely spread by the constructionist approach by which most media. Third, Scars to Your Beautiful the users of language could improve the is representing the act of self-love and meaning of language or reconstruct self-acceptance to encourage all the meaning (Hall,1997). Next, the literary audience to do so. Based on the totality theory consists of figures of speech and of the song, there are no certain criteria imagery to analyze the lyric (Perrine,1992) to be beautiful. Being different and having and the cinematography concept by scars as part of someone’s imperfection is Barsam and Monahan’s book (2015) actually the uniqueness that makes every which will investigate the music video. single human being beautiful, and finally, The technique of data analysis is the inner-quality is all that matters. conducted by collecting the data; the process is reading the song lyric line by Discussion line, and by watching the music video The Representation of Beauty in Lyrics comprehensively. The data then classified In the first discussion, the lyric will be into two; first, how beauty is represented analyzed stanza per stanza to find out the in the song lyric using the concept of meaning and the idea in it. The figurative figures of speech. Second, how beauty is language which includes figures of
Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: Redefining Ideal Beauty Through Its Representation in ... 398 speech and imagery are also identified, certain way so that they can be considered interpreted, and analyzed to find out how as beautiful. “She prays to be sculpted by the song lyric represents the term beauty. the sculptor” means they are also hoping that they can be physically shaped to be She just wants to be beautiful more ideal, or literally means wishing to She goes unnoticed, she knows no limits be born with a better physical appearance. She craves attention, she praises an image This first stanza is describing the She prays to be sculpted by the sculptor situation to the audience in which body dissatisfaction is the issue that is going on From the first stanza, the speaker uses in today’s society and sooner or later will the pronoun she to indicate that this song harm these unsatisfied people physically is directed to women, especially women and mentally. Beyond its role as target who feel unsatisfied with their body, the intervention, both thinness-oriented and women who feel insecure, and most muscularly-oriented body dissatisfaction women are often feeling that way. The also plays a huge role as the risk factors repetition of the word she in the first four for developing eating disorder and even lines of the lyric emphasizes the meaning depression, as well as decreased well- that the main focus of this song is for being, such as lower life satisfaction, self- women. Even though the speaker uses esteem, self-compassion, optimism, the word she to make it sounds like the secure attachment, and proactive coping song is only directed to women, the music (Karazsia et al. 2017:294). video says something different about it. The music video tries to say that even Oh, she don’t see the light that’s shining when the main focus of the song is Deeper than the eyes can find it women, men and even transgender can Maybe we have made her blind also relate to this idealized or standardized So she tries to cover up her pain beauty ideal as well. And cut her woes away Starting the first stanza, the speaker ‘Cause covergirls don’t cry gives a clue about what is going on with a After their face is made clear statement that stands for the current situation of women nowadays with all The word light in the second stanza the beauty standards that make them feel “She don’t see the light that shining” is a like they were nothing, and worthless. symbol which refers to the inner quality The speaker then gives some more within people, but they cannot even see information about the situation where it. “Deeper than the eyes can find it” women are often to feel unsatisfied about means that these inner attributes cannot their body; they crave for attention. “She be seen through the eyes because these praises an image”, an image here refers to women are too busy focusing on their the beauty ideals that have been built by physical attributes, it is not something the society through all the mass media, physical, it is something deeper than that. an image of how women are supposed to This inner attribute is for example, their look, and women are dying to look this personality, their attitude, their heart,
399 LITERA, Volume 18, Nomor 3, November 2019 their manner, and their way of thinking. Entering the refrain of the song, the It is not surprising that most women lyric starts with “There’s a hope that’s internalize the message about how waiting for you in the dark”, there is a important the physical beauty is, because personification in this line describes how they have been given these pervasive hope, which is an abstract concept cultural messages and they come to described as something alive and waiting believe that their worth as a person is in the dark. It means that there is hope based on their physical attributes (Homan for us to change and redefine our and Tylka 2015:2). So, when they do not perception of beauty that has been miss- have this physical beauty, they started to leaded by the media. The next line, again, feel like they do not worth it. These is identifying another personification pervasive cultural messages about the where the world is described as something importance of physical beauty are one of alive that could change its heart. The the things that make women blind about word world here refers to society: how the their worth and inner beauty. “Maybe we society could possibly change their have made her blind” is a hyperbole since perception of beauty ideals which the word blind here does not carry the probably no longer limited only to some literal meaning of blind, but it refers to certain shapes, sizes, and colors. The the situation where the current society stanza ended with a clear statement “No (we) tends to bombard women with some scars to your beautiful”, the word scars certain criteria that are too unrealistic here is a symbol that stands for an and it makes women “blind” about the imperfection, it means that it does not fact that the real beauty comes from matter how many scars or imperfection within and not only from the physical we have, we are all still beautiful and will appearance. The last four lines in the always be, and “we’re stars and we’re second stanza indicates how women tend beautiful”, we’re stars here is a metaphor, to cover up their pain and cut their woes we refers to all human beings in general, away, because these cover girls never cry with all shapes, sizes, and colors, after their face is made which means that emphasizes the meaning that everyone is they were born to be physically ideal, and shining like a star and every single human these unsatisfied women are trying to be being is beautiful. one, by trying so hard to conceal their We have seen that over time, people scars and all of their imperfections. are starting to realize that these beauty standards are not realistic. The media is But there’s a hope that’s waiting for you in also starting to promote the diversity of the dark people in color or more realistic body You should know you’re beautiful just the shapes. One example brought out by one way you are of the beauty company, Dove, which has And you don’t have to change a thing been working on to further the global The world could change its heart understanding of women, beauty and No scars to your beautiful well-being, and the relationship between We’re stars and we’re beautiful them. They are also working on to assess
Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: Redefining Ideal Beauty Through Its Representation in ... 400 whether it is possible to talk about women unattainable beauty ideals set by the beauty in a way that is more authentic, media. That effect includes low self- satisfying, and empowering. Dove set out esteem, depression, eating disorders, to change the definition of beauty as exercise addictions, unhealthy attitudes portrayed by the media and turn beauty toward sex, sexuality and body image, into a source of confidence and not of and even can lead to suicide (Waller anxiety (Amaral 2017:3). This is what is 2015:109). meant by “the world could change its The word she in this stanza refers to heart” even though it is still in a very women who are willing to be starving so small amount of change, but for sure, they can be as skinny as the cover girls there is hope. who “eat nothing” which is a hyperbole to express how skinny cover girls are as if She has dreams to be an envy, so she’s they eat nothing. There is another visual starving imagery here as we can imagine in our You know, “Covergirls eat nothing.” head that most of the cover girls nowadays She says, “Beauty is pain and there’s beauty are very skinny. A little bit of hunger in everything.” means nothing because as they said “What’s a little bit of hunger?” “Beauty is pain” so they will keep going “I can go a little while longer,” she fades a little longer and longer to starve. Beauty away. is pain is a metaphor; means that it requires pain to be beautiful, so they need The fourth stanza describes more to sacrifice a little to get the ideal shape about women’s insecurities, this stanza is of beauty standardized by society. These emphasizing one of the body ideals that women are always having these thoughts have been shaped in the society, which is in their mind “What’s a little bit of a skinny body or in other words, the hunger? I can go a little while longer” so skinnier they look, the more beautiful they keep starving to get the ideal body they are. The word covergirl is a that they want, and “she fades away” synecdoche since it describes a part that refers to how they are not even realizing is made to represent the whole, refers to that they actually torturing themselves the mass media in general that often and keep living their lives as if nothing represents how women should look like happened and this is the effect of the through their models. Advertising and unrealistic beauty standards that have the media in general are regularly been mentioned above. criticized for the way they represented women, particularly the use of young She don’t see her perfect women as the models, the continuing of She don’t understand she’s worth it stereotypes, demeaning women, being Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface sexually suggestive, and depicting Ah, oh, ah, ah oh unrealistic body images. These images can also harm women as they start to The fifth stanza is where the speaker compare and try to reach these says that these women do not even realize
401 LITERA, Volume 18, Nomor 3, November 2019 that they are perfect and worth it, they ‘Scars to Your Beautiful’ to help them started to forget their inner beauty realize and see the real definition of attributes that they own deep in their beauty, which is something that shines heart as in “Or that beauty goes deeper from within and it has nothing to do with than the surface”, and they are too busy physical appearance. The word light in paying attention only to their physical “the light that shines within” again, is a flaws which are in the surface, their symbol stands for inner quality within physics. These women are often focusing everyone. The speaker hopes that the so much on superficial beauty that they song can be the reflection of how every fail to appreciate the exceptional power human being should see themselves as a of the inner beauty (Nahai 2018:1040). perfect creature, appreciate themselves, All the beauty ideals are making these love themselves more, and not letting the internal beauty goes even deeper, it scars or imperfection lessen their self- means that the society is turning these worth. They need to pay more attention women into someone else and not to their inner attributes because their themselves because these women wanted physical appearance means nothing if to be as ideal as possible to the world. they do not have this inner beauty. Clearly, this stanza shows that most The song lyric represents the idea women are ignoring the fact that they are how the society has shaped and worth it. They are not appreciating standardized the ideal beauty since it can themselves the way in which they lessen how much we love and appreciate supposed to be, especially since body ourselves and this is the time to change appreciation is what stops these women our old way of thinking regarding beauty from accepting the unattainable and ideals. The lyric is representing the term unrealistic beauty ideals. This lack of beauty as something that is not limited to body appreciation is one of the factors some certain criteria; beauty is not merely that make these women feel less and about physical appearance. The most always comparing anyone else’s body to important attribute that makes people theirs which then leads them to face body beautiful is their inner quality, and the dissatisfaction issues. scars in the song means the imperfection, which is what makes everyone unique So to all the girls that’s hurting and beautiful. Let me be your mirror Help you see a little bit clearer The Representation of Beauty in Music Video The light that shines within In the second discussion, the music video will be analyzed using the concept In the sixth stanza, the speaker is of cinematography to find out how it offering herself to be ‘the mirror’ of these represents the term beauty. The music insecure girls, the girls who are hurting. video started with the appearance of The mirror here is a metaphor which Alessia Cara, the singer of the song, with means that me, who is the speaker, will be her face without any makeup, her natural helping these women through the music curly hair, wearing a simple black long
Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: Redefining Ideal Beauty Through Its Representation in ... 402 sleeves shirt and simple black pair of introducing their names as Jess, Carmel, jeans. Francesca, Miles, Myreen, Marney, Florence, Shavon, Joanna, Christina, Josh, Kylie, Miranda, Joad, Grace, James, and Tasha. There is one familiar face shows up here in the music video, who is Joanna or known as JoJo who is a public figure. From here, we can see that the music video is trying to reach out to all of the audience that even a public figure has insecurities as well. From the introduction, the audience can clearly see that these people are very diverse, physically. All of the models in this music video look very realistic, this is the real people, the real body, and is clearly contradicting all the beauty standards that the mass media is usually Picture 1 and 2. Alessia Cara looking presented. When asked about women’s natural in an empty room body ideals in today’s western culture, most people described a similar woman This is the first scene and she looks image. The ideal woman is a model, very natural in an empty room with some according to western social and cultural huge windows in her background. The standards. She has to be tall, tanned, thin, lighting used in this scene is natural lights has large breasts, clear skin, and is often where Alessia Cara is standing in an has long blond hair—many of the same empty room with some huge windows features that researchers and critics blame right behind her and the windows give so for women’s low self-esteem and much natural sun light into the room. unrealistic expectation because so few The lighting seems to softly diffused, and women has those physical attributes clearly, they do not need to add more (Millard 2009:154). At this point, we can artificial lighting in such room of this see that the concept of this music video is kind and in the day light. The quality for the realistic image of people in all shapes, this scene’s lighting is high-key, since the sizes, and colors; and criticizing beauty lighting is soft, spreading, and created a standards at the same time. low-contrast outcome. This type of The song then continued and from lighting clearly fits the scene and this part of the music video, the lyric succeeded in bringing up and supporting synchronized the clip very well as the the concept the music video which is lyric goes “Deeper than the eyes can find simplicity and reality. it”, the camera then goes to shot Shavon’s In the second scene, there are some eyes; women and men from all range of ages
403 LITERA, Volume 18, Nomor 3, November 2019 “After their face is made”, the camera then goes to Joanna while she is covering up her face with her hands.
Picture 3. Shavon’s eyes looking straight to the camera
“So she tries to cover up her pain, and cut her woes away””, the camera goes to Picture 6. Joana covering up her face Carmel, the woman who wears head- with her hand cover; This synchronized shot is giving a certain emotion to the viewer and connect the lyric with the video very well, giving the perfect image in the viewers’ mind. Entering the refrain of the song, the first image is showing an overweight woman standing at the corner of the balcony.
Picture 4. Carmel with a head-cover
“Cause cover girls don’t cry”, the camera showing Shavon’s full-body sitting on the chair as if she’s in the middle of a photo shoot session;
Picture 7. An overweight woman standing in the balcony
This woman is not one of those people who introduced themselves earlier, and she represents the beauty in all sizes. As stated in Affull and Ricciardelli’s, we live in a culture of Picture 5. Shavon posing like a cover girl negative collective “knowingness” of fat women, where they are known to be lazy,
Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: Redefining Ideal Beauty Through Its Representation in ... 404 lacking willpower, and sexually out of Yan & Kim Bissell 2014:197). The next control (2015:3), and through this music scenes are showing some of the models video, Alessia Cara wants to change that sharing their thoughts and experience, “knowingness” and represents the form their expression captured perfectly, as of beauty in all sizes. Mayreen says “there are my peers, and The next person is Miles, the camera then there was me”, initiating the then does the extreme close-up to one of insecurities she feels when she’s around his un-perfect ear, represents beauty in all her friends, she makes some kind of shapes where one of his ears can be border between herself and her friends considered as an imperfection or what because she thinks she’s not as pretty as the lyric is symbolized with the word her friends. Then, Joanna says “and a lot “scars”. This type of shot points out of people aren’t afraid to give their some great details carried by the models; opinions whether they’re hurtful or not”, most of those details are the scars or the represents the current society that is very imperfection of the models. In this scene, judgmental and seems to not really care the camera is trying to points out one of about the way they give their opinion. Miles’ ear that looks ‘imperfect’. From this length of shot, the audience can clearly see Miles’ imperfect ear, and also this shot was taken to emphasize the meaning that any kinds of imperfection will never lessen someone’s worth. As already mentioned above, Miles is the representation of beauty in all shapes.
Picture 9. Joanna sharing her thoughts
This medium close-up shot gives a certain effect to its audience in which it catches the models’ expression even in the slightest changes and their body gesture. Furthermore, the concept of the music video is trying to show the real Picture 8. Miles with his un-perfect ear experience of its models, and their gestures are captured perfectly from this Next, the camera goes to Grace, a length of shot. This kind of shot can be woman with slanted eyes smiling, another seen when the camera catches Joanna’s representation of beauty in all shapes expression when she is sharing her where there is a beauty criteria that experience about how people can easily described round eyes as one of the speaking out their opinion without attributes for the ideal beauty, along with thinking that it may hurtful or not. Then, narrow faces and pronounced noses (Yan Kylie says “people would laugh and stare
405 LITERA, Volume 18, Nomor 3, November 2019 (at her)” because she is a cancer survivor shouldn’t be trying to hide it” represents who lose her hair from medical therapy the way people are supposed to act, to be such as chemo, this is also representing proud of who they are and not to be how the society can be so cruel to ashamed by their flaws. Women still someone who physically different such as frequently engage in comparing Kylie. themselves to the idealized beauty criteria An overweight woman says “people even when these are unnecessary and watching you eat and making little affect them in negative self-evaluations. comments”, another experience that Experimental findings have shown that represents the current situation of society exposure to beauty ideals raises that always tends to judge something comparison based on physical only based on physical appearance. appearance, with the extent of Francesca says “As I grew up thinking comparison predicting increased weight- that I had to look a certain way”, related thoughts, anxiety, negative mood, represents the stereotypes and perception and body dissatisfaction (Mulgrew built by the society that even already exist 2017:127). and planted since we were kids. Francesca The camera then starts doing close-up has an athletic body with muscles that is shot where the camera photographed the more identic with men’s body and this is models from their chest up to their head another representation of beauty in all and emphasizing the models’ expression shapes. Many kinds of research showed even better. In this scene, the camera does that the pervasive body ideals in popular the close-up shot on Miranda while she is culture are unattainable for most healthy looking down the scars on her chest, human beings, even though, many people then, the camera moves up and shoots still adopt these ideals as their personal her smiling face. This camera movement goals. Individuals who internalize these and her attitude represent the power of societal and cultural influences often self-acceptance. This kind of shot gives experience body dissatisfaction (Karazsia the viewer a certain emotion showing et al. 2017:295). This is what makes most that even when we have scars, whether it people want to change their physical is a visible or invisible scar, we are still appearance when they actually do not beautiful if we accept it as a part of need to and the music video coherence ourselves. the lyric as the lyric later goes “you don’t Then, there is a transgender woman have to change a thing, the world could shows up after, represents other shapes of change its heart”. beauty. The appearance of other gender Christina, the Asian woman, says “I than women in this music video is clearly never thought I was as pretty as the other stating that the term beauty is not only girls”, again, represents the insecurities applied to women, even when the lyric of women tend to feel growing up in a the song is directed to women, Alessia society where physical appearance seems Cara is also want to make the audience to be the number one aspects of the ideal see other effects of beauty ideals on other beauty. Then Miles says “be proud, I gender from her music video. Beauty
Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: Redefining Ideal Beauty Through Its Representation in ... 406 certain subjects, the incompleteness of their body is deeply associated with the idea of ‘strangeness’ that often stands for ‘ugliness’. For many transsexuals, their original body is not perceived as ‘familiar’ for them, but on the contrary, their original body is their source of anomaly (Mauriello 2017:57). The main point that Alessia Cara wants to emphasize here is not how this transgender woman change her appearance to look beautiful, but she changed the way she looks to be her true self, and that is what the real beauty is; to be the true self of ours. And we, as human beings, should never judge any other person only based on their appearance, Picture 10 and 11. A woman looking because beauty is not merely about that, down to her hole scar on her neck then beauty is about being what’s in our looking straight to the camera deepest heart. The next part of the music video is ideals have affected people in all gender another sharing session of thoughts and as well, and from the music video, she experience as an overweight woman says wants to define a new definition of beauty “it’s been something I’ve struggled with which is not only quality a women can my entire life, not feeling like I fit in”, this have, but beauty is about all the human represents the struggle of women who beings and there is no gender limitation have the same body dissatisfaction issues when it comes to the term beauty. as her, especially there is much evidence that one characteristic of beauty ideal as represented by the media, is extreme thinness. Given some certain body shape and weight as the ideal body such as thin, small waist, and minimal body fat is unrealistic and unachievable for most women (Moffitt 2018:68). As we previously have seen that this specific issue of body weight has been one of the Picture 12. A transgender who represents focus of the song lyric as well. beauty in all shape The music video then entering the stage of confidential and realization of If we consider beauty as something self-love as Mayreen says “hold on and that give back a sense of harmony and just wait until you can get out of that familiarity within a person, then for bubble, because the things that seem like
407 LITERA, Volume 18, Nomor 3, November 2019 weaknesses, that seems like weird things from ourselves, indirectly trying to tell that make you strange, when you become the audience to start loving and fully an adult and get out into the world, you’re accept ourselves first. Josh says “there’s gonna find out that all those differences, always someone that’s unique now, which they’re like your greatest strengths”, a is what the cool part and that’s what very powerful message to encourage made me comfortable to realize that everyone to consider their flaws and every single person is different”, differences as their greatest strength and represents more of self-confidence and not as their weakness because by the time self-love. Every human being is unique they grew up they will soon realize that with their differences and flaws, it is a life is not merely about physical part of them and it doesn’t lessen our self- appearance, life is more about being who worth. Followed by Joad says “personality we truly are and living our best life is the outshines everything else at the end of only option we have at the end of the day. the day”, this is one of the strongest While Mayreen says that, the music message that the music video is trying to video is showing and trying to emphasize deliver, that personality is all that matters the other models’ flaws and their and our physical appearance should uniqueness. This illustrates the lyric very never take our confidence away because well because the message of the lyric the true meaning of beauty shines from itself is generally talking about the real within. meaning of beauty which is not limited Christina says “what only matters is only to some certain criteria and that what I think of myself and that everyone every single human being is beautiful. has different kinds of beauty”, another The camera then does an extreme message that we should never let the way close-up shot to a tattoo of the words other people think of ourselves affect the Hope and Faith which somehow carry a way we see ourselves, and that everyone related message of self-love, a woman is beautiful with their own kinds of with a hole scars in her neck, Carmel beauty. Another woman who is not a part open up her head-cover, and some more of those introducing their names then new models expressing their confidence says “smile, smile” with her beautiful through their big smiles. These scenes smile, also followed by all the models show that the models have reached the smiling and shining their confidence self self-compassion stage, which defined as out. an attitude of kindness and understanding toward their dissatisfaction and struggles including three interconnected components which are mindfulness, self- kindness, and common humanity (Homan and Tylka 2015:2). Tasha says “a lot of it was in my own head I realize now”, represents that most of these insecurities are actually came Picture 13. Francesca smiling to the camera
Self-Love and Self-Acceptance: Redefining Ideal Beauty Through Its Representation in ... 408 transgender is emphasizing the term beauty as a quality that is not only applied to women. This gives the audience a picture of how the beauty ideals have impacted not only women, and from the music video, Alessia Cara wants to remind people that beauty ideals have affected human beings in general. The Picture 14. Myreen smiling to the camera message at the end of the music video clearly stating the purpose of the music video itself which is to remind everyone that beauty is in an endless amount of forms and everyone needs to recognize that. Especially, for the past three decades, the pervasive portrayal of beauty ideals in popular media has been a critical societal concern as exposure to these ideals is expected to relate to suffering Picture 15. Carmel smiling to the camera from mental health disorders such as depression (Vandenbosch 2017:3). So, These scenes are also coherence with through this music video, hopefully, the the song lyric because, from the lyric, the speaker can spread the awareness to love speaker wants the audience to love and appreciate themselves more, to stop themselves more and to realize that the chasing for any kind of beauty ideals, inner beauty is all that matters to outshine and to start changing the toxic perspective the real definition of beauty. Most of the of beauty ideals itself. Millard added on camera angle used in the music video is his work that the real beauty comes from eye-level shot which implies that the various shapes and sizes, along with its subject being photographed is neutral. flaws, and is the key to rebranding, The concept of the music video itself is rebuilding women’s self-esteem, and about sharing moments of real life redefining beauty standards (2009:146). experience by the models, so this kind of It means that everyone is beautiful camera angle shot is the most neutral and without any exception and we have to suitable to be used. aware of that. Through this music video, As we can see, the models of the the speaker wants the audience to realize music video are dominated by women that it’s time for all of us to give this broad because women typically engage in a understanding of real beauty to the world stronger orientation towards appearance by starting to be confident and accept than man, and express more negative ourselves first, fully and truly. attitudes about their physical appearance To sums up, both lyric and the music (Mulgrew 2017:126). Yet, the appearance video of Scars to Your Beautiful along with of other gender which is men and even its narration are criticizing the unrealistic
409 LITERA, Volume 18, Nomor 3, November 2019 beauty ideals that have been built in our The music video adopted the concept of society. The song in general is representing simplicity and reality. All the models the term beauty as something that is not participated in the music video are limited to a certain age, gender, body physically diverse from one another; they shape, body size, or body color. Beauty are from different range of ages, genders, based on this song is a quality that comes background, ethnicity, body sizes, body from within, the inner attributes. Beauty shapes, and skin colors along with their can be obtained starting from a state of flaws whether it is visible or invisible mind that makes people realize that they scars and every one of the models are worth it. Most people still do not represents their own kinds of beauty. realizing this and the song is trying to Moreover, both the lyric and the music deliver the message of self-love and self- video of Scars to Your Beautiful are critics acceptance so that the audience can stop on the ideal beauty in today’s society criticizing on the way they look physically which often promoted a certain physical and start focusing on their inner beauty criterion to define the term beauty that because at the end of the time, that is the often unattainable and unrealistic. only thing that matters. The other Finally, beauty is a quality that every important points that the song is trying to human being has, and it can be obtained deliver is that the imperfection or what is starting from a state of mind that makes here symbolized as scars is actually what people believes in the quality and the makes everyone unique and beautiful, worth of themselves. and we need to accept it as a part of ourselves and to not consider these scars ACKNOWLEDGEMENT as something that lessen our beauty. The writers would like to express their gratitude to UIN Syarif Hidayatullah CONCLUSION Jakarta particularly English Literature The song is trying to urge the audience Department for supporting this research. to love themselves more, to be their true self, and to pay more attention to their REFERENCES internal attribute within themselves. The Afful, A. A., & Ricciardelli, R. (2015). music video illustrates the lyric since it Shaping The Online Fat Acceptance represents the same meaning and the Movement: Talking About Body same idea of the song lyric, even when Image and Beauty Standards. Journal the lyric is directing the song to women, of Gender Studies, 24(4), 453-472. doi. the music video is representing models org/10.1080/09589236.2015.10285 from all different gender: women, men, 23. and transgender. It emphasizes the term Alessia, C. (2016). Lyrics to Scars to Your beauty which is universal and not only Beautiful. AZLyrics. https://www. addressed to women. The gender diversity azlyrics.com/lyrics/alessiacara/ in this music video is also a representation scarstoyourbeautiful.html. of how the beauty ideals have affected AlessiaCaraVEVO. Alessia Cara – Scars to other gender as well in defining beauty. Your Beautiful. Online video clip.
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