The Results of Society

The Beauty Standards in Social Media In Four Images

In the world, many different cultures have specific expectations for women. I will be demonstrating the fact that in different cultures, their society determines their own definition of beauty through different perspectives (religious, economic, and social) which affect young girls of the different cultures. My four images will be focusing on Western, Middle Eastern, East Asian and African cultures.

This image shows that Western cultures pressure all races into suppressing their traditions. A textual element that is used in this image is the context of the  background and foreground. The girls in the drawing the girls are getting their hair braided to make themselves have acceptable beauty standards in Western Cultures; hair that is long, straight, and coloured, light skin, and a small frame, just like the poster on the wall. Without those specific features, girls are not seen as beautiful and are expected to change to fit the requirements of society, thus young girls are pressured to consider cosmetic alterations. Also the facial expression of the hair dresser shows that she too, knows the sacrifices that girls have to make to be considered pretty and finds it to be a shame that girls nowadays don’t have the confidence to show off their natural beauty. Therefore, this image shows that a culture makes up their definition of beauty through a social standpoint and drives females into changing themselves to match their demands.

In this image, this girl from tribe of the Kayan Lahwi  is showing off the Burman beauty standards, which does not only revolve around the physical appearance of the elongated neck, but also beauty is demonstrated through modesty and how well women follow their religion and culture from a young age. This is shown through the attitude of the child. She is holding the neck ring from an older female family member and is placing it on her neck which shows that she feels obligated to follow the traditions in her culture, otherwise she becomes insignificant with her traditions. This makes the girl want to follow the not only popular but religious statement, and finally become someone who is wanted by society. Consequently, beauty is seen through a religious point of view and due to this culture’s interpretation of glamour and beauty, girls are belittled upon if they don’t follow the rules of their practised religion.

 This photo reveals the harsh expectations of beauty in Ancient China. Back in the day the women and children were forced to adopt a social status that would later reward them with them marrying into a wealthy family, which is shown through the textual element of body exposure. So due to the almost impossible goals of China’s society, women went through extreme foot contouring, marital practices and proper behavioural management. A women in Ancient China was expected to have small feet, pale skin, and a large forehead, which represented the economic status of the family, and in those ages when women failed to meet the expectations, their whole family was looked down upon economically. Therefore China’s culture made women believe that dramatically altering themselves, even to the extent of breaking bones, would help them be accepted into the culture’s economic expectations.        

This image shows that Middle Eastern cultures rarely base beauty from the physical standards, but instead solely see women through a religious outlook, and a textual element that is used is colour. The light blue burqa that the women are wearing show that they make the most of the style and try to show potential onlookers that they are proud of having their bodies covered. Women don’t show more skin because it tells the public that they are from a dishonourable family and are not faithful to their spouse. Therefore, women try to show their positivity and pride through lighter colours. Ergo, this image shows that this culture that is diverse from others have their own translation of beauty that is seen through a religious position.

In summation, all four of these images show that different cultures define beauty through different perspectives, whether it is social, economic, or religious, they all greatly affect women and make them want to change themselves to fulfill their culture’s ideal image.  

Image 1:

Mukii, Ng'endo. western prominence. Bossip.com. N.p., 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 8 June 2015.

Image 2:

Sinco, Luis. neck rings wanted by child. frameworks.latimes.com. N.p., 6 Apr. 2011. Web. 8 June

   2015.

Image 3:

SIGURÐARDÓTTIR, Linda. "Foot binding – Classy, sexy and extremely painful." Gbtimes.com. N.p., 30

   May 2012. Web. 8 June 2015.

Image 4:

Llyod, Delia. "Burqa." Politicsdaily.com. N.p., 8 June 2010. Web. 8 June 2015.