Rania Matar

Everyday people stare at billboards, magazine covers, movies, television, or pictures on the Internet of someone or something that they classify as beautiful. Some things people glance over and other things fascinate them. For example, when Farrah Fawcett’s famous picture of her in her red bathing suit came out; many teenage boys hung that picture in their bedrooms. Their idea of Farrah’s beauty was based strictly her outward appearance.

The argument of The Beauty Myth is that as women have received more eminence, the standard of their personal appearance has also grown. Wolf’s position on the issue is that this type of social control is potentially just as restrictive as the traditional roles of women. The Beauty Myth discusses how society’s viewpoint of beauty is detrimental to women because it causes many emotional and psychological problems to women who strive to become “perfect”. This book is important due to the fact it raises awareness to the issues that many young women are currently facing.

Societies rule is that when you turn 16, you are forced to have cosmetic surgery resulting in you becoming so called ‘Pretty’. The book forces you to confront matters such as the perception of beauty, the notion of State versus individual choice and the matter of control. Tally Youngblood, the book's main character, is taken through a journey of self discovery and exploration of these matters. Initially Tally believed turning ‘Pretty’ would be a dream come true and is anxiously awaiting her sixteenth birthday where she believes her life will be transformed. She has been led to believe that her beauty will open her life to new and exciting experiences such as black tie dinners and fun parties.

“Woah! Why are you wearing makeup? Do you not think you’re pretty?” My cheeks flushed. I hadn’t been expecting any comments, or for anyone to notice at all, but suddenly the mascara coating my eyes and the pink lipgloss I was wearing felt like a big neon sign saying “look at me.”

From the different cultural beauty standards, to the double standards between males and females, to the dangerous ways to achieve these “ideal looks”, should these factors really define your beauty? In the essay, Pigott constantly changes the way she looks because she feels that in order for her to be defined as “beautiful”, she needed to be acknowledged by her peers and friends; in other words, she felt the need to conform herself to societal norms in order to feel “accepted”. Due to this, Pigott unknowingly wears a mask and hides her true self from the world. The societal pressure she experienced has blinded her from seeing her beauty and has lost her self-worth as a beautiful woman, as she believes that pleasing others and receiving compliments are the only factors that make her “beautiful”.

The majority of her time is spent in a tiny room with hideous yellow wallpaper that she wholeheartedly despises. The room also contains a bed bolted to the ground and bars placed on the

The queen uses the mirror to reassure herself of her beauty. Her infatuation with the mirror leads her to overwhelming jealousy. By examining the role of beauty in Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino, the Queen’s

Part of my identity is that I always have to have my things nicely organized and when my things aren’t organized it bothers me. I find that when I’m not organized I misplace everything and I have a terrible memory so it’s difficult for me to recall where I left whatever I misplaced. In order to avoid this, I keep myself as organized as possible. Being organized is a bit hard when it comes to sharing a room with Jenna, who is NOT organized at all.

Beauty’s innate commentary to Society Concepts of beauty can be portrayed in everyday life. Jane Martin’s play entitled Beauty is the perfect example of how society perceives beauty and the subsequent benefits of possessing these unrealistic attributes. ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, this is a phrase that many may relate to and Jane’s play is a representation of this, making it a commentary to society’s unrealistic views of beauty. An in depth look, at how society’s perceptions of beauty affects not only those who measure themselves up to these standards but also those who fit into the mold themselves and this will be the aim of this essay.

The mirror on the bedroom wall examines the public perception of her private life. Looking only at its reflection, the audience cannot tell the room is in a mess; the rosebush and the dirt trail are not apparent to the audience. In the mirror, only the back of woman’s head is evident. Her face and her emotions are hidden from the mirror. It appears as if she is doing an ordinary task; she could very well be sitting on the bed, reading a book. She turns her back to the mirror and denies it a true reflection.

It is too common for women to compare themselves to images of models, actresses and singers they see in the media. Many of these images aren’t even real, media uses photoshop to make models look thinner and clearer. These images distort our perception of beauty, Photoshop makes models look unattainably perfect. The video Evolution was created in 2007 by the Dove self-esteem project, and highlights the untold story of the journey from real to retouched photos (The Evolution Video). This video illustrates just how lighting, makeup and digital manipulation distort our perceptions of women.

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.

Makeup is not only used for a person who has low self esteem. It is used to assist women correct what they think is wrong or isn't so flattering . Women not only wear makeup too impress society, but they wear it to look good for themselves.Being able to hide your big nose, baggy eyes, or even dark spots.It isn't worn just to make you forget what you look like , but it reflects how you can adjust your features within minutes.Every woman wants to feel prettier and make up does the job. Makeup often defends woman from judgement .Who wouldn't want to feel as pretty as the next woman?

Makeup is a positive creation because it is a form of art, it can help a person feel better about themselves and it helps the person express their personality. The Great Max Factor once said,” You are not born glamorous, glamour is created.” Most society thinks makeup is just a way to hide a person’s flaws or a way to have a fake perfection. Makeup is more than that; it is the paint a person uses to create a masterpiece. Makeup is the way people express art and help them feel better about and express themselves through the way they look.

“Makeup has been used to enhance the beauty of both men and women for over thousand years. It its through teaching others how to apply makeup, we can strive to help others feel comfortable and confident in their own skin. Wearing makeup help embrace our natural features and may also help express the ideas in a creative way like art.”