“Its a material world, making material girls.
For some it is a necessity, to others it is an option, it may also be nonessential and to some an offensive work of art. Welcome to the world of cosmetics.”
Beauty wasn’t made to be plain black and white. Just like a kaleidoscope every turn and every change is a new beautiful experience. It is an aid to enhance or exaggerate features in a face, to color and highlight parts, to contour bones and structures of the face, all for one cause, to become beautiful. But what really is beautiful?
Every race has its own ideal beauty. Tracing back the history of make up, no timeline can claim the start of using cosmetics. The earliest that can suffice is the Far East where studies claim it originated. The Paint War of the Native American, the tattooing and scarification. Woading is practiced by ancient Britons where they paint their bodies blue are already forms of cosmetic adornments.
In the time of Cleopatra, she was claimed to be the most beautiful of her time in Egypt (69-30 B.C.). In China, 1880s the Guangdong province had a movement to end the widespread custom of crippling women through footbinding, they attempted to abolish the practice but was still performed in some parts of China. The smaller the ladies’ foot was the prettier she is. According to Encarta, Roman ladies would apply cosmetics through employed kohl for darkening eyelashes and eyelids, chalk for whitening the complexion, rouge and depilatories, and pumice for cleaning the teeth. In 1968, Miss America Pageant had a flamboyant protest against feminist because they standardized beauty so feminists threw in bras, high heels, etc. anything that symbolizes their oppression.
The form and style of African beauty depends primarily on traditions and beliefs of their culture, they believe that the longer the neck the more appealing the woman is. They believe that beauty is achieved especially when an object acts as an intermediary between the human world and the world of spirits. And who would ever forget the Manilyn Monroe which in her time was the ideal woman, the sex symbol for men, the asset of beauty products, she was far from skinny, she was curvy.
Cosmetics is the term applied to all preparations used externally to condition and beautify the body, by cleaning, coloring, softening, or protecting the skin, nail, hair, lips, eyes, or the body in general. And these products’ annual retail sales (both men and women) today makes cosmetic manufacturing a multibillion-dollar industry.
Having a slim figure is the common trend in most countries today, People magazine’s onetime "Most Beautiful Woman" Gwyneth Paltrow stated, “If we were living in ancient Rome or Greece, I would be considered sickly and unattractive.”
Just like the evolution of man, so does beauty. The question stands, is it an evolution or socialization? Worldwide-wise there is different definitions of what is appealing. They vary from culture to culture. It varies into a wide range. But the world also offer enhancers that we crave to have a hold. The products they sell would promise the sparks of acceptance, invigorating power of youth, a tiny taste of perfection. The favorable social perception is if you buy and apply their products. They made the lips redder than reh, the foundations paler than ever, they made ghost out of the living. Beasts out of beauty.
Tyra Banks, a famous model and endorser with her own line of beauty agencies always highlights her infamous quote, “The Ugly Pretty”. We might study the idea of "ugliness" in art to know our prejudices, but the truth is we are so insulated from any difference. We are the beasts of our own selves. It's an absolute insult, yet wholly subjective.
Theresa E DiDonato Ph.D. stated that, “Despite cultural variation, a few physical characteristics are generally considered universal markers of beauty. Human preferences may have evolved over millions of years to favor certain physical characteristics linked to reproductive fitness—youthfulness, for example, is a generally reliable cue for fertility, potentially explaining why it’s considered attractive. Likewise, skin homogeneity and facial similarity, both signs of good health, have wide appeal (Fink, Grammer, & Thornhill, 2001; Thornhill & Gangestad, 1993). To a lesser extent, other features associated with sexual arousal (plump lips, for example) may be perceived as beautiful, because they have reliably fostered reproduction.”
According to beauty pageants, beauty is an all-around package deal, a pretty face, a witty brain and a good personality. What would you do with a pretty face if she looks like she’s carrying all the burdens of the world with her frown.
For short term relationships (not romantic in general exactly) , yes external beauty is essential. But for long-term relationships, one must focus on inner beauty. Priorities in the kindness of heart, the humor, and the content of the brain. Because as cliche as it can get, beauty fades through time.
So before fitting into standards set to us by the society, lets ask ourselves if it will make
us happy. Damn what they say! Be what you feel to be. If you feel beautiful in you sweatshirt, a sparkly dress, a bikini, a tshirts, or ragged cloths, then be it. Dont let anybody decide if you are beautiful or not. Afterall, you have all the rights to be.
(edited arcticleticle published on The Ripples "Flesh"2015)