The Ugly Truth About Beauty By Dave Barry

The short documentary Crooked Beauty, directed by Ken Paul Rosenthal, narrates Jacks Ashley McNamara’s experience in a psychiatric ward and how her time in the facility shapes her new appreciation for her mental illness. One controversial issue has been trying to identify the true cause of mental illness. On the one hand, most people may think mental illness is simply a biological disorder that can be cured with a combination of medication and doctors demanding appropriate behavior until it sticks in the patient’s mind. On the other, McNamara contends that mental illness is a misconception with a patient’s oversensitivity, where it is harder for the patient to ignore certain events than “normal” people, and their doctor’s textbook knowledge. In McNamara’s mental institution, the psychiatrists simply trap her in a padded room and prescribe many different pills to suppress her mental illness instead of embracing her differences or showing her how to use those differences to her advantage. In attempt to prevent those who are mentally ill from feeling the same anger and frustration she felt, she demands a change in the line psychiatric treatment when she says:

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.

Our beauty standards take longer and harder efforts to achieve than a male. Based off personal experience, to look pretty as a woman typically has various points to consider. You may be need to use a lot makeup, but also use it in a way that makes it appear natural because if it is too noticeable it can be considered not attractive. Regardless of how your hair naturally is, if it is anything besides a soft feeling, poofy free and frizz free head of hair some people will view you unkempt. If you reveal too much skin with your outfit in areas near natural body parts, you’re spoken about in profane and hurtful language. Absurdly enough, if you cover too much of your body you may earn the title of a prude. This list goes on, but with pressure from

The media as well as society has molded young men into having the mentality of believe there is a correct and incorrect image of one's self. They must be slim and close to the appearance of a model, if not identical. Although this still applies to today, and is common for women they aren't the only ones who strive for the "perfect image". Men are also constantly being attacked for their body image, status, and societies expectations, all portraying the corresponding concept of the way men are expected to act/feel. Not only is the body being criticized but also the way men choose to be open or closed about their emotions with others.

Throughout the essay “The Ugly Truth About Beauty,” Dave Barry tries to explain how cosmetics are not important to the average male, but is an important topic for women. Men usually do not place as much importance in one’s appearance as women do. As Barry points out, if a group of men were instructed by Brad Pitt to apply cosmetics, they would quickly realize that the task was pointless, even demeaning to an extent. Most women on the other hand, place higher importance on their looks, even to the point of setting unobtainable goals of beauty. An example that Barry makes, is that women become obsessed with these looks because men want women to look that way, even though majority of men don’t care about cosmetics for the most part. These different

Most girls are inclined to take a quick look into a compact mirror or run a few fingers through their hair, sizing themselves up with the nearest advertisement featuring a flawless bottle blonde. Some may go a bit further, running an endless list of insecurities through their minds and letting out an exasperated sigh. For men they are expected to be physically

David White, the study’s lead author, suggests this is because we tend to favor images of ourselves that emphasize physical attractiveness. That’s all well and good in some situations, but it’s not always the most important quality people are looking for. It’s better to appear competent and confident on sites like LinkedIn, for example, and looking trustworthy on a dating site can be better than looking hot. White says people are good at picking up those subtleties in other people’s faces, but we’re not so good at doing it with our

Men tend to look at women's curves, this is the idea that men tend to look at other parts of a women's bodies and not their eyes. Which is why the camera in films also focus on other parts of the women's bodies. Women looking at themselves- Women are made to look at themselves in a negative way, thinking that personality does not matter and that it’s all about how they look and their appearances.

The main reason the word beauty has been used to describe external features rather than internal ones, so much more in the recent years, is the media. The media has evolved into something extremely influential, and the most clear message people recive from this, is what they are supposed to look like. For instance, magazines often create young girls who believe that thin as paper models seen in any magazine are what they are supposed to look like. Also, another component adding to the superficial terms people have are the celebrities that we idolize who are coached to not have even one single hair out of place; all those celebrity’s with perfect skin, hair, and body have been accomplices in the media’s outrageous spread shallow opinions. The outcome of the media’s bar being set so high is people all around doing whatever necessary to preserve their physical appearance regardless of the effect it has on their health or bank accounts.

In our society, women are constantly scrutinized on their appearance. Too fat. Too thin. Not enough makeup. Too much makeup. Skin is too pale. Skin is too dark. Lips are too small and nose is too big. She looked better before she had work done. Clothes are too revealing. Show more skin. These are the type of things that women hear everyday; there is always pressure to maintain an appearance that is “beautiful.” Women face this pressure and scrutiny beginning in childhood, so the feelings of having to maintain standards of beauty become ingrained in

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.

Throughout The Republic by Plato, the character of Socrates touches on many theories and ideas. One of the main ideas that carries all throughout the text, is the concept of beauty. Socrates comes up with specific rules on how beauty should be executed. Specifically concerning the type of music one may hear, the feelings one may share and how beauty is defined.

Yet, Cléo appears to be upset and restless by the fact that no one is giving her the attention she is accustomed to (Neroni 125). However, as the movie continues and Cléo meets more and more people and explores the world further while walking aimlessly, Cléo comes to grips with the fact that she may no longer represent society’s expectation of beauty if she does have a horrible skin condition. Thus, “Cléo sheds her synthetic self and finally reaches a state of calm self-awareness” (Elkin 220). However, before Cléo comes to grips with her fate, she rides around with her friend Dorothée, and explains to her friend how at least no one could see whatever has her alarmed, presumably a mole on her belly (Cléo From 5 to 7). The fact that Cléo is so fixated on her looks while she is facing potentially death is puzzling. Society expects women to worry about their appearance more than their health, which is also demonstrated when women are encouraged to maintain a specific weight and figure by sacrificing meals and working out incessantly shown in Breillats Fat Girl and A Real Young Girl as well. (Beauvoir, Fat Girl, & A Real Young Girl). Neroni explores this further as she writes:

With the media being a very popular way of communication and self expression in today’s culture, it influences the way of younger generations to be more involved in today’s technology, and to allow them to influence the world by the press of a button. But one of the topics that is very controversial is that in today’s society is the high expectations of what they think a girl has to look like, from girls not having stretch marks or scars, to magazines and photographers using photoshop to convince readers that the model looks like that. With all of these being factors that there is pressure is high for many girls around the world, this has to resolved.

"Does this make me look fat?” Everyone at one time or another has experienced this iconic question in some way. Your best friend may have asked it, as she was getting ready for a date or maybe you muttered these words to yourself as you stared disapprovingly into a mirror; either way, this six-word question alludes to a standard of beauty that everyone strives to meet. A standard of beauty that is almost impossible to meet. The definition of beauty has evolved greatly over the years and it differs from culture to culture. Today, western culture idolizes the woman who is “thin, large breasted, and white (tanned, but not too brown)” (WVFV, pg. 220). This woman is one that millions of women strive to look like in