TOPIC 6: THE PHYSICAL SELF
Gladys Lavarias, MA
“Make sure you don’t start seeing yourself
through the eyes of those who don’t value you.
Know your worth even if they don’t.”
– Thema Davis
This topic (for 4 hours) focuses on the
discussing the physical aspect about
yourself. This will help you explore the
bodily make up the self. For you to better
understand the self, it is time for you to open
up to gain knowledge and explore more of
your physical attributes. The self in this unit
will be studied bodily.
https://www.123rf.com/photo
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
a. define what is physical self;
b. examine the relationship of physical self to the development of selfesteem;
c. show respect and appreciation on the standards of physical beauty in
different cultures; and
d. discuss the importance of beauty and generate innovative practices on
how to make and maintain a beautiful self.
LET’S LEARN
Do This! Great Transformation
Take a look at the given picture. What comes to mind? Are you willing to
undergo physical transformation for your body? Why or why not?
https://www.spot.ph/entertainment/showbiz/56414/10-filipino-celebrities-who-denied-plastic-surgery
Then look at the following “before and after” pictures of famous Pinoy
celebrities.
Describe their physical appearance before and after. Which of their pictures do
you consider to be beautiful? Why?
1. Angeline Quinto
https://www.spot.ph/entertainment/showbiz/56414/
10-filipino-celebrities-who-denied-plastic-surgery
2. Kim Chiu
https://www.spot.ph/entertainment/showbiz/56414/
10-filipino-celebrities-who-denied-plastic-surgery
3. Regine Velasquez
https://www.spot.ph/entertainment/showbiz/56414/
10-filipino-celebrities-who-denied-plastic-surgery
5. From Charice to Jake Zyrus
https://push.abs-cbn.com/2017/10/4/freshscoops/xander-is-not-alone-pinoy-celebs-whoadmit-underg-169366
4. Vice Ganda
https://push.abs-cbn.com/2017/10/4/freshscoops/xander-is-not-alone-pinoy-celebs-whoadmit-underg-169366
6. From Marlou to Xander Ford
https://www.google.com/search?q=xander+ford&s
ource=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiey
bvIn8bhAhVKIIgKHSaD_AQ_AUIDigB&biw=1280&bih=689#imgrc=V
THE SELF AS IMPACTED BY THE BODY
Try to answer the following questions in order for you to analyze your physical
aspect: (1) Are you healthy and active? (2) Are you comfortable with your body?
Do you like what you see? (3) Are you satisfied with your sexuality? (4) Are you
comfortable in the material world? (5) Are you practical, humble, financially
stable, and free? Your answers to the given questions basically give you your
perspective on the basic and different aspects of the self namely: (1) Physical (2)
Mental (3) Emotional and (4) Spiritual
This lesson will focus on the first aspect which is the PHYSICAL SELF. Physical
self refers to the body, this marvelous container and complex, finely tuned,
machine with which you interface with your environment and fellow beings. The
physical self is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the person that can
be directly observed and examined.
RELATIONSHIP OF PHYSICAL SELF TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF
SELF-ESTEEM
How do you evaluate people you meet? Do you assess them based on how they
look/appear? Do you let your physical appearance define who you are?
Development principles state that each one of us is unique. No two individuals are
the same. The physical self has a big impact in the development of your selfesteem.
Self-esteem is an individual’s sense of personal worth and an acceptance of who
one is. It is the value you place on yourselves; how much you like or dislike who
you are. And how do you achieve this? A self-help environment reflects the belief
that autonomy and independence are the birthright of every child. Nothing renders
people more helpless than not being able to maintain their own needs or to take
care of themselves in basic ways. Self-concept is based on what you know about
yourselves, which includes the ability to take care of your own needs.
To care for oneself, to feel capable of learning, to solve problems, are all rooted to
feelings of self-esteem. Children’s well-being should be developed and its
foundations laid early during the early years of development for them to
understand themselves and others. Your physical attributes and experiences
impact the development of a strong self-concept and a positive self-esteem.
There are four (4) components of self-esteem (Gordon, 2000): (1) A sense of one’s
own identity (2) A sense of belonging (connectedness) (3) A sense of one’s own
uniqueness and (4) A sense of self (power). A positive sense of self is critical for
young people. Research (Marshall, 1989) shows that low self-image is correlated
with poor mental health, poor academic achievement, and delinquency.
A positive self-image strengthens self-confidence. Self-image is based on the way
society views individuals. And an essential ingredient of self-image is the quality
of human interactions.
HOW BEAUTY IS DEFINED AROUND THE WORLD
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/definitions-of-beauty-around-the-world-104188662505.html
Definitions of Beauty around the World
Yahoo Beauty December 3, 2014 By Erica Smith
From face tattoos to long necks, you will see how the standards of beauty change
from one country to the next. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and you don’t
have to look too far to realize that’s true.
You’ve all done some things in the name of beauty (eyelash extensions, Brazilian
waxes and using tanning beds, to name a few) that probably seem crazy to people
in different cultures who define beauty much differently. In the U.S., they may
value long, flowy hair, bronzed skin and a face free of wrinkles, but in other parts
of the world, pale complexions, visible
scars and shaved heads are enviable traits. Here, you will explore nine very
different qualities that are considered beautiful around the globe. Find out if you
would be considered beautiful in these far-flung destinations.
1. Ethiopia: Body Scars
While some are concerned with erasing scars, Ethiopia’s Karo tribe is creating
them. In the tribe’s eyes, beauty is literally skin deep: the scars cut onto the
stomachs of women at childhood are seen as beautiful adornments meant to attract
men who are husband material.
2. Kenya: Long Earlobes and Shaved Heads
To the Masai tribe of Kenya, long, stretched earlobes and low-maintenance buzz
cuts are the ideal. Women are known to shave their heads and use everything
from elephant tusks to twigs to pierce and stretch their lobes to become more
attractive.
3. Burma and Thailand: Long Necks
Long, giraffe-like necks are the ultimate sign of beauty and female elegance to the
Kayan tribe. At 5 years old, Kayan women start priming their necks with heavy
brass rings. Each year, more coils are added, pushing down their shoulders and
creating the effect of a longer neck. Keep in mind that the rings in this centuriesold ritual can weigh up to 22 pounds (9.98 kg).
4. China, Thailand and Japan: Pale Skin
In various parts of Asia, pale, white skin is revered as a sign of affluence and
attractiveness. In Japan, women avoid the sun at all costs, while skin-care
products with whitening agents are the norm in places like China and Thailand.
Sometimes, it’s hard to find products without bleaching properties.
5. New Zealand: Face Tattoos
Tattooing is a sacred ritual to the Maori people of New Zealand, and not
something parents warn their teenagers they’ll one day regret. Traditionally, a
chisel was used to carve grooves into the skin, creating swirling tattoos called
Tamoko. Women with tattooed lips, chins and full blue lips are the most beautiful.
6. Mauritania: Full Figures
While Americans are perpetually dieting and striving to be thin, Western African
cultures find women who are overweight to be the most beautiful — the more
stretch marks, the better. In the past, it wasn’t completely unheard of for families
in Mauritania to send their daughters to “fat farms,” camps that would force-feed
girls 16,000 calories a day to help them reach their ideal weight. Fuller figures are
still the ideal, and fattening camel’s and cow’s milk are go-tos for plumping up,
but thankfully, the government now frowns upon the unpleasant force feeding.
7. Iran: Surgical Bandages
Nose jobs seem like a staple in the image-conscious U.S., but Iran is actually the
rhinoplasty capital of the world. Both men and women are proud to show off their
procedures — a sign of their social status and their path on the route to beauty. So
much so that they’ll often wear their bandages much longer than needed, while
others will purchase surgical tape to wear, even if they haven’t gone under the
knife.
8. India: Decorated Skin
Instead of accessorizing with extravagant jewelry, women in India turn to nose
rings, bindis and henna to make themselves more attractive for festivals and
celebrations, like weddings. Brides in particular will often wear a dot of red
powder on the face known as a kumkum to look more beautiful.
9. Japan: Stick Straight Hair
In Japan, stick straight hair is seen as the norm, and therefore, the most beautiful
hair texture. Japanese women with wavier patterns have become pros at getting
this look, turning to chemicals and flat irons to keep their hair as sleek as possible.
It’s no surprise that thermal reconditioning — using a bond-breaking chemical
and meticulous flat-ironing to straighten hair — is referred to as Japanese hair
straightening in the U.S.
THE FIVE GLOBAL BEAUTY ARCHETYPES:
http://www.worldwisebeauty.com/
2012/09/19/are-you-a-seductivefox-or-a-powerful-peacock-findyour-global-beauty-type-here/