Beauty is not something that can not be placed on a cartesian scale, for as they say, it's in the eye of the beholder. The concept of natural beauty is not exactly relevant any longer. In our culture it takes more to be perfect. Airbrushed bodies and unrealistic athletes present a form of perfection that cannot be obtained. It doesn't make sense to desire these things, they are impossible to achieve! But does it make sense to want to cut your leg off? Ask Carl Elliot. We are just a crazy species that constantly strives to make ourselves better, but with a constantly changing definition of what better is we're just back at crazy.
Your last argument about humanity's pursuit for perfection reminded me of a fascinating psychological study I read about. The argument made by the study found that on the whole, people tend to view their lives as on the up and up - as if things will always "eventually get better" and "improve".
ReplyDeleteI wonder how your argument interacts with this study. Clearly it would be in support. I just thought I'd mention that.
At what point do you feel we personally become responsible for what is culturally accepted as "beautiful"? Given that it is constantly changing, is it possible to intervene and renegotiate what is culturally beautiful?
Personally, I feel there's a hefty amount of personal responsibility that goes into the production of socially defined beauty. It is as easy to critique it as it is to perpetuate it, negatively or positively.
Thanks for the post, I liked it.
I thought the "ask carl elliot!" was clever and interesting. It also made me think of how we react differently to different types of body modification. For example, body builders who take steroids do so in spite of many health risks, drastically transforming their bodies into what many would consider unattractive ways. But that is still considered more acceptable and less gross than cutting off your own limb. Where do people draw the line? Can you even draw one??
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