The meaning of beauty in America society.

What is considered beautiful in our nation? What is the definition of beauty?

What do you consider a beautiful person?

It is physical? Appealing to the eyes? Spiritual? Or it’s just in eye of the beholder.

In a society like ours that is bombarded with what it sees as beautiful have any of you ever sit down and take some time to interpret what beauty is all about?

We have from contest to makeovers to Magazine featuring the most beautiful people in the world, all trying to answer the question to what is beautiful.

We celebrate beautiful people we fall for beautiful men and woman actors and we seems too drool at the possibility to be considered just beautiful.

We fill our bathroom cabinets with miracle creams design for men and woman looking for a littler bit of perfection.

But are we influence by our own desires or are we influence by what society’s definition of beauty is . . .

Everybody has a different definition of it, what is yours and do you feel that society help shape that definition.






[edit on 6-8-2006 by marg6043]

Clearly, mass media has instilled in us a model for beauty, but in reality I think our primal urges drive us more than the images we see in the ads. True, some feel that they must aspire to some artificially derived image, or else, there wouldn't be make-up, hair dye, breast implants or botox.

For me, it's hard to believe that anyone would blame body image problems in women on Mattel.



But, maybe there is something to that:



money.cnn.com...

www.usatoday.com...



Still, the reports of obesity among Americans continue despite the charismatic charm of Barbie.

www.boingboing.net...

www.louisianaweekly.com...

Most of us get to settle for someone who falls somewhere in the middle of the continuum with Paris Hilton on one end and Rosanne Barr on the other.



But, when we think of beauty and the images that the media throw at us, we also have to remember the kind of "anti-beauty" that seems to prevail among so many who perforate just about anything that won't induce instant death and who tattoo nearly every part of the body regardless of the visibility.

I see plenty of attractive women who sport tattoos on their arms, necks, hands, shoulders and backs. Maybe a Tigger tattoo might be just precious on the shoulder of a 18 year old, but what the heck will that look like on a 40 year-old when Tigger is just another character in an arcane children's book. I know you've seen them yourselves.







This is a good topic. I hope we can get some input into what our members feel about beauty and the images that bombard society.


[edit on 2006/8/6 by GradyPhilpott]

Maybe Im a romantic but to me someone with the same thoughts, loves,desires, and Ideas as mine is what is beautiful to me.

Why be with a barbie when she is as dumb as a box of rocks and has no appreciation for art and music?

body weight is such an obcession but a little effort changes that.... (you can lose it lol) .

As for disfigurements....well that can easily be corrected by a surgeon.

I also ask you, what society does not have a concept for beauty?

I dont remember who but their are groups who think women having a long neck is beautiful so they affix rings around their necks to accomplish this.

The chinese use to bind women's feet because they thought small feet on women were desireable.

Every society on earth has a definition of beauty it isnt just an american fixation.

Originally posted by XphilesPhan
Every society on earth has a definition of beauty it isnt just an american fixation.

This is very true and it's not just cross cultural, but cross species, as well. However, marg asked us to focus on American ideas of beauty.

I tell you what, as a women the bombardment of what is in and what is not influences not only me as and adult but it influences more to the point of obsession the younger generation.

More and more young people specially girls are changing their appearances because what they see as imperfections.

We humans tend to make our first impression of a person the way they look.

I feel that society has made such a big deal of beauty and none beautiful that our minds immediately judge strangers by their physical attributes.



[edit on 6-8-2006 by marg6043]

I am to cold hearted to reply to this thread. Although I had to point out the belly button tattoo on the pregnate ladies... is about the most horrific thing I have seen in a long time. Absolutly nasty. Why on earth would you do such a thing the disturbing and think it is attractive. to each his own I s'pose.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Why on earth would you do such a thing the disturbing and think it is attractive. to each his own I s'pose.

Well tattooing is actually and expression of beauty, like art but in the body.

Nothing more beautiful than beauty. That's what I say.

Of course I believe beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but let's be real. There is a
minimum level of perspected beauty that most people won't go below. I'm sure that
level varies between cultures and environments.

In my experience, I am generally attracted to a petite, thin, healthy looking women.
From that benchmark, there are all sorts of little things that can change that. Say tattoos, dread-locks, piercings, gate, swagger, voice, etc. All these variables and more tend to push and pull between more or less attractive. I've been attracted to women of larger stature as well. I also notice my tastes change as I grow older, which lends me to believe that beauty is also dependent on current needs. I also believe that for many, it's not how beautiful your mate is, it's how many NON-beautiful traits they have.
Everyone has standards.

American beauty standards are easy, considering IMO there is only one: Perfection.
Sad really, but I think thats the case of our high speed society. I'm curious to know
how many people in western society feel they have to settle, not being able to find
one of those perfect model types that seem to be everywhere if you watch and read
mainstream media.

Worth mentioning: From a tv show I had seen many many years ago about this exact
subject, Polynesian and other island cultures in the Pacific tend to find plump women
and men the more attractive. It had to do, If I remember correctly, child bearing capability, and a sign of health. I imagine it's percieved, if your larger, you have no problem finding food to feed your family. This was also the case I'll say pre-victorian
or thereabouts that larger was more attractive. The term child-bearing hips comes to mind.

For me beauty comes from within more than from without.

1.)physical beauty(the lesser beauty)... to me I like the curves on a woman. I like the eyes being big and bright. I like short women as I am a short man...lol
I like em to have alittle meat on the bones(but not obese) I do not like pencil thin women however. all of these "offs" though can be cast aside if number 2(internal beauty) criteria are met.

2.)internal beauty(the greater beauty). As we age all of the chrateristics from point 1 fade and go by the way side.. which is why I feel that point 2 is the greater of the beauties. The ideals and passions of a woman are infinately more important to me. Their spiritual outlook, political/social ideals, and general outlook. Thats the real beauty to me.

fortunately I have already found my "perfect beauty" and I was lucky enough to marry her. She filled every number 2 aspect that I was looking for... and as an added bonus she filled all my number one pre-requisites as well....lucky me yeay!!!

I also believe that American society places way to much of an emphasis on the physical aspect of beauty and not nearly enough on the internal aspects. Girls are more than bombarded with what is "perfect" to the point of obsession. My wife doesnt wear any makeup at all 99% of the time. And I couldnt be happier about it.
If a woman doesnt look the same in the morning as she does throughout the day(minus bed head) then I am reluctant to even want to find out about thier number 2 aspects. To me all that make-up is making women "fake" paint the face hair nails, toes.. blah blah blah...

Tatoos are cool with me either way... since, to me, it is an inner expression of who they are displayed in an outward projection through art.
Piercings I like in moderation.. Belly button piercings are cute to me and even the more subtle nose peircings. But when they go overboard(IMO) and have piercings all over it kind of turns me off.

I hope that answers your question.. from one mans perspective anyway..

thanks for your time.

What frustrates me about the Americanized concept of beauty is that the current one is based on a lie. Actors and actresses on screen and in print all look very different without the hours of makeup prep. The irony is that I can see beautiful people walking on the street or in a shop, and they are by far more attractive than the glitterati, and I chalk that up to personality. So for me, it is something inside. I know that I've met people who have traits that I would not normally find attractive, but there is something that they do, some way that they act, something that shines throught that makes them appealing.

So that's what I find beautiful in America. What I find ugly is the way that the fashion and glamor industry enslaves others by use of airbrush.

I don't think that those pregnant ladies had ink around their navels. Looked more like majic marker graphics just to bring attention to their bellies. I meant "ink" in the tattoo Ink.

Anyway it's easy to confuse Fashion with Beauty.
The NY design houses send out legions of R&D people into the innercity gettos to scope out trends. After that it's hype, production and marketing.

Next comes the counter culture tribe that rejects all things mainstream fashion and creates their own style of conformity.

Actual Beauty; with a capital B; is a complex cultural milieu that is very hard to qualify or quantify; but is definitely, solidly based in ethnocentrism.

I just know one thing; brown shoes are ugly!!!

Can we actually define beauty? I think each person would describe the process of being beautiful as being a different thing, hence we aren't all single chasing these 'select few'.

I find it so difficult watching TV shows- such as the OC, where all the characters are perfect. Such shows, IMO, are sending out negative vibes to children who believe real beauty is only skin deep. To be artificial is to be accepted, liked and loved.

Should people really use plastic surgery as an excuse to feel better because they are trying to conform to shows such as the OC? Of course not!


[edit on 7-8-2006 by Knights]

Originally posted by whaaa
I don't think that those pregnant ladies had ink around their navels. Looked more like majic marker graphics just to bring attention to their bellies. I meant "ink" in the tattoo Ink.

It is henna paste, and the application is called mehndi. It is popular in the middle east and India. I've seen it more often on the hand.

I'd like to point out that the pictures I posted are for general illustration, not to be specific in any way. If the pregnant ladies in the picture do not have tattoos, there are plenty of other ladies who do actually have tattoos surrounding their navels and myriad other places.

[edit on 2006/8/7 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I'd like to point out that the pictures I posted are for general illustration, not to be specific in any way. If the pregnant ladies in the picture do not have tattoos, there are plenty of other ladies who do actually have tattoos surrounding their navels and myriad other places.

[edit on 2006/8/7 by GradyPhilpott]

I understood what you were saying. I just wanted to clarify for Whaaa. An interesting experiment would to be to have everyone physically describe what they imagine other posters on ATS/PTS/BTS look like. It might make some "unatractive" people beautiful, and some "atractive" people ugly.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I'd like to point out that the pictures I posted are for general illustration, not to be specific in any way. If the pregnant ladies in the picture do not have tattoos, there are plenty of other ladies who do actually have tattoos surrounding their navels and myriad other places.

[edit on 2006/8/7 by GradyPhilpott]

I'm unsure on the point you are trying to convey. Yes, many might have tattoos- and I presume your views are against tattoos, or rather not classing them as being anti-beautiful. I think the older steretype of a tattoo is very dated and I am all for tattoos, providing the owner wants the tattoo and has considered it and it's effects for life.

Many tattoos are a form of individual expression, whether you judge them on being beautiful or not this is your own viewpoint, others may disagree. I for one do.

I was tempted to get a tattoo while in the service. Trust me, I know what the appeal of tattoos is, but I've been around long enough to know that very many people live to regret visible tattoos.

A case in point

bloggingneworleans.com

It is also true that, now that I've been around awhile, I don't think that tattoos do anything to enhance a woman's beauty, or the appearance of a man, for that matter, but that's just my view.


[edit on 2006/8/7 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
It is also true that, now that I've been around awhile, I don't think that tattoos do anything to enhance a woman's beauty, or the appearance of a man, for that matter, but that's just my view.

[edit on 2006/8/7 by GradyPhilpott]

And in my eyes that's just what makes us beautiful. If we all thought the same the world would be a highly underpopulated place!