Evolution of Beauty Standard II Student Version PDF

GEN N105F/1503NEF Food for Shape 營養 ∙ 養型 General Education School of Nursing and Health Studies Evolution of beauty standards (II) Prepared by Dr. Queenie Law Today’s activity Recap of last lesson’s main points; Describe ‘what is beauty’; Comprehend beauty from different perspectives; Discuss th...

GEN N105F/1503NEF Food for Shape 營養 ∙ 養型 General Education School of Nursing and Health Studies Evolution of beauty standards (II) Prepared by Dr. Queenie Law Today’s activity Recap of last lesson’s main points; Describe ‘what is beauty’; Comprehend beauty from different perspectives; Discuss the cultural standards of the female ideal beauty in China. What Is Beauty? Measureable? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvXL3RM701s Many different perspectives: Philosophical perspective, an evolutionary approaches, crosscultural standards, the relation between beauty and individual’s perceptions of beauty are the topics that received the most attention among researchers. (Sisti, Aryan & Sadeghi, 2021) Beauty from a philosophical perspective Plato, philosopher of the ancient Greece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx5UP5uMauw Beauty from a philosophical perspective Classical Greeks beauty was a broad concept, the word beautiful (kalos) to mean almost the same as the word good (agathos) Beauty from a philosophical perspective Kalos: Beautiful meant good and pleasant could be applied to architecture, sculpture, the human body, but also to people’s characters, a city’s laws, and governance Beauty from a philosophical perspective Form of harmony, symmetry to vision In order, the arrangement and proportion among parts, the appropriateness of things, adequacy, aptness, and suitability a property of objects, not as a subjective response to them Beauty from an evolutionary approaches Biological endowment: a set of features, their attractiveness: symmetry, averageness & sexually dimorphic traits Endowment: human capacities and abilities which can be naturally or socially acquired symmetry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc pB_986wyk Beauty from an evolutionary approaches sexually dimorphic traits 兩性異形 Sexual dimorphism: sexes of the same species exhibit different characteristics, differences may include secondary sex characteristics, size, weight, colour, markings, or behavioural or cognitive traits Beauty from an evolutionary approaches attractiveness as a function of the genetic quality of the individual Health status (past developmental incidents, current and future - disease and stress resistance) Beauty from an evolutionary approaches 適應和天擇 Beauty from an evolutionary approaches Reproductive potential and quality (heterozygosity) Compound heterozygosity: state where there are two different recessive alleles at the same locus that, together, can cause disease 隱性等位基因 Rare disorders: often linked to race or ethnicity Loss of heterozygosity (LOH): genetic mutation, 基因突變 loss of heterozygosity can contribute to the development of cancer Associated with specific cancer types, such as colorectal cancer and small-cell lung cancer 呼吸鏈酵素複合體缺陷，於一歲前會呈現 出神經學症狀學及動作發展遲緩。 pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency Beauty from an evolutionary approaches “fitness hypothesis”, the core of the evolutionary discourse on beauty presence of such features in healthy individuals humans have evolved to prefer them in their mating choices (e.g. Fink and Neave, 2005; Frederick and Haselton, 2007) Beauty from an evolutionary approaches People with attractive faces: To be healthier by their perceivers Meta-analyses: attractiveness levels moderate relationships between and physical health weak associations to mental health Relationship to health moderate degree, exists for women, but not for men Beauty from cross-cultural standards Standards of beauty: based on the opposite hypothesis to evolutionism recognizes the universal character of some attractive features assumption that there is a large inter-cultural variability in this respect The Most Attractive Facial Traits According To ScienceRead More: https://www.thelist.com/151118/the-most-attractive-facial-traits-accordingto-science/?utm_campaign=clip Beauty from cross-cultural standards cross-national: the ideal self-image of women in terms of health and beauty participants from five European cities, through their preferences for one of the two models, representing distinct advertising beauty types Significant cross-cultural variation in ideal self-image in terms of health and beauty Beauty from cross-cultural standards cross-continental: participants from Japan and Britain relative contribution of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) in female physical attractiveness Body Mass Index Waist to Hip Ratio Beauty from cross-cultural standards BMI: predictor of attractiveness, but with a significant crosscultural variation Japanese: preferred images of women with lower BMIs than Britons Britons: placing a lower importance on body shape (physical attractiveness) than Japanese lower BMIs Beauty from cross-cultural standards Why? Consequence of the cross-cultural differences in the sex roles occupied by the two genders cultures with traditional sex roles manifesting stronger preferences for “traditionally attractive” body shapes Factors of beauty Social relations model variations in attractiveness judgments brought by experiences in ongoing relationships between people Factors of beauty The perceived – concerning the importance of the spatial arrangement of the body parts in terms of symmetry, “ideal” proportions Harmonic body shape – as perceived by human a series of definite numeric relationships between sizes & positions of body Factors of beauty Canons of beauty: ratios of unity (1:1) Factors of beauty Leonardo da Vinci https://ispub.com/IJPS/9/1/14475 Factors of beauty https://www.livescience.com/37704-phi-goldenratio.html?jwsource=cl Golden ration (1,618:1), based on the number phi Geometrical relationships in art history, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, body representations in Renaissance period, initiated by Leonardo da Vinci https://ispub.com/IJPS/9/1/14475 Factors of beauty In women’s ratings of men’s attractiveness waist-to-chest ratio, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio seem to be the most important cues In women’s ratings of men’s attractiveness five rations: bust-to-underbust ratio, bust-to-waist ratio, bust-to-hip ratio, waist-to-leg ratio and an androgyny index 雙性性格 An androgyny index, based on waist, bust, and pelvic width, was introduced in 2002 to investigate female body attractiveness. Personal benefits of beauty Self-fulfilling prophecies come in many forms: psychological (mental health, sense of personal competence, life satisfaction, etc.) social (e.g. help from strangers) economical (financial earnings, “beauty bonus”) Personal benefits of beauty Self-fulfilling prophecies come in many forms: virtually no areas of social interaction, left uncontaminated by physical attractiveness the beautiful would not receive certain privileges most of the time outside the conscious awareness of their “victims” Personal benefits of beauty legitimate prejudice and its consequences short men in the US drop out of school drink heavily date sparsely Personal benefits of beauty legitimate prejudice and its consequences short men in the US become emotionally depressed and physically ill less opportunity of marrying and having children salaries are far less than those of tall men Cultural standards of the female ideal beauty Young Women’s Perceptions of Traditional and Contemporary Female Beauty Ideals in China (Jung, 2018) Economic Reform and Sociocultural Changes in China Contemporary Chinese media greatly influenced by Western media and the entertainment industry from other Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan (Latham, 2007) Economic Reform and Sociocultural Changes in China Chinese beauty industries have substantial growth propelled by China’s mass media and consumerism Women’s fashion and beauty magazines, most advertised products, beauty and personal care products (Feng & Frith, 2008) Body image and feminine beauty women’s internalized conceptions of body image and feminine beauty strongly influenced by mass media major outlet for communicating Western standards of the ideal beauty through advertisements of products and services (Zhang, 2012) Body image and feminine beauty Thin-idealized female beauty, prevalent in contemporary Chinese media Caucasian models dominated the advertising in international magazines Body image and feminine beauty China, an important market for the Korean fashion and beauty industries Due to the popularity of Korean television dramas, pop music, and entertainment, known as the “K-Wave” (Korean Wave) phenomenon (Tai, 2017) Korean-wave Jing Daily, Korean cosmetics exports to China, almost one-fourth of all China’s imported cosmetics, a decline in Western brands’ market share Popularity of “all things from Korea” extended to permanent beautification procedures such as cosmetic surgeries South Korea, a destination for cosmetic surgery for Chinese consumers increase in demands for medical tourism Confucian Philosophy and Gender Roles China, shaped by the values drawn from Confucian philosophy, including women’s roles, opportunities, and privileges Confucian philosophy emphasizes women’s subordination and submissiveness to men gave women little power or influence beyond domestic activities Confucian Philosophy and Gender Roles With the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the Chinese Communist party made a commitment to gender equality (Hsiung & Wong, 1998). However, this was diminished during the Cultural Revolution and by the adoption of a modified market economy (Zheng, 2005). Changes in social roles and opportunities Transformation of Chinese society from a traditional planned economy into a market economy increasing economic power and opportunities for women in contemporary Chinese society greater freedom and desire to achieve cultural standards of ideal beauty pervasive in contemporary media influence consumer purchasing behavior Changes in social roles and opportunities Magazine advertisements impact on society for transmitting cultural messages contribute to socialization processes, including socialization of gender roles Contribute to cultural attitudes women’s definition of beauty gender roles in society Feminine identities Traditional, Feminine identities, round faces and mildly plump bodies East Asian beauty standards, more emphasis on facial features than on body shape Feminine identities Contemporary Chinese society expects women to possess physical beauty according to an Anglo-European standard plus traditional Chinese virtues If it is true, greater pressure would be placed on women for obtaining feminine identities Increasing Body Image Issues in China Enhanced economic status of women and diversity of women’s roles in contemporary China pressure to obtain new definitions of female beauty standards a significant rise in eating disorders in China Eating disorders Before 1990, Japan, the first Asian country to undergo modern economic transformation, was the only Asian country to report eating disorders After 1990, other countries include Hong Kong and mainland China, South Korea, and Singapore Body image issues relevant to the dynamics of the country’s economy and cultural transformation across cultures related to the emergence of thin body ideals permeated in the media, advertising models can negatively influence selfimage of audiences by elevating their personal standards for physical appearance Patriarchal social structure “a system of social structures and practices, in which men govern, oppress and exploit women” increased opportunities for women have threatened the established patriarchal social structure Patriarchal social structure women’s appearance standards, increasingly unrealistic and pressure to attain, become more intense appearance standards, vehicles for the oppression challenge to gender equality will be countered Body image issues younger generations of Chinese women more aware of their bodies open to the idea of ‘beautification’ compared to their mothers and grandmothers Cosmetic surgery industry China’s social media and selfie obsessions, creating a market for cosmetic surgery A means to obtain new concepts of female beauty being endorsed in contemporary society More socially accepted, competition among hospitals and suppliers in China’s cosmetic surgery industry Consequences increased body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms women in South Korea and China, greater body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms than United States Consequences sociocultural changes suggest that contemporary female beauty ideals might be different from the views of traditional female beauty ideals in China Summary: Among the sociocultural influences on female beauty, the cultural standards of the ideal beauty and the impact of media are considered particularly important in defining concepts of female beauty. The cultural standards of the ideal beauty are important as individuals often use the cultural standards to assess the attractiveness of others as well as themselves. Images of the cultural ideals are prevalent in the media, particularly in advertising images in magazines. References: BuzzFeedvideo. (2015, January 27). Women’s throughout History. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrp0zJZu0a4 Ideal Body Types YouTube. Sisti, A., Aryan, N., & Sadeghi, P. (2021). What is Beauty? Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 45(5), 2163–2176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266021-02288-2 Skov, M., & Nadal, M. (2021). The nature of beauty: behavior, cognition, and neurobiology. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1488(1), 44–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14524 Tech Insider. (2016, November 6). How the perfect body for men has changed over the last 150 years. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPAOPWIJt2k