1. How do you define beauty?
I define beauty as how pleasing someone or something is to look at. I know that's not that good of a definition. I think beauty is mostly how you look, but not just that. Beauty can be how you feel too. Beauty can be how you treat others and how you see the world too. But generally, beauty is what someone can see that looks good. Beautiful people are usually ideal-looking people. I think what is beautiful on a person is being smart, looking attractive, having a nice body, dressing well, looking youthful, having a great smile, looking happy and confident, and looking unique.
2. How do we decide what is beautiful?
I'm sure people naturally gravitate to what is attractive and beautiful. I think some people are certainly and definitely more beautiful than other people and that's just how it is, but I hope that everybody has someone who thinks they are very beautiful. Beauty is quite subjective. Of course, much of what we perceive as beautiful is due to what society has constructed. Society plays a HUGE role in what people consider beautiful. There are many many many types of beauty, but society only promotes a few types. I think it's true that things society associates as beautiful for women (e.g. being thin, long hair (not explicitly), being tall (not explicitly), symmetry, full lips, dressing well and being fashionable, looking youthful, long legs, shiny hair, upturned nose, being fit, looking glamorous and wears makeup, looking graceful) are in fact qualities of beauty. They're just very exclusive qualities of beauty. There are way more qualities of beauty than that stuff. Things that people decide as beautiful make you attractive and good-looking.
3. Do you think of yourself as beautiful? Why or why not?
I don't think of myself as beautiful. I never have thought of myself as a beautiful person. I'm not an ideal-looking person. I don't have a nice, toned body or perfect facial features. I'm not skinny. I don't think I have enough qualities of beauty to be considered beautiful.
4. Many people find the previous question difficult and even painful. Why do you think that is? Was it for you? Should it be?
Yes that was a very difficult and painful question for me to answer. I think it is difficult and painful to answer because it's hard to compare yourself to the people in magazines perceived as beautiful and think about if you are like them or not. I think many people also tend to be very critical of themselves. If it should be difficult or painful to answer...I don't know. It depends on the person a lot. I don't even know if I'm supposed to think of myself as beautiful or not.
5. Is beauty in American culture more of a positive or negative thing? Explain.
Hmm well of course beauty is a good thing. But in American culture, this idealized type of beauty can be a negative thing. Many people, especially girls, are self-conscious and worry all the time about whether their pretty or not or if they look good.
6. Do men and women experience / think about beauty differently? Why? Should they think of it differently or similarly?
I think men and women do experience and think about beauty differently. I think all this fuss about beauty is more of a female thing. Women sometimes feel their worth is dependent on how they look and not other factors, like how successful they are. Everything about beauty is mostly associated with females. I mean when people talk about or have discussions about beauty, they unconsciously talk about how women are affected. Being beautiful is such a big deal to women. I feel like men don't worry about it as much. But I think males and females worry about how attractive they are about the same amount. I think worrying about attractiveness depends more on the individual. I think it would be cool if men and women thought of beauty similarly. But it's obvious why women think of beauty differently. It's always mattered more when it comes to women if they are beautiful.
7. How important is beauty? How important should it be?
Beauty is very important. And it's important for a reason...it's how you look! People take one look at you and their first impression will be influenced by how beautiful you are. Beauty will always be important. Everyone wants to be beautiful. There are other things that are very important too and matter just as much, like intelligence, success, kindness, and talent. I think beauty should be as important as it is, but I think we should always look at how a person is like on the inside.
Rachel's Diary Entry:
In this video, the model talked about how she "won a lottery" to become a model and have those looks. She talked about how people think white skin is beautiful. She talked about how image isn't everything because it's only on the surface. I really agree with this. I am black on the surface. Race is only on the outside. People judge me because of how I look. The model admits that she and other models are insecure because people are always paying attention to how they look. I would not be insecure if I looked like that model.
In the movie trailer, I understand why black women's hair are not considered beautiful. People don't want to have hair like that. My hair was nappy, and I am happy now that it's straight and look's like Mor's. Straight, long hair is beautiful. Not short, nappy hair that black girls want to get replaced.
"I want to be as beautiful as Aunt Loretta. She smiles all the time even when she looks at the picture of Uncle Nathan. . . She shows her teeth when she smiles. I have a cover-up-my-teeth smile." (Durrow, 2010, pp. 6, 7)
I think the videos I saw and the diary entry I wrote reinforces my earlier thought that people should be viewed on how they are like on the inside and outside and that beauty is very important. Cameron Russell got many free things in her life and was treated very well because she is beautiful. Black women will do anything to change their hair to be beautiful. If I could influence the way beauty is perceived and/or valued in our culture, I would change how magazines portray people and I would make beauty less of a big deal. I still want beauty to be valued though.
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