Perception of Beauty in Western Society

It is rare to walk over long distances in an urban centre, especially in the western world, without finding a beauty shop. This is observed due to the fact that most if not all of people seek to have superior looks. Unfortunately, they try to achieve that by using different beauty products that are commercially available. The current obsession with these products is obviously being driven by a formidable force, which contributes to its strength. One thing that seekers of artificial beauty seem to forget is that beauty is natural. According to Aristotle, a famous ancient philosopher, beauty is a gift from God. In this sense, beauty cannot be acquired through individual efforts but is acquired naturally. However, this notion is no longer valuable because people, especially the youth, believe in using additional substances to improve their look.

In the western world, the media have made it a custom to portray beauty differently. Contrary to the traditional belief that beauty lies in the hands of the Beholder, the media have made it appear the other way round. This has made many people become preoccupied with efforts to make other people satisfied with their looks. It is worth remembering that the media is an extremely powerful tool of influencing the society. Therefore, many people are gullible to any misconception by the media about beauty. One of the most conspicuous tools that the media utilizes in doing this is making people feel that their life is controlled by beauty. For instance, for one to secure a job, the outward appearance is highly emphasized in media houses. Although one has to look decent, the aspect of having physical appearance such as on the screen is total misconception. This gives room to the concept of ‘lookism’, prompting people to adapt to what is perceived normal by the society.

The misconceptions of beauty have also found their way in the clothing styles. This has affected young females more as compared to males, although both are greatly affected. The culture of models being the determinants of what is fashionable and what is not is the principal force behind this trend. This implies that when a celebrity designs or appears in public dressed in a certain manner, many young men and women start striving to have the same outfit. Take, for example, the pictures of Christina Hendrix, who is regarded as the sexiest woman in Hollywood, which are in most cases depict a half-naked woman. She puts on scanty clothes, meaning that she is almost naked. Hence, since most people consider that to be beautiful, such clothing styles are adopted by people for the sake of satisfying the craving for becoming likable. In addition, the media have always fuelled shows that promote such dressing modes in the name of beauty. The most popular shows of this nature are branded as dating, reality, or even comedy. Whichever way they are branded, these shows corrupt the mind of many people and change the way they perceive beauty.

Beauty products are advertised on the day-to-day basis all over the world. These products are referred to as cosmetics. They range from skin creams and hair dyes to weight loss pills among many other things. Unfortunately, the media have always contributed to persuading people that these products are of a significant value for their normal existence in the society. This has lead to brainwashing, especially among the youth, who easily fall prey to using these products. One of the reasons why the youth are vulnerable is because standards of beauty have been imposed on them. This means that for one to be considered beautiful or attractive, he or she has to supersede certain beauty levels as presumed by the public. For example, the acceptable body size is presumed to be slender. Therefore, those with larger bodies are assumed to be out of the beauty realms. Affected individuals will always look for personal solutions by opting to use slimming pills in order to achieve the desired body size or weight.

Although product liability is expected to be operational at all times, beauty products have managed to outdo this law. According to the product liability, a manufacturer is liable for prosecution if the products they deal in causes harm to the user. This goes along with the fact that some skin bleaching lotions that are used particularly by young women burn the skin. To make the matter worse, the media advertises these products ignoring their potential to harm the users. Use of such products is witnessed among the African-American citizens who seek to become light skinned. Some of them may choose to use these products for the sake of unifying their presence with that of the whites, given that America is assumed to be a whites’ land.

Advertising techniques act as notable bait, which is being used to trap the youth. For example, some beauty products are advertised using photos of renowned individuals like musicians. This is intended to convince potential users that a certain product will have similar effects on them too. The presence of such images is unavoidably placed in almost every part of the cities, in print and electronic media among other advertising agents. The youth are known to be curious; therefore, most of them are enticed by such illusions and end up purchasing the products and using them in search of beauty. This is terribly wrong, because the eventual outcome is never even near to what they expected. Therefore, this could also be considered an irregularity, since what one buys is not what he or she is told it is; which is done due to the persistent use of false images. The major pillar on which this perceived malpractice is founded is the ignorance of the people. Beauty has been misinterpreted and hybridized to mean something truly different. The youth are the first group to accept these misconceptions and to embrace what the world is dictating.

Unproven myths about beauty have also taken the centre stage in shaping the beauty industry. People have been deluded and made to believe in some dogmas that have no scientific basis. For instance, most young people are convinced that if they are not thin, then they are not beautiful. Others believe that if they do not eat, then they will always lose weight. The western society is preoccupied with such believes, which are not probable. For instance, scientists argue that skipping a meal or two does not mean that one will lose weight. In fact, the body might respond by taking up everything available in response to frequent starvation experience. In return, one grows fatter instead. This may lead to opting for other means of slimming such as use of drugs or excessive exercise, which are both detrimental if not done correctly.

Traditional and modern versions of beauty in western countries are evidently contrasting. Beauty has been redefined to mean ‘satisfying other people rather than oneself’. Unfortunately, the society, especially the youth, have fallen for these redefinitions; thus, they have adapted new methods so as to make them beautiful irrespective of their efficacy in bringing the desired outcomes. In conclusion, the manner in which the western world perceived beauty has changed totally, leading to a similar effect on what people do to be beautiful. This has attracted and allowed the entry of unfair practices, such as illusion advertising. No matter what people do to become beautiful, the fundamental fact about beauty remains that beauty lies in the hands of the Beholder.