GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES AND RESEARCH - SYLLABUS #9239 CRYSTAL FUENZALIDA- YOUR CANDIDATE NUMBER IN FOUR DIGITS HIALEAH GARDENS HIGH SCHOOL - US675 COMPONENT 2 WOMENS SOCIETY BEAUTY STANDARDS SHOULD WOMEN SACRIFICE THEMSELVES TO ATTAIN THE IDEAL BEAUTY STANDARDS IN SOCIETY? 9239: Statement of originality Student declaration: I confirm that the enclosed material is all my own work. I have not copied or based my work on any samples or exemplars to which I have had access. Any work taken from another source has been appropriately referenced and acknowledged. Word count: 1,979 WOMENS SOCIETY BEAUTY STANDARDS SHOULD WOMEN SACRIFICE THEMSELVES TO ATTAIN THE IDEAL BEAUTY STANDARDS IN SOCIETY? Crystal Fuenzalida Hialeah Gardens Senior High School Course Code Ms. Cormier 1/8/2021 Word count: 1,979 Women’s society beauty standards Should women sacrifice themselves to attain the ideal beauty standards in society? With visuals of ideal beauty everywhere we turn, there is no way for it to go unnoticed. From over two-thousand years ago till today, beauty standards have had a great influence in the lives of many individuals. Although many have debated it’s influence during the past years, the topic still remains active. Beauty standards, also known as feminine beauty ideal, is the socially constructed idea that physical attractiveness is vital in a woman’s life and all women should strive to reach and maintain it. In the past, this issue was less of a concern to society because without much influence from science and technology, people relied and strived for things other than their beauty. However, during the development and progression of the years, science and technology, as well as its influence in many individuals lives, has developed. In addition to the growing influence came many controversial opinions which enhanced the debatable influence of ideal beauty standards in society. Looking good on the outside makes one feel good on the inside. Vandelogt (2020) states that, “It’s easier to feel confident about yourself if the outward picture is cute to look at. When you look good, it feels easier to feel good.” As women begin to strive to look good according to their ideal beauty, they will begin to also grow in their own love on the inside. Their physical appearance and mental will change in a positive way as they begin to love themselves more. Ideal beauty doesn’t just make a woman look better but it also helps them feel better about themselves. In other words, their confidence will boost once they start to notice how beautiful they look. However, looking good does not make everyone feel good. In general, as women begin to think they look good, they will also start to feel good. When women strive to attain the ideal beauty standard of their society, their beauty to others and themselves will grow. Even if they did not feel good before, looking good will begin to make them feel good. The strength in this is that when women begin to look good and feel good, they will start to accept themselves. This can contribute and help with their mentality and how they perceive themselves. The author herself is a positive and thriving woman. This source contains much information about the positivity and confidence that attaining the ideal beauty standards of society brings. In addition, the author herself shows her confidence and happiness in photos in her own article. A major weakness would be that although the author is confident and provides much information, not everyone may have the same outcomes. Many people might need more than beauty to be able to feel good on the inside. In the source it displays photos of the author only. As the outcomes may vary in different people, the author does not have much information about studies and research on other people. Better job opportunities will be presented. Akst (2018) mentions that, “Attractive people are paid more on the job”. Having the ideal beauty according to society cannot only help in job recruiting and interviews but also it can help in the future. As stated in the source, one’s beauty can also aid in higher amounts of remuneration. This can benefit many people in not only their careers but also in their daily lives when it comes to food, clothes, a shelter, and much more. Lin (2017) states that “Even if recruiters do not want Word count: 1,979 that to factor their decision, it’s going to still unconsciously bias them.”. Beauty standards have a great influence in an individual’s career life. In some cases, unknowingly, beauty can lead to bias. With science and technology everywhere now-a-days, it is hard to not be biased when it comes to physical beauty. This can help many women in their career life by helping them acquire jobs and interviews unlike other people. More opportunities will be presented which will aid in reaching many milestones in life. On the other hand, Brain matters more than beauty. In general, striving for the ideal beauty standard of society can be crucial and beneficial when it comes to career and money wise. Even if in an unconscious matter, beauty can override persuade others. It can help an individual grow and help ensure a better life for them and others around them. A strength in this reason would be that in addition to beauty a woman also gains the ability to reach and encounter new opportunities in society which would not be offered to others without beauty. This source explains and provides information on how in countries, such as Japan, women can earn new opportunities by working hard to achieve the ideal beauty in their society. The authors have been journalists for about three years. It is not guaranteed that women with ideal beauty will receive a job position or a higher salary only for their looks. In addition to beauty, many people look for more diligent and experienced individuals. In other words, it is a hit or miss. Although the article explains the hard work women put into reaching and attaining the ideal beauty standard of society, it lacks more evidence. In addition, the authors are young and unexperienced. Women will feel accepted by society. Alexandre (2020), “the most beautiful women are thought to be those with their chins and lips fully tattooed”. Everywhere in the world there are different beauty standards that a woman has to strive for. In New Zealand, one of the greatest known women beauty standards are face tattoos. Many women go through much pain in order to be accepted by their society because as stated in the source, women with these tattoos are known to be the most beautiful in their country. However, being accepted has nothing to do with one’s beauty. Overall, each society has their own unique beauty standards. Some wilder and more daring than others. Ideal beauty standards can help individuals fit in and be accepted by society. In addition to beauty, women have the advantage of feeling included and accepted by their society. Many women will have boosted self-confidence due to feeling accepted. The source explains how women feel accepted by their society when they accomplish and attain the ideal beauty standards. Also, it mentions how some are considered the most beautiful for their beauty. The ideal beauty standards in societies always change. Basically, one never knows when something will change. The author also mentions how other societies do not accept or think of others beauty standards as strange. This article is missing more information on what women do to attain their goals. In addition, this author does not seem to have much information. On the other hand, societies beauty standards on women Produces more stress on them. “A study from Brown University found that about 74.4% of females and 46% of men explained that they have thought about their weight and the way they look.”. Stress can be caused by many things. In this case, beauty standards have greatly influenced people and have caused many to feel insecure, self-conscious, and stressed out. As stated in this source, numerous women have thought and stressed about their physical appearance. The many influences in society have stressed out many individuals for the Word count: 1,979 wrong reasons. Weight, shape, face, body, etc., are examples of leading causes of stress from beauty standards in society. On the other hand, it doesn’t produce an overwhelming amount of stress all the time. Influence of others around them and themselves begin to produce stress. Also, the influence by others to achieve the ideal standards are affecting individuals. The weakness would be that not everyone is affected and stressed out the same. There are different outcomes for everyone Beauty standards on women can lower mental health. Skolnick (2020) states that beauty standards “... can be a risk factor for mental health problems such as poorer quality of life, psychological distress, and unhealthy behaviors including eating disorders.”. While striving for the ideal beauty standards, many put their health aside in order to look and feel good. Although this might help an individual look according to the ideal beauty standards, their mental health will be greatly affected. Mental health is a very powerful and life affecting thing. Provoking distress, disorders, and less happiness in total. All of these factors produced by lower mental health can contribute to many negative future outcomes. Lower mental health can intervein with life goals, relationships, and one’s overall future. In addition, Kim (2018) mentions that “Due to negative emotions such as envy, deprivation, and anxiety, people usually discontinue upward social comparison to maintain their mental health.”. Mental health is a very life defining factor in an individual’s life. As this source mentions, there comes a point when people realize that their mental health is being lowered due to social comparison and beauty standards that many have to stray from in order to stay healthy. Many negative feelings such as anxiety, depression, and deprivation are signs of low mental health. Even though some people manage to notice their mental health decline and do something about it before it gets worse, some choose to continue struggling in order to fit in. This shows that one’s mental health is very important to care for and not something to play around with. On the other hand, many believe that beauty standards do not lower one’s mental health. Many signs of low mental health that are connected with struggles in beauty standards. Different types of mental health which are lowered and negative ones which are brought up. Weakness of this argument is that not everyone is affected the same. While some might be affected slightly that they might not even notice, other might been internally struggling to the point of depression. Author does not provide as much information about how it affects different people. Mostly focuses on an overall conclusion and opinion. Many relationships with loved ones are also affected. www.bps.org (2019) states that “…partner may feel that you’re not happy with the relationship in general, and a vicious cycle becomes set into motion”. Beauty standards can not only affect an individual but also the people around them. As individuals struggle to achieve their beauty standard goals, they begin to internally struggle with appearance and want to change themselves. As they become unhappy, many individuals either have trouble or do no communicate with others about their struggles and issues trying to reach their ideal beauty standard. This not only negatively impacts an individual, but it also puts at stake their relationships with loved ones due to miscommunication. There is miscommunication due to self-consciousness and low mental health. It shows information about how miscommunication can lead to trouble in relationships. Also shows how it can affect women when having to communicate to others or just Word count: 1,979 themselves. On the other hand, some people rather let go and express how they feel to other. Also, it does not provide much evidence on how it can affect the partner. In conclusion, women fight an internal conflict about the needs to achieve proper beauty standards in society. Women are going out of hand in reaching the unachievable beauty standard of society. If women care so much about beauty standards to cross lines of their own safety to achieve it, a change must be made. Women’s mental health should be of greater priority. Relationships and communication with others is very important. How to peacefully protest in social media against unreachable beauty standards. Paths to a healthy and stress-free life. The need to have less media and society influence on appearance expectations of women. Word count: 1,979 References • Vandelogt, S. (2020, April 22). Feeling confident on the inside (and not just the outside). Retrieved January 3, 2021, from https://40plusstyle.com/feelingconfident/ • Akst, D. (2018). Looks Do Matter. Retrieved January 3, 2021, from http://archive.wilsonquarterly.com/essays/looks-do-matter • Lin, M. (2017, April 27). The perceptions of beauty at work. Retrieved January 4, 2021, from https://lhsepic.com/963/in-depth/the-perceptions-of-beauty-at-work/ • Alexandre, S. (2020, August 12). This is How Beauty Standards Differ Around the World. Retrieved January 7, 2021, from https://www.slice.ca/this-is-howbeauty-standards-differ-around-the-world-remake/ • Skolnick, S. (2020, June 12). Modern beauty standards and their effects on society. Retrieved January 4, 2021, from https://theinkblotnews.com/10701/opinion/modern-beauty-standards-and-theireffects-on-society/ • Kim, S., & Lee, Y. (2018, August 3). Why do women want to be beautiful? A qualitative study proposing a new "human beauty values" concept. Retrieved January 4, 2021, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0201347 • Psychological society, T. (2019, May 17). The influence of body image on mental health. Retrieved January 3, 2021, from https://www.bps.org.uk/blogs/guest/influence-body-image-mental-health Word count: 1,979 • Whitbourne, S. (2018, August 04). The Key Role of Body Image in Happy Relationships. Retrieved January 4, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201808/the-keyrole-body-image-in-happy-relationships Word count: 1,979
