Western Beauty Picture Perfect
Western culture has a very distinct view of beautiful: perfection. This idea of perfection is beauty has haunted western cultures for centuries, but seems to be getting progressively worse as time passes and exactly what “perfection” means has changed. We will look at the Victorian era definition of beauty, some of their beauty practices and current day beauty stereotypes and what is done to achieve today’s ideal of beauty.
Victorian Era Women
Femininity and frailness were characteristics that made women beautiful in the Victorian Era, such characteristics were often categorized by the woman's hourglass frame with an extremely small waist. However, the idea of beautiful was seemingly impossible to achieve because a woman with more fat symbolized wealth which was also seen as beautiful. Therefore, women were supposed to be frail, feminine, have curvatious hips and a large bosom yet have impossibly small waist. In order to achieve this virtually impossible figure, women relied heavily upon hoop skirts and more importantly, a corset.
Corsets used by Victorian Era Women
Corsets were extremely popular during the Victorian Era for a variety of reasons. Not only did they make a woman beautiful, they also symbolized wealth, made the woman seem weak and were a sign of her gentility and status. A corset was used to accentuate the females hips and bosom by making her waist seem impossibly small. In order to achieve this, whale bone and tight lacing were used to tie in the waist. The process of making one's waist smaller was a gradual process starting in childhood. Often times children were forced to wear loose corsets in order to train themselves to be able to wear a full corset by the age of fourteen. As an adult woman, the average waist in the 1860's and 1870's was between twenty five and twenty eight inches, but the average waist when corseted was a mere twenty one inches and women were competing to have the smallest waist which had detrimental effects on their health. In order to reduce the size of the waist so drastically, internal organs and ribs were forced to be rearranged, causing extreme physical consequences. Difficulty breathing, internal organ rearrangement and compression, curvature of the spine and fertility problems were all potential consequences of tight lacing. Abdominal organs were slowly forced into the pelvic cavity as a woman was training to wear a corset, which impeded on reproductive organs. However, corset use sometimes affected more than just the women wearing them because pregnant women also used corsets which often lead to fetal death or poor fetal health due to the restriction and pressure on the uterus. At a time when motherhood was so important and a representation of a woman's success as a wife, it is surprising that women were willing to hurt themselves in a way that decreased fertility, and also harmed or killed their children. Physical beauty was not the only purpose of the corset, they were essentially used as a method of torture for women to make them immobile, unable to work, and completely reliant on men according to some scientists and feminists.
Femininity and frailness were characteristics that made women beautiful in the Victorian Era, such characteristics were often categorized by the woman's hourglass frame with an extremely small waist. However, the idea of beautiful was seemingly impossible to achieve because a woman with more fat symbolized wealth which was also seen as beautiful. Therefore, women were supposed to be frail, feminine, have curvatious hips and a large bosom yet have impossibly small waist. In order to achieve this virtually impossible figure, women relied heavily upon hoop skirts and more importantly, a corset.
Corsets used by Victorian Era Women
Corsets were extremely popular during the Victorian Era for a variety of reasons. Not only did they make a woman beautiful, they also symbolized wealth, made the woman seem weak and were a sign of her gentility and status. A corset was used to accentuate the females hips and bosom by making her waist seem impossibly small. In order to achieve this, whale bone and tight lacing were used to tie in the waist. The process of making one's waist smaller was a gradual process starting in childhood. Often times children were forced to wear loose corsets in order to train themselves to be able to wear a full corset by the age of fourteen. As an adult woman, the average waist in the 1860's and 1870's was between twenty five and twenty eight inches, but the average waist when corseted was a mere twenty one inches and women were competing to have the smallest waist which had detrimental effects on their health. In order to reduce the size of the waist so drastically, internal organs and ribs were forced to be rearranged, causing extreme physical consequences. Difficulty breathing, internal organ rearrangement and compression, curvature of the spine and fertility problems were all potential consequences of tight lacing. Abdominal organs were slowly forced into the pelvic cavity as a woman was training to wear a corset, which impeded on reproductive organs. However, corset use sometimes affected more than just the women wearing them because pregnant women also used corsets which often lead to fetal death or poor fetal health due to the restriction and pressure on the uterus. At a time when motherhood was so important and a representation of a woman's success as a wife, it is surprising that women were willing to hurt themselves in a way that decreased fertility, and also harmed or killed their children. Physical beauty was not the only purpose of the corset, they were essentially used as a method of torture for women to make them immobile, unable to work, and completely reliant on men according to some scientists and feminists.
Current Day Beauty
Today, western culture still focuses on perfection, but the idea of what is perfect has shifted. Today, a "thicker" figure is no longer seen as the standard of beautiful, but instead extremely slender is what is sought after. Being skinny is advocated by the fashion industry, by television, internet, and every other form of media available. From lyrics in songs, to the models being selected for campaigns. The models seen in media are what the Western Culture sees as beautiful today, but just how healthy are these models, and what affect are they having on young women? The average fashion model has a BMI of only 17.1 and according to the Center for Disease Control, anything below 18.5 is considered underweight and sadly the model to the left is from Victoria's Secret which prides itself on supporting and hiring "curvy" models compared to the rest of the fashion industry. Therefore, these models that most young women have been taught to believe are beautiful are actually unhealthy, perpetuating an unhealthy stereotype for young girls throughout Western Culture and giving them an unrealistic expectation that they feel they must work towards in order to be considered beautiful. As a result, women in college are three times as likely to believe they are overweight compared to men. However, although being thin is extremely important, so is having curves in today's society, but these curves have limitations. Common with the Victorian Era, women are still expected to have feminine traits of larger hips and breasts with a small waist but everything has been slenderized as compared to the past. Just as corsets altered the physical body, there are many ways that present day women try to alter their bodies to fit the unrealistic standard of Western Culture beauty. Unfortunately, these practices seem to becoming more and more severe as time progresses. Some of the more common physical alterations women are taking include plastic surgery and eating disorders to achieve the slender frame that is seen as beautiful. It is important to realize how detrimental the societal implications of Western Beauty have been, especially to young women, who are striving for unrealistic expectations and unhealthy ideals.
As proof of how unrealistic the media's expectations are of women, I encourage you to look at this video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-02ivpIPJKo) which shows a models dramatic transformation before a photo shoot in 37 seconds. This video is proof that even the most stereotypical beautiful women do not look how we are made to believe they do. These women do not only have a "glam-squad" that takes hours a day to make them look impeccable, they are photo shopped to remove freckles, reduce waist line, add volume to the breasts, make the face more symmetrical, the lips fuller, remove imperfections from the face, ect. These photos being so edited are making young women believe that they must look like this to be beautiful, but in reality these women are essentially computer generated and do not exist.
Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery is becoming more and more common in the Western culture with a 252% increase in the number of surgeries since 1997 and women accounting for nearly 90% of all cosmetic surgery patients. The top three surgeries performed included breast augmentation, liposuction and a tummy tuck. But why are women going under the knife? These surgeries are performed in an effort to make a woman fit into the western ideal of beauty: larger breasts, smaller stomach. Cosmetic surgeries that are the most popular are not for health benefits, but because the western ideal of beauty has become so unrealistic, that women are forced to have surgical enhancements in order to feel beautiful compared to those seen in the media. Not only are women unable to achieve this ideal physically themselves, they are so desperate to achieve this look in an effort to feel beautiful, they are spending thousands of dollars, and going through unimaginable pain in an effort to fit the societal expectations of beauty. Such a dramatic increase in surgery not only shows how unrealistic western beauty standards have become, but how important physical beauty is to a large part of this society that people would feel the need to go under the knife in so many cases.
Today, western culture still focuses on perfection, but the idea of what is perfect has shifted. Today, a "thicker" figure is no longer seen as the standard of beautiful, but instead extremely slender is what is sought after. Being skinny is advocated by the fashion industry, by television, internet, and every other form of media available. From lyrics in songs, to the models being selected for campaigns. The models seen in media are what the Western Culture sees as beautiful today, but just how healthy are these models, and what affect are they having on young women? The average fashion model has a BMI of only 17.1 and according to the Center for Disease Control, anything below 18.5 is considered underweight and sadly the model to the left is from Victoria's Secret which prides itself on supporting and hiring "curvy" models compared to the rest of the fashion industry. Therefore, these models that most young women have been taught to believe are beautiful are actually unhealthy, perpetuating an unhealthy stereotype for young girls throughout Western Culture and giving them an unrealistic expectation that they feel they must work towards in order to be considered beautiful. As a result, women in college are three times as likely to believe they are overweight compared to men. However, although being thin is extremely important, so is having curves in today's society, but these curves have limitations. Common with the Victorian Era, women are still expected to have feminine traits of larger hips and breasts with a small waist but everything has been slenderized as compared to the past. Just as corsets altered the physical body, there are many ways that present day women try to alter their bodies to fit the unrealistic standard of Western Culture beauty. Unfortunately, these practices seem to becoming more and more severe as time progresses. Some of the more common physical alterations women are taking include plastic surgery and eating disorders to achieve the slender frame that is seen as beautiful. It is important to realize how detrimental the societal implications of Western Beauty have been, especially to young women, who are striving for unrealistic expectations and unhealthy ideals.
As proof of how unrealistic the media's expectations are of women, I encourage you to look at this video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-02ivpIPJKo) which shows a models dramatic transformation before a photo shoot in 37 seconds. This video is proof that even the most stereotypical beautiful women do not look how we are made to believe they do. These women do not only have a "glam-squad" that takes hours a day to make them look impeccable, they are photo shopped to remove freckles, reduce waist line, add volume to the breasts, make the face more symmetrical, the lips fuller, remove imperfections from the face, ect. These photos being so edited are making young women believe that they must look like this to be beautiful, but in reality these women are essentially computer generated and do not exist.
Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery is becoming more and more common in the Western culture with a 252% increase in the number of surgeries since 1997 and women accounting for nearly 90% of all cosmetic surgery patients. The top three surgeries performed included breast augmentation, liposuction and a tummy tuck. But why are women going under the knife? These surgeries are performed in an effort to make a woman fit into the western ideal of beauty: larger breasts, smaller stomach. Cosmetic surgeries that are the most popular are not for health benefits, but because the western ideal of beauty has become so unrealistic, that women are forced to have surgical enhancements in order to feel beautiful compared to those seen in the media. Not only are women unable to achieve this ideal physically themselves, they are so desperate to achieve this look in an effort to feel beautiful, they are spending thousands of dollars, and going through unimaginable pain in an effort to fit the societal expectations of beauty. Such a dramatic increase in surgery not only shows how unrealistic western beauty standards have become, but how important physical beauty is to a large part of this society that people would feel the need to go under the knife in so many cases.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder classified by an excessive desire to lose weight by refusal to eat or other means of minimizing intake. Anorexia has a prevalence rate of .3% of the population, and has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. Research has shown that 80-90% of those suffering are females, with the prevalence rate doubling in teenage girls. But why are girls taking such extremes to lose weight? Media is often pointed to as a direct cause of eating disorders. Fashion designers only choose the thinnest of models, and make clothes to fit only those that are emaciated and the media portrays the thinnest women as the most beautiful. With young girls being told that emaciated models that have been photo shopped to look even thinner are what is beautiful, they feel as though they have to be that thin in order to be accepted or to be considered beautiful. This unhealthy stereotype of beauty is thinness leads to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa in young women.
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder classified by an excessive desire to lose weight by refusal to eat or other means of minimizing intake. Anorexia has a prevalence rate of .3% of the population, and has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. Research has shown that 80-90% of those suffering are females, with the prevalence rate doubling in teenage girls. But why are girls taking such extremes to lose weight? Media is often pointed to as a direct cause of eating disorders. Fashion designers only choose the thinnest of models, and make clothes to fit only those that are emaciated and the media portrays the thinnest women as the most beautiful. With young girls being told that emaciated models that have been photo shopped to look even thinner are what is beautiful, they feel as though they have to be that thin in order to be accepted or to be considered beautiful. This unhealthy stereotype of beauty is thinness leads to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa in young women.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio Significance
The corset was used to make the contrast between the woman's waist and hips more apparent, but why was that seen as attractive? Because it lowered the waist-to-hip ratio. The smaller the woman's waist is compared to their hips, the lower the woman's waist-to-hip ratio, and the more attractive the woman seems in Western culture. Charles Darwin believed that in the animal kingdom females choose mates based on attributes that indicate good genetics and reproductive ability, but he did not believe that humans acted in the same way. Darwin believed that the male chose the mate in humans. Is it possible that male humans choose mates based on their genetic and reproductive ability? Research has shown that men find a small waist-to-hip ratio most attractive, but research has also shown that men believe a small waist-to-hip ratio indicates a higher reproductive ability. Perhaps Darwin was correct and male humans choose mates based on their reproductive potential which can be seen by their waist-to-hip ratio. Therefore, women were using corsets and plastic surgery to decrease their waist-to-hip ratio in an effort to either attract a man by making it appear as though they have a high reproductive potential.
The corset was used to make the contrast between the woman's waist and hips more apparent, but why was that seen as attractive? Because it lowered the waist-to-hip ratio. The smaller the woman's waist is compared to their hips, the lower the woman's waist-to-hip ratio, and the more attractive the woman seems in Western culture. Charles Darwin believed that in the animal kingdom females choose mates based on attributes that indicate good genetics and reproductive ability, but he did not believe that humans acted in the same way. Darwin believed that the male chose the mate in humans. Is it possible that male humans choose mates based on their genetic and reproductive ability? Research has shown that men find a small waist-to-hip ratio most attractive, but research has also shown that men believe a small waist-to-hip ratio indicates a higher reproductive ability. Perhaps Darwin was correct and male humans choose mates based on their reproductive potential which can be seen by their waist-to-hip ratio. Therefore, women were using corsets and plastic surgery to decrease their waist-to-hip ratio in an effort to either attract a man by making it appear as though they have a high reproductive potential.
Realize Your Own Beauty
From seeing just how much Western culture can affect women, I believe it's important to take time to tell our readers that you need to realize that you are beautiful. Even if you don't fit society's standard definition of beautiful, you are beautiful in your own way. I encourage everyone to check out the Dove beauty campaign which encourages self love, and appreciating one's own unique beauty. Use beauty as a source of confidence, not doubt. According to Dove, only 4% of women around the world find themselves beautiful, the fact is: all women are beautiful. Love yourself and you will realize just how beautiful you are.
The Real Beauty Sketches by Dove can be found at: http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/
From seeing just how much Western culture can affect women, I believe it's important to take time to tell our readers that you need to realize that you are beautiful. Even if you don't fit society's standard definition of beautiful, you are beautiful in your own way. I encourage everyone to check out the Dove beauty campaign which encourages self love, and appreciating one's own unique beauty. Use beauty as a source of confidence, not doubt. According to Dove, only 4% of women around the world find themselves beautiful, the fact is: all women are beautiful. Love yourself and you will realize just how beautiful you are.
The Real Beauty Sketches by Dove can be found at: http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/
References:
-Davies, Mel. "Corsets And Conception: Fashion And Demographic Trends In The Nineteenth Century." Comparative Studies in Society and History 24, no. 04 (1982): 611. http://www.jstor.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/stable/10.2307/178431?Search=yes&searchText=effects&searchText=of&searchText=corset&searchText=on&searchText=abdominal&searchText=organs&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Deffects%2Bof%2Bcorset%2Bon%2Babdo.
-Roberts, Helene E.. "The Exquisite Slave: The Role Of Clothes In The Making Of The Victorian Woman." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2, no. 3 (1977): 554. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1300108162/1422F26048A3A2B5769/3?accountid=12598.
-Lassek, Will, and Steven Gaulin. "Do Men Find Very Skinny Women Attractive?." Psychology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-women-need-fat/201202/do-men-find-very-skinny-women-attractive
-Emslie, C, K Hunt, and S Macintyre. "Perceptions of body image among working men and women." Journal of Epidemiol Community Health 55 (2001): 406-407. http://jech.bmj.com/content/55/6/406.full
-"Cosmetic Procedures Increase in 2012." News Releases. http://www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/cosmetic-procedures-increase-in-2012 (accessed November 21, 2013).
-Morris, Jane, and Sara Twaddle. "Anorexia Nervosa." British medical journal 334.7599 (2007): 894-8. ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/204041689/142167075B8698FADE1/2?accountid=12598
-Singh, Devendra. 1993. "Adaptive Significance of Female Physical Attractiveness: Role of Waist-to-Hip Ratio." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 65 (2): 293-307. http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/614322078/fulltextPDF/142164DC67D6DFE5D08/1?accountid=12598
-Davies, Mel. "Corsets And Conception: Fashion And Demographic Trends In The Nineteenth Century." Comparative Studies in Society and History 24, no. 04 (1982): 611. http://www.jstor.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/stable/10.2307/178431?Search=yes&searchText=effects&searchText=of&searchText=corset&searchText=on&searchText=abdominal&searchText=organs&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Deffects%2Bof%2Bcorset%2Bon%2Babdo.
-Roberts, Helene E.. "The Exquisite Slave: The Role Of Clothes In The Making Of The Victorian Woman." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2, no. 3 (1977): 554. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1300108162/1422F26048A3A2B5769/3?accountid=12598.
-Lassek, Will, and Steven Gaulin. "Do Men Find Very Skinny Women Attractive?." Psychology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-women-need-fat/201202/do-men-find-very-skinny-women-attractive
-Emslie, C, K Hunt, and S Macintyre. "Perceptions of body image among working men and women." Journal of Epidemiol Community Health 55 (2001): 406-407. http://jech.bmj.com/content/55/6/406.full
-"Cosmetic Procedures Increase in 2012." News Releases. http://www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/cosmetic-procedures-increase-in-2012 (accessed November 21, 2013).
-Morris, Jane, and Sara Twaddle. "Anorexia Nervosa." British medical journal 334.7599 (2007): 894-8. ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/204041689/142167075B8698FADE1/2?accountid=12598
-Singh, Devendra. 1993. "Adaptive Significance of Female Physical Attractiveness: Role of Waist-to-Hip Ratio." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 65 (2): 293-307. http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/614322078/fulltextPDF/142164DC67D6DFE5D08/1?accountid=12598