{"id":93,"date":"2010-10-18T13:16:30","date_gmt":"2010-10-18T20:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/?p=93"},"modified":"2010-10-18T13:16:30","modified_gmt":"2010-10-18T20:16:30","slug":"is-beauty-truth-or-is-truth-beauty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/?p=93","title":{"rendered":"Is Beauty Truth, or is Truth Beauty?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\""NotThe Apple of my Eye<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

During a recent visit to California, my friend took me to the local Farmers’ Market in Mountain View.\u00a0 As we were walking around the stalls, we came across a vendor selling organic apples.\u00a0 It was a treat to sample some\u00a0 varieties of apples that I\u2019ve never tasted before and certainly have never seen in any of the supermarkets in my corner of the world (the Pacific Northwest).<\/p>\n

The flavours of these apple varieties made my taste-buds sit up and take notice.\u00a0 What also caught my attention, though, was the sign drawing attention to the \u201cNot so pretty\u201d certified organic apples on sale for a dollar per pound.\u00a0 Granted, some of the apples were a bit blemished and were not \u201cperfect looking\u201d compared to the conventionally grown apples we see in supermarkets, but they had their own kind of natural beauty to them that shone through in their taste.<\/p>\n

The sign advertising the \u201cnot so pretty\u201d apples reminded me of a comment\u00a0 left by Evita\u00a0 (a blogger who writes about wellness<\/a> and spiritual development<\/a>) about an earlier article I\u2019d written on our food system<\/a>.\u00a0 I had stated in my earlier article<\/a> that compared to the produce that ends up on display in supermarkets, organically grown fruits and vegetables often don\u2019t look as \u201cbeautiful\u201d even though from a nutritional and agricultural sustainability perspective, the organic produce is a much better choice. \u00a0Evita very graciously pointed out directly what I had merely hinted at.\u00a0 Here\u2019s her comment, almost verbatim (I\u2019ve added the emphasis to some of the words.)<\/p>\n

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I will just add in one quick observation about the organic food not being beautiful\u2026<\/p>\n

I have to say I think it is; it is all a matter of the relative definition we assign <\/strong><\/p>\n

to beauty<\/strong>.\u00a0 To me, kale with huge holes in it (from the little creatures chewing<\/p>\n

into it) is beautiful, whereas an overgrown, waxy apple actually is not. I compare <\/strong><\/p>\n

it to how we view humans, the natural beauty [versus] the fake, make-up <\/strong><\/p>\n

based beauty<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 (Evita Ochel, September 2010)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The following weekend, I returned to the same stall at the Farmers\u2019 Market and asked the vendor<\/a> if I could take a photo of the \u201cnot so pretty organic apples\u201d sign to include in this blog post. (Thank you for allowing me to take the photo of the sign and the apples.)\u00a0 When I explained why I wanted to take the photo and mentioned how most of us have been conditioned to only think of the perfect looking apples we see in the supermarket as beautiful, she told me about a close relative who came to the U.S. for a visit and could not quite believe that the large, highly polished (waxed) apples in the supermarket were real.<\/p>\n

You have to wonder about apples that look so perfect they could be mistaken for imitation apples.\u00a0 Yet these are the kinds of apples we have been led to believe are beautiful, never mind that they may have been sprayed with toxic pesticides and coated with wax to ensure they stay fresh looking and keep their shape in the long journey from orchard to supermarket.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m beginning to think that most of us have also been taken for a ride, and we\u2019ve ended up in a place with mirrors that give us a distorted view of the relationship between beauty and perfection.<\/p>\n

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Defining Beauty<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

An online dictionary defines beauty as<\/p>\n

The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure<\/p>\n

or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations<\/p>\n

(as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else<\/p>\n

(as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).<\/p>\n

http:\/\/dictionary.reference.com\/browse\/beauty<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

This is a broad definition of beauty that clearly goes beyond tangible objects and physical appearance.\u00a0 It also implies that perceptions and experiences of beauty are highly subjective.\u00a0 What I don\u2019t see anywhere in this definition, though, are the words \u201cperfect\u201d and \u201cflawless\u201d. If we consider the aesthetics of beauty<\/a>, it would appear that we\u2019re more inclined to describe something as beautiful when it is perceived as being in balance and in harmony with nature.<\/p>\n

Ancient Greek philosophers noted that people are more inclined to describe the physical appearance of an object or person as beautiful if the features are symmetrical and proportional.\u00a0 The results of a 2006 study conducted by an evolutionary psychologist, Gillian Rhodes<\/a>, seem to confirm the much earlier observation of the ancient Greeks.\u00a0 But how did we get from our original definition of beauty that included the satisfaction derived from a variety of sensory experiences (The apples might not have looked perfect, but if they tasted divine you might still say they were beautiful.) and spiritual qualities or other traits that please us to the belief that only blemish-free, \u201cperfect\u201d objects and people deserve the label \u201cbeautiful\u201d?<\/p>\n

Perhaps the larger question here is why we seem to be so fixated on the surface appearance as the main criteria for making judgments about beauty. Is this really an accurate or fair way to assess the overall goodness, vitality or beauty of the person or the object?\u00a0 Is what we see really what we\u2019re getting?\u00a0 The short answers to these two questions are \u201cno\u201d and \u201cnot always\u201d, respectively.<\/p>\n

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\n

Out, out Damned Flaw<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Jean Kilbourne<\/a>, we see hundreds of ads per day through various types of mass media, and we are more influenced by those myriad two-dimensional images than we might consciously realize.\u00a0 Ads don\u2019t just sell products: As Kilbourne points out in her article \u201cBeauty\u2026and the Beast of Advertising<\/a>\u201d, ads also sell values, images, and a completely unrealistic ideal and standard of beauty that most real women will never attain\u2014no matter how much money they spend on cosmetic products or diet aids. (By the way, the weight loss industry raked in just over $46 billion in 2004<\/a> and the combined sales for just the top five cosmetics producers topped $50 billion in 2004.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

How many of us stop to ask ourselves whether these are truthful depictions of adult female beauty?\u00a0 And do we ever ask how those images were created? In \u201cBeauty\u2026and the Beast of Advertising\u201d, Jean Kilbourne notes that all beautiful women in ads conform to the same narrow norm, regardless of age or ethnicity:\u00a0 The women in these ads are generally tall, thin, long-legged, free of blemishes or wrinkles, and young–never mind that, according to the Canadian Women\u2019s Health Network<\/a>, the average height and weight for women in 2005 was 5\u20194\u201d and 148 lbs, respectively.<\/p>\n

As for those flawless, eternally young complexions and perfectly proportioned bodies and faces, well for the most part, the images are created artificially. Yes, you read that correctly!\u00a0 Even photographs of models are airbrushed and photo-shopped before they appear in print (Canadian Women\u2019s Health Network, 2005). \u00a0If you have never seen the Dove make-over photo-shop video on YouTube<\/a>, I highly recommend that you take a few minutes to watch this video.\u00a0 Note carefully what it says at the end of the video about our perceptions of beauty.<\/p>\n

By the way, it isn\u2019t just women who are subjected to cosmetic and digital makeovers before appearing in the pages of magazines.\u00a0 Even food gets styled, made-over and touched-up before appearing in ads, food magazines, cookbooks, etc. \u00a0We\u2019re not even getting a realistic image of what food actually looks like!<\/p>\n

Those freshly washed grapes or just tossed salads that look so appealing in the food magazine have most likely been drizzled with glycerin (or other \u201cingredients\u201d) to make them look that way and keep them fresh looking after sitting under the bright lighting required for studio photography.\u00a0 And as for why your hamburger never looks as good in real life as it does in the television ads, well check out this YouTube video on what one food stylist has to say about the tricks of the trade<\/a>.\u00a0 Is it any wonder that our perceptions of what real food is supposed to look like are almost as distorted as our mass media shaped ideas about beauty?<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Price of Artifice <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We are doing ourselves a huge disservice if we continue to allow artificial standards of beauty and faked pictures of perfection to exist without challenging the truth of these images.\u00a0 For one thing, it sets people up to believe that physical attractiveness is the most important trait (or more accurately, commodity) for determining our happiness and success in life.<\/p>\n

For another thing, some women (and now, increasingly, men) spend a fortune on weight loss and\/or cosmetic products and procedures that are anything but good for their physical health\u2014all in the name of trying to meet an unrealistic standard of beauty.\u00a0 If you want to see what goes into some of the products we use on our faces in order to get that youthful, healthy glow, you might be interested in looking at the Environmental Working Group\u2019s cosmetic safety database<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We also risk perpetuating unfair comparisons, judgments, assumptions and stereotypes, and negative social consequences that arise out of our distorted perceptions and beliefs about beauty. \u00a0The attractiveness factor<\/a> can lead to higher grades (at least in high school), higher salaries, and even lighter sentences for some types of criminal offences (Patry, 2008, p. 728)<\/a> for the \u201cbeautiful people\u201d.\u00a0 We can see quite plainly the negative effects for those who have been discriminated against on the basis of looks.\u00a0 And in the long run, we\u2019re not doing beautiful people any favours by rewarding them (or not handing out appropriate punishments for wrong-doings) based on looks rather than merit or good behaviour, either.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs back, even our perceptions of what real food is supposed to look like are becoming distorted by the mass media\u00a0 Organically grown food typically will not look like its conventionally grown counterparts; it most likely won\u2019t meet the artificial standard of food beauty established by mass media. \u00a0We need to be especially wary of falling into the trap of using the \u201cbeauty is goodness\u201d idea where our food is concerned: beautiful does not necessarily equate to goodness or health.<\/p>\n

Our conventionally produced fruits and vegetables look unbelievably blemish free because they\u2019ve most likely been treated with pesticides to stop little critters from sampling the goods before we get a chance to eat them.\u00a0 If pesticides are toxic to the critters that eat holes in our kale or bury into our fruit, why would we believe those chemicals would be any less harmful to us if they accumulate in our bodies over long periods of time? Framed this way, those \u201cperfect\u201d looking foods don\u2019t seem so pretty after all.<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Re-Framing Beauty and Reclaiming our Power<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems to me that it is time we recalibrated our modern standards and perceptions of beauty and re-empowered ourselves in the process.\u00a0 We can do this by taking the following steps.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Broaden your definition and perceptions of beauty. <\/strong>We don\u2019t have to keep buying into the idea that beauty is only about surface appearance or that beauty equals perfection–especially when the images we\u2019re presented with are illusions.\u00a0 What if we expanded and reframed how we define the aesthetics of beauty?\u00a0 What if we chose to equate beauty with authenticity rather than an artificially created flawless appearance?\u00a0 What if we decided to embrace a more natural approach to beauty\u2014imperfections, wrinkles, and all?<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Become media literate<\/strong>. Take some time to learn how women are portrayed in the mass media<\/a>.\u00a0 Jean Kilbourne\u2019s series of documentaries \u201cKilling Us Softly\u201d provide a great analysis of how women and girls are portrayed in ads.\u00a0 Websites such as the Centre for Media Literacy<\/a>, Media Awareness Network<\/a>, and About Face<\/a> are also great ways to learn how to deconstruct the images we see and become immune to their messages and impact.\u00a0 Share what you learn with your friends and family and empower others through teaching them to see through the fakeness of the beauty ideal presented in the mass media.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vote with your wallets and your T.V. remote control. <\/strong>What do you suppose would happen if we only rewarded the advertising industry and mass media for depicting more authentic images of beauty across a wide spectrum of ages, ethnicity, and body shapes? If you decide you are no longer going to reward a magazine or TV show for perpetuating unrealistic images and standards of beauty, let the broadcaster or publisher know why.\u00a0 The About Face website has some great information on how to write complaint letters.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let your food be your main beauty potion<\/strong>. Buy those less than perfect look apples or bunches of kale that are pesticide free\u2014your body will think they\u2019re beautiful, and if the produce is locally grown and freshly harvested, the food will also taste a lot better.\u00a0 Beauty really does emanate from within, so if you want your skin to reflect good health and vitality the least expensive and most effective way to meet your goal is to eat those 5 -10 servings of (pesticide free) fruits and veggies, drink lots of water (preferably not bottled), get some exercise, and get lots of sleep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s time we recalibrated our modern standards and perceptions of beauty and re-empowered ourselves in the process. Let’s stop buying into the faked images of perfection and beauty that are being sold to us through mass media and start demanding an aesthetic of beauty that celebrates natural, real beauty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93\/revisions\/103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=93"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=93"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}