Monday, November 21, 2011

Evolution of Beauty

     I was sitting through my Healthy American class last week while we were discussing body image and the evolution of beauty throughout time. They showed pictures of sickly skinny celebrities such as Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan. Then they stopped at Marilyn Monroe. Now, we all know that Miss Monroe was and still is a beauty icon. However, when they showed others like her such as voluptuous Christina Hendricks from t.v. show Mad Men, I started to see things in a new light and I asked myself just why has beauty changed so drastically over the years?
 
      It's sad because young girls model what they see. If they hear that so-and-so is pretty, they try and emulate her. If they see the larger kids get bullied, they know what NOT to look like in order to avoid such problems. The pressure to be thin is seen everywhere!-from billboards to television, even in their own living rooms. Parents must take credit for their children's ideas of what is beautiful. Popular television stations such as Disney and Nickelodeon need to show kids that beauty comes in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. These beliefs need to be reinforced over and over and seen everywhere enough for it to become a trend, thus evolving the ideal beauty image.
      In some cultures, such as one in Nouakchott, Mauritania, fat is beautiful. If you are skinny, men do not want you and you cannot reproduce. Women strive to gain weight and put on the pounds. There is even a hut dedicated to eating before a wedding ceremony. They think that big is beautiful because it shows that you are well off enough to never go hungry and can care for a family. Ancient fertility figurines found show that wide hips and huge breasts were the desired woman because they too can provide for a family and give birth. Now, women have no breasts, a hint of hips, and can barely stand without being blown over. Yet, men still find them sexy. Why? Those primal senses for reproduction are still there. Has industrialization and technology somehow morphed our thinking?

        So, maybe the beauty movement can start with you. Don't be afraid to show off those curves. Teach young girls that skinny doesn't always mean pretty. Confidence is key. Humans in general are beautiful people that are made to be different. Why resort to just one look that everyone strives for? It is human nature and survival of the fittest I suppose, however, it is our world that has created a society for the beautiful. They may get better jobs, always get the man, and succeed overall. However, just because someone is nice to look at does not make them better. It will take time, but our world can shift the way people see beauty with one step at a time.



---Liz P

No comments:

Post a Comment