Jane Martin Beauty

As of recently, the media has been flooded with positive interpretations of beauty standards all over the world. According to various sources, beauty ideals, in women especially, are socially constructed in order to judge a person’s value based on physical attractiveness; therefore, it is highly encouraged that people pay attention to their looks and take care of themselves, in order for others to create a positive first impression of one’s character. It is no secret that beauty standards vary from one culture to the next and it is difficult to establish a universal principle of what is considered beautiful. Many countries’ ideals contrast one another and, as a result, allow for stereotypes to emerge. This is the case between American

Unfortunately, such a quality is present in many young girls of this generation as they may not receive any attention from individuals in their lives, which leaves them to be fascinated by people, even strangers, who give them such desired attention. Arnold Friend also gets Connie to notice him through his flamboyant gold convertible and his mysterious yet stylish physical appearance. However, with a closer look, Connie realizes that Arnold Friend’s flashy car is just a “convertible jalopy painted gold”, his shabby black hair is likely a wig, his tall stature likely simulated by stilts or heels, and his fashionable clothing articles unlikely his as nothing fitted him properly. Nevertheless, this attribute from the piece demonstrates how not everything is as it seems from its first glance. Such a literary text also highlights how beauty impacts an individual’s impression and actions as Connie notices Arnold Friend’s “beauty”, at first, and Connie’s youthful beauty compels Arnold Friend to want to pursue

Ultimately, Miner exposes that american vanity is much more demanding than what it seems and that the standard of perfection through beauty is a burden put on all americans. Beauty is defined as qualities that pleases the aesthetic senses. There is no one solidified list of qualities in order to be beautiful. Beauty comes in many forms and we all find it in different experiences in our lives. Then sometimes beauty can be hidden right in plain

From the moment Abigail is born, it is clear that any beauty she possesses must be on the inside. Abigail’s face and body are deformed, so much so that the nurses cover her so she won’t frighten the other patients. Bullied in school and shunned by the people of her village, Abigail nevertheless sees the good in life. Alone and isolated in her room, she anonymously

On the other hand, Bethany is an almost villainous character. She is negative, admittedly jealous, self-absorbed, and single-minded in her motivations for things that are fleeting and superficial that she believes beauty gives. She is a successful accountant, a published author, and pretty. However, these things are not enough for her. It could be said that her attitude is an indictment on the fact that women forced to view themselves in terms of their looks. Carla is allowed in many ways to be more human than Bethany is because she no longer has to strive for better looks.

Geraldine, a respected woman living in the community, does conform to the standard of beauty, and she feels that anyone else is greatly inferior. So as to retain the beauty, Geraldine loses her culture and her

Much like her own persona, Pauline lives in storefront apartment that is physically unattractive and relatively dull on the inside. It is the lowest of the lows, which is similar to how Pauline views herself. Taking care of the Fishers home gave Pauline the opportunity to live out fantasies about beauty. Dreaming of Jean Harlow allowed her a false reality in which she could pretend she was an icon for beauty. In the same sense, she could live out this dream by tending to the needs of the Fishers and pretending that their home was her own. The cleanliness, respect, and grandeur that accompanied the home allowed Pauline to fantasize and live out an identity she had long dreamed of becoming. Geraldine’s obsession with cleanliness and presentation controlled all aspects of her life. These values condemned her to a life of emotionless racial self-denial and were on constant display through her house. Pauline and Geraldine were both victims of the social pressures of that time, each of them constantly struggling in their own way to become something they couldn’t. Whether they knew it or not, their surroundings visually represented the conflicts they were dealing with and demonstrated their internal battle with the standard of

The societal expectations for beauty are an ingrained concept amongst the minds of almost every individual, who in turn project these standards on each other and their own children. Throughout her adolescence, Walker seeks for validation of her beauty through others. “When I rise to give my speech I do so on a great wave of love and pride and expectation.” (Walker 2). Walker was seeking a reaction from her audience as she read her Easter speech to her church; a reaction of approval and admiration, which then confirmed her “cuteness”. The emotional toil brought upon by the accident caused Walker to go into a dark place of unacceptance of herself. She did poorly in school, was bullied in school, and kept her head down for several years of her life because of the shame she felt from the appearance of her eye. “I tell it I hate and despise it. I do not pray for sight. I pray for beauty.” (Walker 5). At twelve years-old, Walker talks about the eye that has gone blind and development of her self-unacceptance can be seen here. The lack of concern she had about the function of her eye, but rather the aesthetics, shows how dependent Walker was on in achieving societal standards.

Jane has gotten used to cruelty and biased behavior towards her average looks, and develops a miserable self-esteem that believes the only possible way to describe her exterior is “plain”. This self-esteem prevents her from even beginning to recognize that anyone could appreciate her or find her beautiful in any manner. The society’s typical reactions and judgments shaped Jane’s self-esteem, and prevented her from receiving equal treatment as that of a beautiful woman.

There is a cliché quote that people say, “Beauty is in the eye of beholder.” But in the essay “The Ugly Truth About Beauty” (1998) Dave Barry argues about how women who spend countless hours on their so called “beauty” whereas men seem not to care. Barry uses juxtaposition and exaggeration to poke fun at men and women behavior and shed light on the harm that the beauty industry is doing. When Barry argues his point of his essay he addresses both genders, but more specifically teenage to middle age men and women, but he writes about it in a humorous and light-hearted manner.

Beauty is an imaginary construct created by society. People in society feel a need to be considered beautiful because they want to fit in, and be admired. The importance of beauty in society is prominently portrayed in the Twilight Zone series, episode “Eye of the Beholder” (1960). This episode tells the tale of a young woman, Janet, who strives to be accepted in her society because she looks different than others. Throughout the episode, Janet is trying to change herself to be accepted by others, yet she is not able to truly conform to the look of her society. The episode works to show how in society, the gaze of others is so deeply ingrained in people that it causes them to live for others.

“ideals are developmentally ingrained in children and adolescents”( Englis 1). The idea of beauty and ideal looks are engraved into people at a young age. The little girl being given a Barbie doll shows this in the poem. The idea of beauty and how a woman should act are represented in the Barbie doll. The primary take away is beauty is not everything.

Beauty has been a word that people use to described objects, things and most important people. Beauty can be defined in so many ways. The play “Beauty” written by Jane Martin has more than just one meaning. The author uses beauty to be her main objective that makes almost every situation in the play revolve around “beauty.” Being that beauty is considered something almost all women want and it can lead to devastation when you get greedy and envious about it, as it did to both Carla and Bethany.

Feeling beautiful deals with many factors but it has become incumbent with focus being placed on the physical aspects of person Una Marson writes about beauty and how it drives many women into changing their features and making those features fit into the standard of beauty. Her poem, “Kinky Haired Blues” speaks about that notion, of women wanting to assimilate to what the norm is. Specifically women of ethnic minorities, she talks more about Black Women and the pressure for them to bleach their skin and to iron their hair. Matters such as race are at forefront of the issues in her society and of the society we currently live in today. Una Marson’s poem “Kinky Hair Blues” speaks to the idea of beauty and the standard of beauty. And how many

It 's not a mystery that society 's ideals of beauty have a drastic and frightening effect on women. Popular culture frequently tells society, what is supposed to recognize and accept as beauty, and even though beauty is a concept that differs on all cultures and modifies over time, society continues to set great importance on what beautiful means and the significance of achieving it; consequently, most women aspire to achieve beauty, occasionally without measuring the consequences on their emotional or physical being. Unrealistic beauty standards are causing tremendous damage to society, a growing crisis where popular culture conveys the message that external beauty is the most significant characteristic women can have. The approval of prototypes where women are presented as a beautiful object or the winner of a beauty contest by evaluating mostly their physical attractiveness creates a faulty society, causing numerous negative effects; however, some of the most apparent consequences young and adult women encounter by beauty standards, can manifest as body dissatisfaction, eating disorders that put women’s life in danger, professional disadvantage, and economic difficulty.