Name: Sara Neel
Period: Mr. Thomas, 1st period Psychology

This is my final project for Psychology to examine and analyze the psychology behind people's perceptions of beauty. This includes such influences like the Media, Society, DNA, and Personal Preference.

What really is beauty? What defines it? What makes us consider something as 'beautiful'?
Is it merely skin deep, or does the person must have a certain presence about them?
Is it a state of being?

Why do people strive to be beautiful? What are the benefits? What are the extremes people have gone to, to fit these standards?
Are they there to make us feel worse about ourselves? Are the less fortunate looking there to make us feel better?

How have the standards changed over time? How have they been manipulated to have us reaching for unattainable standards?

In the end, does it all really matter?

Here, I will analyze the possibilities as to what influences humans and their definition of beauty, and what they consider to be beautiful.
These possibilities include the Media, Society, DNA, and Personal Preference.



The video in this post called "Doll Face" manages to artistically portray the standards that the media has set for us as humans, and the struggle for us to try to obtain them.

The Doll Face at first comes out of her box and sees the TV, and an image of what she is supposed to look like. Thus, she pulls out her makeup and such and changes herself to look like that. Once she does, she is happy. However, the TV screen changes to a new, higher standard. And along with that screen change the TV itself raises itself higher up. So, the Doll Face stretches itself to reach that point, and changes herself again to fit the standard on the television. But then, even quicker than before, the TV standard once again increases and raises itself higher to a point that the Doll Face cannot reach. It tries as hard as it can to stretch and reach that point, but it cannot, thus leading to her own downfall. She falls, shatters, and breaks. And that's where it ends.

We as society [especially girls] try to conform to these standards set by the media; how could we not? It's all around us. It's in TV, magazines, movies, etc. We are surrounded by the established norm, and thus expected to meet them. We stretch ourselves to be like those models in the magazines and actors in movies with perfect features, at all means possible. Girls use makeup, haircuts, sometimes even surgery to become closer to this standard. But the problem is, as the majority of the population manages to reach the standard, the standard is increased to even more unattainable heights. And, girls [some guys] go through serious depression and insecurity by not meeting the new norms, sometimes. Our own downfall.

Whether or not the media portrays as what is beautiful, I do not know. But the media portrays what society wants, and I have always believed that opinion lied within the majority. What the media shows is what society believes. There is a direct correlation between the two. However, the media exposes these standards more to the public, and sometimes even exaggerates them to create a new norm among society. It is a never ending cycle.

I will discuss society later.

Another way to analyze the media's affect on beauty is by looking at places without any media, or if so very little. And, what they define as beautiful.
There are many undeveloped countries, especially in Africa. Africa probably shows one of the largest contrast in beauty to our western standards. Many places in this continent are still indigenous and tribal. They lack such things like commercial production, television, etc.

Some places in Africa define beauty as something quite different than we would ever expect. They like metal piercings, long necks, and long mouths. Cords are wrapped around the necks to elongate them, metal disks are placed on tongues to weigh it down. Nobody would ever consider that here, yet they are also without the media. If ever they were to be exposed to the media and thus our standards, it is no doubt that their views on beauty would change as well.



All we can prove is that the media does greatly influence one's opinion on what is beautiful. When someone is surrounded by it as much as we are, it's hard not to notice it and take into account why it is in fact advertised as much as it is.

As I was sitting here thinking for a picture I could use that would portray society vs. beauty, I thought of such things like fashion magazines.

But then I realized that those are in fact part of the media.

As I mentioned earlier, the media and society are directly related. What is considered as beautiful by society is showed by the media, and the media influences views on beauty. Opinion lies within the majority, so as long as the majority believes that something or someone is beautiful, it will be defined as beautiful. And if it's defined as beautiful by society, then that's what people will strive to be. Their views will be morphed to what others believe; they will conform.

Probably what affects a person the most is how others view them, and what they think about them. If someone finds someone else to be attractive, that person's self confidence will most likely be boosted. Yet, the opposite will happen if someone finds someone else to be unattractive. This is a direct way that one is affected by society. And, if enough people think the same thing about a person, it will become "more true". Thus leading to my conclusion that opinion lies within the majority.

But, the real question is: How far will society go to be beautiful?

There are millions of ways to change the way you look. Haircuts, hair dye, makeup, plastic surgery, etc. All of these things are becoming more and more common just so one can conform to society's standards. Even celebrities that are the epitome of beauty so it seems, and are idolized by society, still change themselves to fit the unnatural standards that we put on them. As such ways to change how you look are becoming cheaper, more "regular" people are doing it too. From things such as lip plumping to nose jobs, there are an infinite amount of ways to change how someone looks. There's even a whole profession in makeup manipulating and artistry. Not to mention all of the procedures to "become" the opposite gender and face transplants.

There once was a point where it wasn't even possible to do such things. Yet, today they creating technology to make one able to see what gender and color hair of one's baby will be in the womb. There's already technology to see what you will look like when you're older. The impossible is becoming possible.

Botox.


Angelina Jolie before and after plastic surgery.


What's interesting, though, is how society's standards have changed over time. A couple centuries ago, it was considered very attractive to be overweight. This was because if you were fat [by today's standards], it meant you were wealthy and could afford copious amounts of food. Whether or not people actually found it to be physically attractive, or if money was just more important than looks, I cannot say.

Even today there are many Alaskan Native American tribes whose men find larger women to be attractive because it means they are healthy. And, since it is Alaska, it means that the women will stay warm easier.

Society and the media correlate directly. One affects the other; but both, in turn, affect how one views beauty. The ability of humans to have opinions of one another and act upon them is a deathly curse that can have a positive or negative effect on one's mind.

Some people may not believe it, but the natural genetics in human does play a role as to what we see as attractive.

Granted, times have changed so some things one may not consider to be attractive, even if it's in our DNA. But, that's just where personal preference comes in. I will discuss that later.

It is said that women with more curves [curves, not fat], bigger breasts, bigger hips, bigger lips, thinner noses, etc. [basically the "standard" for beauty these days] have more estrogen. Thus, men are attracted to them by impulse. They would be better for bearing children, so males automatically by genetics think that is more attractive. And, you can see this in a majority of males.

Males who are bigger, buffer, etc. are said to have more testosterone. So, just like males likes women with more estrogen, women like males with more testosterone. It makes them seem like they would be better at protecting and providing for a child.

In the end it all comes down to reproduction.

But that is only the beginning of it. A whole mask has been created using the golden ratio [1:1.618] as to what the "perfect" face looks like. Basically, the golden ratio is naturally found all throughout nature. It has been scientifically proven that things that contain the golden ratio are seen as "more beautiful" and "perfect" by the public. So why not create a facial mask to do such?

It is in our genes to prefer symmetry when it comes to physical appearance. The more symmetry, the more beautiful something will appear. This is how it is for almost all people. Both men and women follow the golden ratio pattern/mask, and it's what we as humans are "supposed" to be most attracted to.

However, variations of this come from personal preference [explained later]. But, on another note, it is also mentioned from the site where I got the golden ratio information from [beautyanalysis.com] that one should desire a unique face, for those leave more of a mark in people's minds; they are more remembered. However, those "unique" faces tend to have a single feature that is very unique, yet doesn't differ too much from a normal face.

Sometimes you will find people who like unique faces to the extreme. And by extreme, I mean faces like Quasi Moto; very distorted and strange, and clearly do not fit the ratio mask whatsoever. Their faces lack a great amount of symmetry, yet people find them to be beautiful. Why is this?
Personally, I do not believe it is because the person's face is truly attractive. I believe it is because it's different, extremely unique, like nothing anybody has ever seen before. People who like those faces tend to get bored and tired of "plain" and "average" faces. They want something new, something with character. Thus, something that is so different is so interesting that it is beautiful.

But that's just my opinion.



Currently, Brad Pitt has the highest score for the golden ratio mask with a 9.1/10. Most celebrities are around a 7/10. Angelina Jolie would be much higher, however he lips obviously lower her score.



However, there are different versions of this facial mask based on what race you are. The Asian mask has a wider nose and face shape, the African mask has a wider nose and thinner face shape, etc.

European, Asian, African.


As well as this, the golden ratio appears in many other things. Such as the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo DaVinci. Her head shape is in fact a perfect golden ratio rectangle. Her features do not fit the golden ratio mask, but her head shape does.



It's in our genes to like a certain look. There are exceptions, and other factors that manipulate the way we define beauty other than our DNA. However, right down to the core, this is what we prefer. Or at least, what we "should" prefer.



People are always quick to point out about the topic of beauty that it is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, everyone's views are different from the next. And, for the most part, that is true. However, there is a bit more to it than that.

When we are born, although it is in our genes to like a certain look [golden ratio], we aren't born with the intent of preferring larger lips than those that fit the golden ratio mask. We aren't born with the intent to like blue eyes, or an olive skin tone. Where do we get those "extra" ideas of what is physically attractive? Does it have to do with the way we are raised? What we're surrounded by? What our friends and family look like? What we look like?

Maybe it's a mixture of all of those reasons.
The way we grow up can greatly affect what we define as beauty. We may see something we like now, and associate it to something lovable in the past.

For example, you might have been very close with your mother when you grew up. You told her everything, she was always there for you, etc. But, she also happened to have blue eyes. They were your favorite aspect of her, so now as you're older, one of your favorite features on a person is their blues eyes for they make you think of happy memories and such.

Also, when people have a certain feature themselves, they tend to be more lenient towards others who have that feature. Even if they personally don't like it, it's almost a tactic to make a person feel better about themselves. If someone has a large nose, they will like others who have a large nose as well. Or at least if they do not like their large nose, they will at least be a bit more lenient to someone who has a large nose when they "judge" the person's physical appearance.

Then there are some people where you just don't know why their view of beauty matches nowhere to the standards set by society, their past, or even their present. For example, there are men referred to as "chubby chasers" who prefer larger women. This is not shown in the media or preferred by the majority of society. Possibly some men may have had larger women in their past, but many do not. Why they think the way they do, no one truly knows. Not even them.

But, where personal preference truly lies is unknown. The way one is raised, what surrounds them, all affect how one manipulates their views. Personal preference is like a clean slate; more is added as more information is gained and more opinions are formed. Families, friends, media, and society all play a part as to one's personal tastes.



So as you can see, there is really no way to define what influences one's idea of beauty the most. Rather, it is a mix that all comes down to what you see, where you live, how you were raised. Basically, who you are. And I don't think anyone could ever truly know where one's opinions originate, especially on such a controversial topic as beauty. All we can do is go along with the flow.

However, the main question is: Does it matter? Does any of this talk of beauty matter? Why should anyone put more than a second's thought into what makes someone beautiful?

Everyone always says that beauty is only skin deep and that it's the inside that truly counts.

As to that, I'm not so sure. I've always been hesitant to use the word 'beautiful' when describing someone, due to the fact that I think it's more than a physical aspect. I feel the way someone looks is only part of being beautiful. I feel as if it's a state of being, that the way one carries themselves, the way they act, defines someone as beautiful.

Granted, throughout this blog I have been referring to 'beauty' as merely a physical aspect. But this is 'beautiful'. There is in fact, a difference.

But that's just me.

It irks me when someone talks about that physical appearance does not matter. That they don't judge, and is exactly equal to everyone.
I personally believe that it is a flat out lie. The person is in denial.

I heard a quote once, and I couldn't help but think about it and agree.
"It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart."

Everyone judges at first, because everyone makes a first impression. First impressions are everything and are the basis as to how one will treat another [usually] after that. And unfortunately, first impressions tend to be dominated by physical appearance rather than personality. You cannot look at someone and know what they are like, you can only make assumptions based on what they look like. The more presentable a person looks, the more one is likely to want to get to know the person. This is not necessarily fact as everyone is different, but for the most part this is how it is.

So for one to say that beauty does not matter, how one presents themselves physically does not matter, I can't help but call them naive.

First impressions are the basis for relationships. And appearance is the basis for first impressions. It is a simple "If - Then" statement that anyone who has ever taken Geometry would understand.

They are right about one thing, though. In the long run, how one looks is not the most important; it's the personality that counts. And, relationships are for the long run. Looks will get your attention at first, but it's someone's personality that will make them want to stick around. Beauty can only take you so far, but one must have the whole package. Eventually as one ages, their looks will fade until all they have left is their personality. And, even if their appearance was enough before, it won't be now.

There's no such thing as black and white when it comes to beauty - it's a gray area. There's no way to tell where it originates, what defines someone or something as beautiful, or if it truly matters. But all we know is that it does in fact exist in our daily lives. The trick is finding it.

All images taken from DeviantArt. Layout made with Adobe Photoshop.

June 2009