Beauty within the Society

Jane BurnsWard Othman

Courtney ShepherdAmelia Wilson

The truism of the famous saying by Plato “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and what it sums up is incorrect.

It's been estimated that teenagers from 7 to 14 are subjected to some 500 advertisements a day.

The quest for the perfect look is universal. To many people, the pressure to achieve physical perfection outweighs the dangers.

Introduction

The loose and hard-to-define concept of beauty is a central part of the image world. Features focused on long legs, light skin, pore less skin, big eyes, big lips and the list goes on are the general target for today’s society.

People have subjected themselves to breast implants, Botox, liposuction, and shelves full of anti-aging products to look like the unrealistic model on a magazine cover.

According to Synovate’s global survey on beauty, two thirds of all people say that beauty is primarily about non-physical attributes yet as many as 40 percent would change their looks if they could.

What is Beauty?

Discontent with one's body can wind up as an eating disorder, such as anorexia, a self-starvation cycle syndrome, or bulimia, a binge-and-purge cycle in which people gorge and then vomit or use laxatives. Both can be fatal.

New statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that cosmetic- surgery procedures performed on those 18 and younger have nearly doubled over the past decade.

Pain is a reoccurring theme in the study of aesthetics and the human experience. Though also, animal experiments are known for causing pain.

The Ugly Side of Beauty

Media and society sometimes have a negative relationship.

Studies show that many consumers, male and female, find advertisements to be dishonest.

Based on  the study "The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report", Dove® reports that "only 2% of women would describe themselves as beautiful," and that a majority feel victimized by the media.

The Beginning of the Issues with Advertising

Models are too thin.

There is too much photo shopping.

There is not enough variety in models' shapes, ages, and sizes.

The Problems

Their purpose is "widening the definition of beauty."

It shows what un-photo shopped, unmade-up, common women look like.

They produced the well-known video of a model being prepped, photographed, and photo shopped. 

The Dove Real Beauty Campaign

“Dove Evolution”

"No wonder our concept of beauty is so distorted."

Studies show that consumers want to see more honesty in advertising.

Dove demonstrates how this problem can be solved.

There is a need to be more honest about beauty and the media.

The Solution

• Not only does the media catch people’s attention, it also causes them to go to great extremes to achieve the model on the t.v.

• Diseases such as anorexia, bulimia, and binging can occur

• Also psycologically it can cause people to think that no matter what they do they aren’t doing it enough, or they are still just not happy with themselves. In their mind, they will never achieve the ideal image they want to be.

Effects on People

Weight gain Abdominal Pain Swelling of the hands and feet Chronic sore throat Busted blood vessels in the eyes Swollen salivary glands Weakness and dizziness Tooth decay Ulcers Ruptured stomach or esophagus Loss of menstrual period

Effects on People-Bulimia

Lack of control over eating Secret eating Disappearance of food Altering eating Bathroom after meal Laxatives Smell of vomit Calluses on the hand Chipmunk cheeks Not underweight Discolored teeth Fluctuating weight

How to tell if Someone is Bullimic

Effects

Severe mood swings Lack of energy and weakness Slowed thinking Dry, yellow, brittle nails Brittle hair Bloating Tooth decay Dizziness, fainting, headaches Growth of hair everywhere

Effects on People-Anorexia

Dieting despite thin Obsession with calorie intake Pretending to eat Strange food rituals Dramatic weight loss Harshly critical of themselves Compulsive exercising Fixation on body image

How to Tell if Someone is Anorexic

Type 2 diabetes Gallbladder disease High cholesterol High blood pressure Heart disease Certain types of cancer Osteoarthritis Joint/muscle pain Sleep apnea

Effects on People-Binging

Uncontrollable eating Eating large amounts of food fast Eating even when they are full Hiding food for later Eating normally around others then eating

again in private Eating continuously throughout the day.

How to Tell if Someone is Binging

Distorted Body Image Low Self-Esteem People with anorexia tend to go through social

withdraw, bulimics will have no change in social interaction

Fear of gaining weight Depression Bipolar OCD Self-Inflicted injury Suicide

Effects on people-Emotionally

Solution Studies show that the average child that is

exposed to media pressure starts around age 7 Studies have also shown that if companies

displayed their product on more healthier looking models, the product would sell better.

Media should focus on what is going to sell better for their company and what their airbrushed advertisements are doing to the very people they are trying to sell their product to.

Some people do not realize that animals are also harmed by the beauty industry and their products.

It is estimated that between 14 and 70 million animals are used in experiments each year.

Over 1 million dogs, cats, primates, sheep, hamsters, and guinea pigs are used in labs each year. Of those, over 86,000 are dogs and cats.

Animals and the Beauty Industry

The Draize test is the most common. This procedure is where they drip the cosmetics into rabbits' eyes to see whether it causes irritation or not.

Companies also create naturally hairless animals in order to be able to test the affects of products on their skin.

The Testing

Even though rodents, birds, and reptiles make up about 90-95% of animals tested on they are not protected by the USDA’s Animal Welfare Act. Therefore, labs that only test on these animals are not required to provide pain relief.

So many of these labs burn, shock, torture, and starve animals without pain relief. For example, baby mice endured severed ligaments for 16 weeks without pain relief..

The Aftermath

Research has also proven that animal testing is often ineffective in predicting how products will work on people. Some estimates say up to 92% of tests passed on animals failed when tried on humans.

Ineffective

The Animal Welfare Act is the only U.S. federal law that covers animals in research. It regulates the care and use of animals in research, testing, teaching, exhibition, transport, and by dealers.

The Animals Act - or Scientific Procedures Act - was passed in 1986 and applies to animal testing in the UK. It enforces the general premise or idea that an experiment must be governed by three different licenses.

In Japan an amendment was passed in 1999 to update a law enacted in 1973. It was now called the Law for the Humane Treatment and Management of Animals. This new law placed a strong emphasis on the responsibility of the owners of animals as well as alleviation of pain, distress, companionship, well-being, and respect for life. It also called for humane deaths to all animals used for scientific purposes.

Animal Testing Around the World

Non-animal methods usually take less time to complete, cost only a fraction of what the animal experiments that they replace cost, and are not plagued with species differences that make extrapolation difficult or impossible.

Some of these include:◦ Cell and tissue culture studies ◦ Human skin model tests ◦ 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Photo toxicity Test which

uses cells grown in culture to assess the potential irritation to the skin.

The Solution

Conclusion - Ward

Conclusion - Ward

"Law Library." International & Foreign Animal Law Research Guide — Georgetown Law. Georgetown Law Library, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.http://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/research/guides/InternationalAnimalLaw.cfm

PETA. "Alternatives: Testing Without Torture.“People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. N.p., 2010. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/alternatives-testing-without-torture.aspx

"Vivisection FAQ - In Defense of Animals- In Defense of Animals." In Defense of Animals. In Defense of Animals, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/responsible-research/vivisection-faq/

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