by Xantippe Helia Allegra on Mon Sep 30, 2002 10:16 pm
Salvete omnes,
Beauty is both subjective as well as a reflection of cultural standards.
Our perception of what is beautiful, what is "ideal", involves all of the senses, past experiences, emotions--and becomes a reflection of how we feel spiritually and psychologically as well as what pleases us. An object of beauty, be it a photograph, a dance, a mountain, or an idea, has the power to evoke strong feelings in its admirer, to elevate a mood, to transport the viewer (or listener, be it an aural experience) to a heightening state of awareness or sensitivity.
A personal example is my intense love for the countryside. It is a reflection of time spent as a child with my grandparents on their farm. Flowers, vegetable and herb gardens, rolling hills that undulate into infinity...this pastoral setting is my idea of the most beautiful, serene environment in which to live, to create art, and to raise children. Although my visits to the countryside/mountains are not as frequent as I would like, the vision in my mind is enough to offer me sanctuary until the next journey.
On to cutural standards for beauty: Although cultural pluralism is a wonderful idea, it would be very diffiicult /impossible to establish universal principles regarding beauty given the wondrous variety in human taste and diversity. To speak of physical beauty(and because I am a woman who appreciates the art of fashion design, please bear with me): Currently, the (ongoing) trend in western fashion and culture involves a strong favor for models with body types who are slender and tall. Compare this to women in the Baroque era, who were revered for their Rubenesque figures...quite a difference.
I wonder what the next physical trend will be? Many people nowadays are aware of the benefits of exercise and proper diet, but does this neatly explain our fascination for/obsession with the super-slender body type? Sure, the flapper girls from the 1920's were slender, as was Twiggy in the 60's, but what is it?
Are men as concerned about their appearance and body image as women are?
Sure,many other cultures with different standards of beauty exist, but we remain unaware or unable to appreciate them because of the rose-tinted, western ethnocentric glasses we wear when we look at the rest of the world. Perhaps we (westerners) need to spend some time abroad, immersed in the culture of another country far different from our own to appreciate the deliciousness of diversity?I apologize for the digression, and know that my questions may seem superfluous, if not rhetorical, but I will step off my soapbox now. Please don't reprimand me, Scorpio, for straying too far off-topic. ;o)
Valete optime,
Allegra