Morgan Kilmartin
Fall 2016
The Meaning Of…
Conceptualization of Beauty The term beautiful first appears in the English language around the 14th century with the use of the word “beaute” in Middle English, derived from the Anglo-French “beau” with roots in the Latin “bellus”. The common usage of the term connotes both “having qualities of beauty” and “exciting aesthetic pleasure” (Merriam-Webster, 2016). The semantic reference to aesthetics in the term highlights the Greek and Roman influence on art, literature, and philosophy in English culture historically. The classics of the ancient world are found idolized and highly esteemed in the British museums as objects of art. Primarily, these consist of Greek and Roman sculptures, vase paintings, and plays from the ancient world that are canonized, as well as Renaissance artworks. Thus, when one popularly hears the phrase “classic beauty” in contemporary linguistic usage, it typically refers to the mirroring of the forms, expressions, or figures of the Greek and Roman mythological figures in a woman. Where the term beautiful was previously used equally in relation to men and women, in contemporary discourse it is more generally limited to models of femininity or objects of appreciation (Merriam-Webster, 2016). This supports the feminist claim that standards of beauty lead to both sexual objectification by the male gaze and self-objectification in women and girls due to the application of external criteria of judgement in
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
Explanation: Sontag discusses the endless battle women face with beauty. By showing that the term beauty “has accumulated certain demeaning overtones” (Sontag 238), she shows the negative connotation beauty has now received and explains
Their aspect of beauty is called “Antiquity” which is the combination of kalos, which is beautiful, and agathos, which is honest and virtuous. Concluding only people who are honest and handsome are considered attractive. While, the Christians put the emphasis on inner beauty, the beauty of the soul and its virtues. Physical beauty has negative connotation with “vanity, lust, and corruption of the flesh (Dürrigl, 209)”, according to Dürrigl, “The more beautiful someone was, the greater danger there was for them losing their souls (209).” Furthermore in Medieval Times, the concept of beauty was dominated by certain philosophical-theological ideas on the relationship of the body with the soul.
The subjective element of beauty involves judgment, not opinion. Many people feel beauty is only something seen by the eyes. St. Thomas Aquinas views beauty in both the supernatural and natural orders. Aquinas lists the attributes of beauty to be found in nature. These are; unity, proportion, and clarity. We will see how these attributes of beauty are seen through the eye and felt by the heart.
In his novel, The Six Names of Beauty, Crispin Sartwell describes beauty in the simplest of terms, “beauty is the object of longing” (3). The Greek Goddess Aphrodite has been associated with beauty, love and sexual desire since seemingly the beginning of time, and the pure, Aphrodisiac ideas of beauty will never truly fade; therefore, Aphrodite will never fade away from our culture, “Her stay would be never-ending, her work never complete,” (Paris 13). The connection between the goddess and the ideas of beauty is clear, but is often overlooked in favor of labeling her as the goddess of love and desire. The relation of beauty to every other aspect of life is one that Paris mentions and one I find of particular interest, as without beauty
It’s difficult to envision a world where idealized female imagery is not plastered everywhere, but our present circumstance is a relatively new occurrence. Before the mass media existed, our ideas of beauty were restricted to our own communities. Until the introduction of photography in 1839, people were not exposed to real-life images of faces and bodies. Most people did not even own mirrors. Today, however, we are more obsessed with our appearance than ever before. But the concern about appearance is quite normal and understandable given society’s standards. According to Jane Kilborne, “Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the
Describing the concept of beauty is impossible to agree upon. So, asking what beauty is or what it means is too broad of a question. Depending on what century, decade, country, or religion; You will always get a different answer. Beauty can be defined by physical attributes such as “thin” or “perfect”. Beauty can also describe a tangible accessory such as fine jewelry. Examples of famous philanthropist, and astonishing works of nature as beauty. Some even claim to have captured beauty in photos. However, most explain that beauty is seeing your first child being born right in front of your eyes. But we aren't talking about another man's perception, it's about mine. Another thing in life that should be defined as raw beauty is the melanin people.
Beauty is something that can be interpreted completely different from person to person. A famous quote that goes along with this perfectly is “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I think a person’s inner beauty should be taken into account when deciding whether or not a person is beautiful. Wikipedia’s definition of beauty is, “a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure or satisfaction” while Oxford Dictionary states, “beauty is a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially sight.” As you can see, inner beauty could be paired with Wiki’s definition and outer beauty could be paired with Oxfords. Of course, there
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.
Society is full of ideas pertaining to the definition of beauty and has been controversial for centuries. Beauty is visually pleasing and can satisfy the other senses as well, but it cannot be fully defined through only the senses. It blossoms from the soul; it is an epitome of serene emotion. Beauty is imperative to the mentality our society maintains as if the world would transform to be completely dark without it. The word “Beauty” originates from the Anglo-French term beute meaning “physical attractiveness” and “goodness and courtesy” (dictionary.com, n.p.) Beauty is charming, mesmerizing, graceful, and captivating. Brutality is invaluable because beauty brings peace to the mind.
Beauty standards have been a major issue for many years now and women have been willing to change their bodies over and over to please themselves and others. Beauty standards are often defined in terms of hairstyles, skin color, and body size. The measures involved in having to live up to these standards are often risky in nature. For decades, what is seen as beautiful is centered around a women’s weight and size. Today, that standard is often defined as being thin. Women often resort to drastic means to attain that ideal image. However, achieving these standards can be expensive, can lower self-esteem and can be a threat to a woman’s health and life.
The definition of beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty has negative and positive influences on mostly people. Beauty is described by the inside and outside of us. Due to beauty, our self-esteem has been hurt dramatically, especially towards girls. Beauty is not always about our outside looks but it’s about our inside personality also.
Debate over the definition of art has developed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. People have spent millions of dollars and given years of their lives to the craft called art. However, there has not been an agreement on what the definition of art is because it tends to be a very vague concept incorporating many cultures and ideas. It has proven itself to be an effective tool in the human expression over the years preserving deep and personal feelings along with history. Art can be defined as the creation of beauty through expression with skillful use of creativity, design, and manipulation of the viewers’ emotions.
The concept of femininity is associated with beauty. As sontag explains, “A beautiful woman, we say in English. But a handsome man”. Sontag discusses how beauty used to be a word that described the whole being and addressed both sexes but has morphed into a charged word that focuses only on the outer self and is usually used toward women. This change in language
What is beauty? How do we decide who is attractive and who is not? Society is full of information telling us what is beautiful, but what fact is that information based on? The topic of beauty has been studied, analyzed and controversial for centuries. We all know the feeling you can have when you hear a beautiful song that brings joy to your heart, stand in a field of flowers that excites your eyes, or admire a face that is visually pleasing. As human beings, we are all drawn to beauty, but what is it that makes something beautiful? The controversial issue that surrounds beauty is that some believe that true beauty is defined by someone’s outer appearance, while others believe it is something that is experienced through a person’s