Real Beauty Redefined

Dispelling beauty myths and finding the real beauty in

youA K2 Vista Film Production

You don’t need to wear makeup

• Why, because you real beauty both inner and outer will shine without makeup. Look in the mirror and thank God for the beauty He has given you.

Cosmetics is big business

Beauty Industry is

a $330 Billion global

industry

Myths about beauty

• Myth#1:Looking younger means looking prettier:

• Reality: There is no cure for aging. Learn to age gracefully and your true beauty will radiate out.

Myths about beauty

• Myth#2: Plastic surgery will make me younger• Reality: It may for a short time, and then you

will have to keep on repeating it. It looks unnatural and sometime outright scary

Myths about beauty

• Myth#3: Full lips, a Kate Moss look, straight nose, and almondy-shaped eyes are mark of beauty

• Reality: Says who? God has given beauty to every nation, race, and people.

Myths about beauty

• Myth#4: Thinness is mark of beauty• Reality: Being healthy is mark of beauty

Myths about beauty

• Myth#5: Beauty equals Success

• Reality: Many of the most Successful people are also the ones with the most troubles.

So what is beauty?

“ A quality attributed to whatever pleases or satisfies the senses or mind”

Definition of beauty

Only 2% of women feel comfortable describing

themselves as beautiful

Source: Campaign for Real Beauty

"Even I don't wake up

looking like Cindy

Crawford."

:

Cindy Crawford

Women want whiter skin

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The Beauty Myth• Surveys of women and men reveal body

dissatisfaction has increased since the rise of mass advertising.– Two key periods are linked to the increase in body

dissatisfaction• 1920s (rise of mass media; the first wave of modern ads

techniques).• 1950s to today (TV made advertising more influential).– In this second period there is evidence that body

dissatisfaction increased particularly after the 1960s.

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Disliked Physical AttributesSource: Cash, Winstead, Janda: The Sources of our Discontent, 1986

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Body Ideals embraced by Industry

• The Eurocentric ideal has been promoted for more than a century: blond and blue-eyed. – Aryan race ideals reflect racist attitudes.

• Large breasts were promoted in the 1950s as the sexual revolution was just beginning.

• The ultra-thin body emerged by the late 1960s.– Example: Twiggy, the 1960s runway model.– The rise of feminism may have fostered a reactionary

backlash that is symbolically reflected in this highly restrictive ideal.

– The commercial culture reinforced the thin ideal. • The emerging weight loss industry capitalized upon the thin look.

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Massification and the beauty myth

• Today, the beauty myth is rampantly promoted by the commercialized mass culture. This myth tells women that their top priority should be to focus on her physical attributes, and that she should be beautiful (by Eurocentric standards – Euro features, young, thin, and large breasted).– It is a monolithic ideal (not reflective of diversity)– It is an unrealistic ideal (only 5% can look like this)

• Two key forces behind this beauty ideal– 1. Patriarchy

• men have more control than women over cultural ideals– 2. Modern Capitalism

• exploitation of this ideal is highly profitable

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Who is most affected?• Women• Whites• Adolescents• Those exposed to peer groups and family members who

reinforce the ideal• Those most exposed to commercial culture and advertising.

– Teen magazines and other products aimed at girls. – Barbie dolls carry subtle messages about appearance.– The ubiquitous commercial media reinforces it.

• Those who are already somewhat insecure or who take their cues from industry.– This is most teens (see next page).

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Market Research of Teen Culture Identifies 4 Categories of Teens Source: Pete Zollo “Wise up Teens”, 1995

• Influencers– About 9% of teens. The “in-crowd” who set consumer trends and fads. They are

mainstreamers who take their cues from industry. • Conformers

– About 58% of teens. They find security by trying to fit in. They take their cues from influencers.

• Passives– About 17% of teens. Social marginals who strive for acceptance but aren’t as

enthusiastic about their pursuit and who lack self-confidence and other attributes idealized by the dominant culture.

• Independents– About 16% of teens. Self-confident and content to be outside the mainstream

social hierarchy. They are more independent and are often critical of the mainstream commercial culture.

NOTE: all but the Independents are highly vulnerable to ads.

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Where are we going?• White, adolescent girls appear most vulnerable to ad

messages about thinness.• Women of color are increasingly vulnerable.

• Protective African-American standards are weakening in the face of integration, massification and acculturation following the Civil Rights era.

• Recently, corporations have targeted adolescent males with a male version of the beauty ideal.– However, males are less vulnerable because patriarchy

does not weaken them as much as it weakens women, and ads still target women more than men.

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Consequences• Anecdotal evidence (ie women's diaries) suggests that women in

colonial America were more concerned about morality and character than physical looks. By the 20th century, women became more concerned with physical looks than character.– This coincides with the rise of mass commercial culture and its emphasis

on trivializing life issues.• Decline in body self-esteem. This is also associated with

depression, anxiety, and irritability. Sense of happiness and life satisfaction is affected.

• Anorexia and bulimia are related to the thin ideal.• Patriarchy/the status quo is sustained by dividing women/people

against themselves. This system reinforces the $ corporate power structure.

Beauty starts with your self-esteem

• You can have all the extreme make-overs, if you don’t feel good on the inside at the start you won’t feel good at the end

Self-esteem

• Means having Self-respect, Self-worth and self-confidence: Make up won’t change that.

Self-esteem

• Accept who you are and the blessings Allah has given you. “We have indeed created man in the best of moulds”

Which beauty are you being compared against?

“The image of woman as we know it is an image created by men and fashioned to suit their needs”

Kate Millet

Understand standards of beauty change over time

who remembers those past their youth?

Beauty is greater than the sum of the parts

Beauty is greater than the sum of the parts

• Beauty has to be inclusive of everyone.

Beauty is not owned by any race

• Beauty comes in all sizes, ethnicities and races

What if beauty was redefined and included

• Not only physical but character, kindness, morals, courage, integrity, fortitude, and more

What is beauty?

• Its what we are born with.

What is beauty?

• Celebrate your God-given individuality, rather than emulating the commodity face, selling you an image of perfectionism

Remember, its their job to make you insecure

• You’re too pale, not white enough, too straight, too big, small, short, tall,,,

Recognize the unique qualities of your beauty

• Don’t hide behind a thick mask of foundation, eye shadow, which never looks natural

Recognize the unique qualities of your beauty

• Don’t hide behind a thick mask of foundation, eye shadow, which never looks natural

Less is more

• Make up that is obvious, hides real beauty

Self esteem

• Once you accept your self, makeup can enhance your looks

The best makeup

• The best makeup is one that is so subtle it is either not noticeable or cause for comment

Smaller Myths about beauty

• Myth#1: Everybody needs a moisturizer.• Reality: you only need a moisturizer if you

experience the following clinical signs: redness, scaliness or itchiness. Common in cold climates and people with drier skin

Smaller Myths about beauty

• Myth#2: Dry skin causes wrinkles• Reality: Most wrinkles caused by the sun and

age. Other 20% are facial expressions . Smoking makes worse as does dehydration

Small Myths about beauty

• Myth#3: Drinking lots of water keeps skin youthful-looking.

• Reality: You don’t need to drink gallons of water. Just enough to prevent dehydration and help flush kidneys etc.

Back to basics

• More to beauty than cosmetics, clothes, perfumes,….

Understand modern beauty is manufactured not real

• The “Evolution” video uses time-lapse photography to illustrate how much a model’s natural appearance has likely been modified in an advertisement

Images taken from “Evolution,” available at http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/dsef07/t5.aspx?id=7373&filmno=1

So Beauty is about the whole self.

• "O God, as You have made my appearance beautiful, likewise make my character beautiful.“ Muhammad, Prophet of Islam

We must believe

• That all of God’s creation is beautiful, because He does not create anything except with beauty and perfection.

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Solutions• Values– Discourage patriarchal attitudes and policies. – Promote cultural diversity.

• Economic and Governmental Policies– Promote responsible capitalism.• Responsible products• Responsible advertising

– Government can help assure that industry serves the public interest.

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Solutions• Education: literacy classes in schools (and mosques

churches, temples). – Girls and boys can be taught how to read commercial

messages more critically.• Family policies at home.– Parents should limit exposure to $ media. – Parents should discuss cultural ideals openly and with

critical awareness of the manipulative nature of commercial advertising.

• Peer group norms.– Teens can adopt standards for themselves outside of

corporate appeals.

References

• Redefining Beauty by Victoria Jackson. An excellent guide and notes take from there n myths and more

• Other information from public domain

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All images are from public domain and copyright of respective owners