Feminine beauty ideal

Beauty standard has been existing for many centuries. It changes almost every generation. Beauty ideals have changed dramatically through time. Not so long ago the feminine ideal was a plump woman with a bright blush. Today's ideal is significantly differ from ideal of 18-19 centuries.

This is an exiting video about history of feminine ideal.

 Nowadays already young girls find out about beauty ideal from early ages with fairy-tales. Fairy-tales highlight the feminine beauty for young girls in order to prove how beauty is essential to a positive future. In fairy-tales, beauty characters are always good ones, and vise a versa, ugly characters are bad.Fairy-tales, movies, magazines and other mass media make young girls to learn about feminine beauty ideals.

Beauty ideals differ and depend on a culture and a point of view (children/man/woman).

An interesting international experiment was conducted by journalist, blogger and freelancing reporter for KCUR Esther Honig. Esther Honig went to many countries and asked people to show their standard of beauty using the Photoshop. This experiment proves how beauty ideal varies across cultures on a global level. The next picture shows the results of this experiment.

For more information about this experiment use link below:

http://www.eonline.com/news/554554/a-woman-photoshopped-her-face-to-illustrate-the-ideal-beauty-standards-of-25-different-countries

As I said before, feminine ideal has become more international with mass media appearing.

The next experiment was conducted by online company www.escentual.com. They asked men and women to build up the perfect woman face that must consist of the most beautiful famous people’s features.

The video below devoted this experiment. You can learn about it in details. 

On two pictures below you can compare two “perfect faces” created by women and men.

The Perfect Woman (according to women)

Women see the epitome of beauty as raven hair, a stronger nose and forehead profile, heavier brows and narrower bone structure.

The Perfect Woman (according to men)

According to this picture men prefer blonde hair, full lips, and strong cheekbones but also a petite nose and less prominent eyebrows.

Feminine beauty is very strong thing and weakness at the same time. In childhood, girls watch cartoons and understand that beauty is essential to a positive future and they should strive to achieve this beauty standards and maintain them. That is good because girls strive to take care of themselves. But I think it is only the one positive moment.

Even though they learn about beauty, also they learn about how it is important to meet these standards in order to be lucky or successful in this life. This has an impact on the psyche of young girls who have noticed that they don’t meet this beauty standards. They become understand that that have not such hair or such body, or such a beautiful face like fairy-tales characters have. In this case, I think a significant role plays the parent’s attention and their ability to help their kids to deal with complexes. Parents should explain that this beauty is not real and there are more important qualities than beauty.

An interesting blogpost was published recently by Raquel Lopez (unknown writer) about parent’s attitude toward their kids in this case http://borderzine.com/2014/05/media-images-of-ideal-feminine-beauty-flawed/

Not only fairy-tales form our conception about beauty standards. In modern world, pure women are bombarded by advertisements daily, on billboards, social media, magazines and television. Even young girls already know that women must spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and above all money striving to achieve beauty ideals. Become elder women devotes significant financial and emotional resources in order to look a certain way.

Essentially, when you see somebody who is very attractive, you compare yourself with him/her automatically. This is human  nature. So we asked ourselves like “How do I compare with this beautiful person?” Looking at this idealised face and figure, become feel bad about themselves because they understand that they don’t look so.

Fortunately and unfortunately, we live in 21 century and there are many possibilities to change any appearance with help of cosmetic surgery. Women run the risk using cosmetic surgery. I understand when it is a necessity, but I absolutely against it when it is only a whim.

One woman who has been through two surgeries for bowel cancer said that she before she found out about her fatal illness she focused negatively on her imperfections. But after a surgery she has changed her opinion totally. She was happy feeling she is alive and this illness always reminds her what is really important in this life. She said: "To be beautiful means to be yourself; you don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself."

Do not forget about this, appreciate that nature gave to you. 

Nobody is perfect but everyone is beautiful. Be happy with yourself!