Visual Analysis Paper
topic: beauty & unrealistic standards & effect on society
Maya Awoke
May 9, 2021
GWST 322 11:30 am
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“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'' is an all-too-common platitude used usually to justify the
abstract or unusual beauty in a person or object. While this may reign true on an individual-to-individual
basis because one's perspective there are many cultural standards that define one's Beauty. Physical
attraction itself includes universal perceptions common to all human cultures such as facial symmetry,
sociocultural dependent attributes and personal preferences unique to a particular individual. In the Allure
article “Being Pretty Is a Privilege, But We Refuse to Acknowledge It” Janet Mock acknowledges the truth
AGetter 1-3 paragraphs
to those ideals, the more often you will be labeled pretty — and benefit from that prettiness (Mock, 2017).
explain it use a quote
This is what is deemed beautiful and deviations from these unrealistic expectations cause insecurity and
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that “Pretty” is most often synonymous with being thin, white, able-bodied, and cis, and the closer you are
appearance and attraction. They become reliant on validation from others, and this is a deeply troubling and
toxic mental state. This can cause internal issues within young girls that will take years and years to recover
from.
The word “beauty” can be defined in many different ways and not only to describe aesthetics but
also used to describe qualities, however, oftentimes people put superficial qualities over internal qualities.
Short term decisions that can alter one's image have long lasting effects on someone's personal image. The
topic I will be discussing in my paper is the unrealistic standards of beauty projected primarily through the
media. Media has a significant influence on society and sets the standards for numerous things, one of the
main being physical appearance. From magazines to movies and the Instagram models we see on a daily
basis we are oversaturated with fakeness and unrealistic expectations. This causes people to forget what real
human beings look like. It becomes hard not to compare yourself to these people and this develops many
issues such as insecurities, unhappiness, self-hate, and eating disorders. Often, we forget that photoshop
surgery and expensive and timely resources go into the image that these individuals we idolize uphold. Even
when we become aware of such things it still becomes hard to erase that expectation from our minds and the
desire to look a certain way.
The image I have chosen to analyze in regard to this topic is a side-by-side comparison of two
headshots of Beyoncé. The headshots were from a L’Oréal advertisement photoshoot in 2013 (Canada,
2015). While they are two versions of the same image- the one on the left of the original and the one on the
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right heavily photoshopped and fake. The image on the left shows Beyonce’s fine lines, imperfections and
textured skin and makeup as it naturally looks on her face. The image shows Beyonce's face up close and
personal. Dark grey eyeshadow with sharp edges, a bold red lip, and what looks like a pink blush. Her
natural brown eyes and eyebrows brushed upwards. A peak of her highlighted blonde hair slicked back. On
the other hand, the image directly on the right looks more like the Beyoncé we know. Smooth even skin
tone, perfectly pigmented eyeshadow, blush and lipstick. A sharper jawline, narrower nose, smaller neck,
narrower face, brighter brown eye color, and even more highlighted and brighter hair color. Every part of
the image on the right is heavily retouched and so fake that the image on the left practically looks like a
different person. This is the way we are used to seeing Beyoncé with no imperfections looking as youthful
as ever. This is why seeing the original untouched photos was such a surprise. The photos placed side by
side provide the shock factor because of the stark contrasts in the image. It shows the significant effects of
photoshop and its power to alter a person’s image and blind us from reality. Despite the controversies and
backlash that was received from releasing the photos it was important that we saw that even the Queen Bee
herself is a real woman that is not perfect.
Seeing celebrities in an imperfect light is very rare due to the popularity of photoshop and access to
numerous resources that alter and enhance their appearance. From professional makeup artists and hair
stylists, and stylists they ensure that they are made to look their absolute best whenever they are in the
spotlight. They have the privilege of private chefs, trainers, and cosmetic surgeries and enhancements and
treatments. When the images were leaked and surfaced the internet this was a major shock to everyone who
has never seen Beyonce up close and unretouched. The very real and imperfect image of Beyonce showed
us how a real 37-year-old woman-at the time- looked like. This is important because it shows people that
celebrities are real people and not the perfect beings that they are made out to be. So many people compare
themselves to celebrities and desire to look like them when they don't even really look like “themselves”.
The comparison to the women that are glorified in the media is also a major contributor to selfconsciousness which in turn influences the desire to look a certain way. This is why transparency and
unretouched photos need to become more normalized in the media.
Due to the fact that magazines, Instagram and advertising tell us what the beauty standard is it is
important that what we are shown is real. Especially for younger girls who are easily impressionable and
influenced at their age. They are shown what is believed to be beautiful and they internalize it. This is why
empowering girls, instilling confidence and making them feel beautiful in the skin that they are in is all so
important. A systematic review of 20 papers published back in 2016 found that doing things like scrolling
through Instagram and posting pictures can negatively affect your body image (Oakes, 2019). As a society
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that is heavily engrossed in social media it becomes challenging to avoid these negative thoughts and resist
from comparisons.
Beauty standards are nothing new, they have always existed and have only changed forms,
nonetheless they remain difficult to achieve and have a negative impact on society especially women.
Women are under more pressure to look a certain way, so these beauty standards have always had a
detrimental effect on women's self-image mental health. For as long as beauty standards have existed their
main purpose has been to sell a product. Advertisements tell people that they can look just like the model if
they buy the makeup product or whatever is being sold when in reality, they don't even look like themselves.
The standards that are idealized, marketed, then become the measure by which everyone is compared to.
Beauty standards are a money-making ideal that leaves the consumers with consequences.
As society has become more socially aware the desire for authenticity and transparency in media
has become a demand. Anti-Photoshop initiatives have been spreading more as of recent time and one
example of this is what CVS has done with their beauty brands. In 2019 CVS placed a ban on photo
manipulation of models for their own makeup brand and other makeup and beauty brands that they carry
(Jones, 2019). They aimed to make all makeup marketing or promotional displays in the stores commit to
the standard or be identified as “digitally modified” by 2020 (Jones, 2019). This is a major step in the right
direction and has hopefully influenced other companies to do the same. In addition, clothing brands like
Aerie have promoted their product using unretouched images and a diverse group of models (Jones, 2019).
When companies do this, it makes them stand out and be an example of what should be expected in this day
and age. It is beneficial to both the brand's reputation itself and the consumers, so it is a win-win. The push
for transparency will hopefully influence many more brands to follow suit and create a more real world.
These have been important social developments that will hopefully free people from the unrealistic and
unattainable expectations pushed by societal beauty standards.
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References
Canada, T. H. P. (2015, February 19). Oh No: Unretouched Photos Of Beyonce Leak Online. HuffPost
Canada. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/02/18/beyonce-photoshop_n_6706988.html.
Jones, O. (2019, July 10). Anti-Photoshop initiatives discourage unrealistic beauty standards in ads. Lee
Clarion.https://www.leeclarion.com/2019/anti-photoshop-initiatives-discourage-unrealistic-beautystandards-in-ads.
Mock, J. (n.d.). Being Pretty Is a Privilege That Nobody Wants to Acknowledge. Allure.
https://www.allure.com/story/pretty-privilege.
Oakes, K. (2019, March 11). The complicated truth about social media and body image. BBC Future.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-how-social-media-affects-body-image.
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