beauty essay writing

Essays About Beauty: Top 5 Examples and 10 Prompts

Writing essays about beauty is complicated because of this topic’s breadth. See our examples and prompts to you write your next essay.

Beauty is short for beautiful and refers to the features that make something pleasant to look at. This includes landscapes like mountain ranges and plains, natural phenomena like sunsets and aurora borealis, and art pieces such as paintings and sculptures. However, beauty is commonly attached to an individual’s appearance,  fashion, or cosmetics style, which appeals to aesthetical concepts. Because people’s views and ideas about beauty constantly change , there are always new things to know and talk about.

Below are five great essays that define beauty differently. Consider these examples as inspiration to come up with a topic to write about.

1. Essay On Beauty – Promise Of Happiness By Shivi Rawat

2. defining beauty by wilbert houston, 3. long essay on beauty definition by prasanna, 4. creative writing: beauty essay by writer jill, 5. modern idea of beauty by anonymous on papersowl, 1. what is beauty: an argumentative essay, 2. the beauty around us, 3. children and beauty pageants, 4. beauty and social media, 5. beauty products and treatments: pros and cons, 6. men and makeup, 7. beauty and botched cosmetic surgeries, 8. is beauty a necessity, 9. physical and inner beauty, 10. review of books or films about beauty.

“In short, appreciation of beauty is a key factor in the achievement of happiness, adds a zest to living positively and makes the earth a more cheerful place to live in.”

Rawat defines beauty through the words of famous authors, ancient sayings, and historical personalities. He believes that beauty depends on the one who perceives it. What others perceive as beautiful may be different for others. Rawat adds that beauty makes people excited about being alive.

“No one’s definition of beauty is wrong. However, it does exist and can be seen with the eyes and felt with the heart.”

Check out these essays about best friends .

Houston’s essay starts with the author pointing out that some people see beauty and think it’s unattainable and non-existent. Next, he considers how beauty’s definition is ever-changing and versatile. In the next section of his piece, he discusses individuals’ varying opinions on the two forms of beauty: outer and inner. 

At the end of the essay, the author admits that beauty has no exact definition, and people don’t see it the same way. However, he argues that one’s feelings matter regarding discerning beauty. Therefore, no matter what definition you believe in, no one has the right to say you’re wrong if you think and feel beautiful.

“The characteristic held by the objects which are termed “beautiful” must give pleasure to the ones perceiving it. Since pleasure and satisfaction are two very subjective concepts, beauty has one of the vaguest definitions.”

Instead of providing different definitions, Prasanna focuses on how the concept of beauty has changed over time. She further delves into other beauty requirements to show how they evolved. In our current day, she explains that many defy beauty standards, and thinking “everyone is beautiful” is now the new norm.

“…beauty has stolen the eye of today’s youth. Gone are the days where a person’s inner beauty accounted for so much more then his/her outer beauty.”

This short essay discusses how people’s perception of beauty today heavily relies on physical appearance rather than inner beauty. However, Jill believes that beauty is all about acceptance. Sadly, this notion is unpopular because nowadays, something or someone’s beauty depends on how many people agree with its pleasant outer appearance. In the end, she urges people to stop looking at the false beauty seen in magazines and take a deeper look at what true beauty is.

“The modern idea of beauty is taking a sole purpose in everyday life. Achieving beautiful is not surgically fixing yourself to be beautiful, and tattoos may have a strong meaning behind them that makes them beautiful.”

Beauty in modern times has two sides: physical appearance and personality. The author also defines beauty by using famous statements like “a woman’s beauty is seen in her eyes because that’s the door to her heart where love resides” by Audrey Hepburn. The author also tackles the issue of how physical appearance can be the reason for bullying, cosmetic surgeries, and tattoos as a way for people to express their feelings.

Looking for more? Check out these essays about fashion .

10 Helpful Prompts To Use in Writing Essays About Beauty

If you’re still struggling to know where to start, here are ten exciting and easy prompts for your essay writing:

While defining beauty is not easy, it’s a common essay topic. First, share what you think beauty means. Then, explore and gather ideas and facts about the subject and convince your readers by providing evidence to support your argument.

If you’re unfamiliar with this essay type, see our guide on how to write an argumentative essay .

Beauty doesn’t have to be grand. For this prompt, center your essay on small beautiful things everyone can relate to. They can be tangible such as birds singing or flowers lining the street. They can also be the beauty of life itself. Finally, add why you think these things manifest beauty.

Little girls and boys participating in beauty pageants or modeling contests aren’t unusual. But should it be common? Is it beneficial for a child to participate in these competitions and be exposed to cosmetic products or procedures at a young age? Use this prompt to share your opinion about the issue and list the pros and cons of child beauty pageants.

Today, social media is the principal dictator of beauty standards. This prompt lets you discuss the unrealistic beauty and body shape promoted by brands and influencers on social networking sites. Next, explain these unrealistic beauty standards and how they are normalized. Finally, include their effects on children and teens.

Countless beauty products and treatments crowd the market today. What products do you use and why? Do you think these products’ marketing is deceitful? Are they selling the idea of beauty no one can attain without surgeries? Choose popular brands and write down their benefits, issues, and adverse effects on users.

Although many countries accept men wearing makeup, some conservative regions such as Asia still see it as taboo. Explain their rationale on why these regions don’t think men should wear makeup. Then, delve into what makeup do for men. Does it work the same way it does for women? Include products that are made specifically for men.

There’s always something we want to improve regarding our physical appearance. One way to achieve such a goal is through surgeries. However, it’s a dangerous procedure with possible lifetime consequences. List known personalities who were pressured to take surgeries because of society’s idea of beauty but whose lives changed because of failed operations. Then, add your thoughts on having procedures yourself to have a “better” physique.

People like beautiful things. This explains why we are easily fascinated by exquisite artworks. But where do these aspirations come from? What is beauty’s role, and how important is it in a person’s life? Answer these questions in your essay for an engaging piece of writing.

Beauty has many definitions but has two major types. Discuss what is outer and inner beauty and give examples. Tell the reader which of these two types people today prefer to achieve and why. Research data and use opinions to back up your points for an interesting essay.

Many literary pieces and movies are about beauty. Pick one that made an impression on you and tell your readers why. One of the most popular books centered around beauty is Dave Hickey’s The Invisible Dragon , first published in 1993. What does the author want to prove and point out in writing this book, and what did you learn? Are the ideas in the book still relevant to today’s beauty standards? Answer these questions in your next essay for an exiting and engaging piece of writing.

Grammar is critical in writing. To ensure your essay is free of grammatical errors, check out our list of best essay checkers .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Essay Samples on Beauty

What inspired you to pursue beauty as a career.

The pursuit of a career in the beauty industry is a journey fueled by a deep-rooted passion for aesthetics, creativity, and transformation. In this essay, I unravel the story of my career path, exploring the elements that ignited my desire to pursue beauty as a...

Beauty in the 21st Century: Embracing Diversity and Empowerment

The concept of beauty has evolved significantly in the 21st century, reflecting a cultural shift towards inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment. No longer confined to narrow standards, beauty in the 21st century celebrates individuality, challenges stereotypes, and embraces a broader range of ideals. This essay explores...

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Defining What Is Beauty in Relation to Beauty Pageants 

Beauty pageants are a source of entertainment in society that many viewers take interest in, however the impact pageants have on society goes obscured. It sets unrealistic beauty standards for an audience and gives deleterious input on how one should appear. As the familiar expression...

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What Is Beauty: Understanding Yourself and Different Body Standards

What is beauty? A question many people ask, but many cannot answer. People, being subjective beings, define beauty different to that of others. The definition of beauty has varied through the course of time, ethnic groups, and abundant perception of the world. Beauty has been...

Semiotics: The Science of Signs and How We Use Them to Convey Meaning

I will be conducting a semiotic analysis on the Loreal “This Is an Ad for Men” lipstick advert, by focusing on the heteronormativity of beauty standards and patriarchy placed behind this advert. When majority of people look at this lipstick advert, the perceived notation that...

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Perfume’s Blueprint and the Similar Ingredients

No perfume’s blueprint is truly a secret, presently there are mass spectrometers to identify content of any item. People use there techniques and equipment to recreate a much cheaper version to save bucks. By the original blueprint in hand, raisers of counterfeit perfumes have the...

Seeing Beauty As A Universal Concept: What Is Beauty For You

For most of us who want to admire by others in our society, we need to be good looking. No matter a man or a woman, all of us will do our best to enhance our looks. Our society is obsessed with beauty concept that...

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The Beauty Industry And African-american Women: Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

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Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: Perceptions Of Beauty

David Hume a philosopher who is known for his thoughts on taste. The similarities between your palates taste and your taste in art. He thought that if you understand these differences and similarities then you could inspect art better. He had many thoughts on beauty...

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: Debating Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery can increase your self-confidence. Breast Enlargement, Rhinoplasty, and Reconstructive surgery these are the examples why people are considering this as a enhancement for their physical appearance in addition it also help patient to be normal. Being beautiful is a big deal to our...

• Plastic Surgery

The Perception Of What Is Beauty In Our Society

Beauty is a subjective as well as standardized word that is applied to living beings and things. It is related to the sensory senses as people perceive it differently, yet it is still a word which holds requirements stated by society. Since long time ago,...

The Importance Of Inner Beauty Over Outer Beauty

Human beings identify items or other human beings as beautiful if they possess traits that they commend, would like to possess, or features they find remarkable. Substance is beautiful if it is special in a favorable way; if it is interesting to look at; something...

• Personal Identity

The Exterior Beauty Is Superior To Inner Beauty

The word ‘beauty’ looks just like a simple word, but it has a complex meaning; people give it a lot of definitions based on their own prejudice. This word is a magic world of characteristics which make each person unique; attributes that make us special...

Our Photoshopping Disorder Literature Review: A Distorted Perception of Beauty in Modern Society

Almost every single day when we get on social media, there is always a picture that shows a person having no flaws and being the definition of perfect. This is all done thanks to Photoshop. In “Our Photoshopping Disorder,” written by Erin Cunningham, the article...

• Media Influence

Reasons Why India is a Beautiful Country

Have you ever thought about how beautiful India is? In this essay you’ll see, why this is true! India is a country located in the Asian continent next to: Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, also it is a country that covers around 3,287...

Memoirs of a Geisha: What Lies Past the Facade of Beauty

One question that many ask themselves is that of what true beauty is. The novel Memoirs of a Geisha, written by Arthur Golden, has a strong theme, which reflects on the perception of beauty that recurs throughout the story and that is, beauty cannot be...

• Memoirs of a Geisha

The Chopard Watch and Its Simple Beauty

Chopard, the famous Swiss watch and jewellery brand, was founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in the Jura region of Switzerland, and is known for its pocket watches and precision watches. Chopard's watchmaking process is superb and enjoys an outstanding reputation in the gold pocket...

The Mysterious Atmosphere of Rain

Glorious, heavenly light shone through bright, delicate clouds, signifying a new day. The sky is as picturesque as your wildest dream and as gloomy as a nightmare. The smattering of infinite low level clouds that are spread-out for miles upon sight and the serene milky...

• Natural Environment

Benefits of Organic Ginger Powder for Health and Beauty

Organic ginger powder is sourced from dried ginger roots (Zingiber officinale). The organic powder has multiple applications that range from health and wellness to culinary ones. The powder contains plenty of antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory compounds. The earliest use of the powder can be...

• Healthy Lifestyle

Beauty of Nature in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Humankind won’t prosper without the resources that nature provides. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is about a sailor who thoughtlessly kills an albatross sent by the polar spirit to guide his ship. A series of horrendous events begin to take place. Water supply became...

• English Poetry
• The Rime of The Ancient Mariner

Cosmetic Surgery in the Pursuit for Beauty

The pursuit of beauty is the instinct of most human beings. Evidence of this assertion is ubiquitous in the world. Have a look at the women in Hong Kong, and hardly can you seek for someone that is without make-up. Flipping through the magazines, you...

• Cosmetic Surgery

Plastic Surgery and Breast Reconstruction for Women

Plastic surgery steadily continues to grow in the United States. The number of breast reconstruction surgeries have increased 39% since 2000. Many people turn to breast reduction or breast augmentation to satisfy their many needs. To determine whether plastic surgery is an ethical procedure, an...

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Grand Canyon in India: Destination for Nature Lovers

Would you believe it if you heard that there is a Grand Canyon even in India? Shocking but true! There actually exists a captivating canyon as beautiful as the Grand Canyon in India. So where is this enchanting place? Is it really like the Grand...

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Analysis of Snow Canyon Reviews and Accommodations

A blue minivan pulls up into the Snow Canyon State Park parking lot. The door swings open and hops out a child around the age of six. With her pigtails bouncing and light up shoes flashing, her parents try to gain control of their child's...

Finding Beauty and Aesthetics of the Processed and Modulated Music

New inventions gave way to new ideas and the exploration of those inventions resulted in new aesthetics and techniques. The one invention which was the root cause for this massive technology-driven generation of music came back from the invention of the phonograph. From that invention...

• Music Therapy

The Subjectivity of Beauty and Its Perception in Cinderella; or The Glass Slipper

The definition of beauty is subjective because people have different perspectives as to what makes another person beautiful. Some define beauty based on an individual’s personality while others base it on physical characteristics. This is considerably displayed in the fairy tale “Cinderella,” as a poor...

The Alternative Beauty of Cinderella's Fairy Tale

Fairy tales function as a medium for spreading moral values in communities throughout history. For instance, one particularly popular story is “Cinderella” by Charles Perrault. It teaches children, in a plain manner, the importance of kind-heartedness through depicting the dramatic change of the fate of...

Loss of Natural Beauty with Rise of Plastic Surgery

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Diversity Among Beauticians in Cosmetology and Hairdressing

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Makeup as a Way to Feel Powerful

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History and Evolution of Makeup: Egypt Untill Now

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Breaking Free from Shallow Judgments Such as Judging By Appearance

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Pretty Unreal: Celebrities Don't Look As Good As We Think

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Landscape - A Living & Breathing Creature

Landscape is not merely just a spectacular sight to behold, but it is a living and breathing creature that cannot be bound by restraints. It is a bounteous place of harvest that springs the blossoming of such sightful flowers, intriguing trees that breaks forth the...

Media Standards Of Womenbeauty: We Are Not Disney Princesses

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PESTEL And Porter's Five Forces Analysis Of Sephora

Sephora’s nature of business is beauty-retail, launched in France and first started out in 1969 by Dominique Mandonnaud. Sephora provides customers with the open-sell environment features and works with brands across a variety range of product categories such as makeup, skincare, fragrance, body and hair...

The Concept Of Being Beautiful In American Society

It is said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. In today's generation young women are not seen for their personalities, but they are seen for the size that they wear. The definition of beauty has fluctuated over the years to become what...

Mathematics Is Not Scary, It’s Beautiful

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Beauty Is The Creation Of Mathematics

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The Beautiful Nature Of Mathematics

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Mathematics Is Not Just About Numbers, It’s Also About Beauty

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Perfection And Beauty: My Vision Of Mathematics

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The Influence Of Global Fashion On Beauty Standards In Asia

The facial structures and appearance of different races or ethnicities are distinct due to genetic heritance and their people consist of each view on the standard of beauty respectively. Therefore, dissimilar cosmetics and makeup technique is required for different races or ethnicities to achieve their...

Best topics on Beauty

1. What Inspired You to Pursue Beauty as a Career

2. Beauty in the 21st Century: Embracing Diversity and Empowerment

3. Defining What Is Beauty in Relation to Beauty Pageants 

4. What Is Beauty: Understanding Yourself and Different Body Standards

5. Semiotics: The Science of Signs and How We Use Them to Convey Meaning

6. Perfume’s Blueprint and the Similar Ingredients

7. Seeing Beauty As A Universal Concept: What Is Beauty For You

8. The Beauty Industry And African-american Women: Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

9. Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: Perceptions Of Beauty

10. Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: Debating Plastic Surgery

11. The Perception Of What Is Beauty In Our Society

12. The Importance Of Inner Beauty Over Outer Beauty

13. The Exterior Beauty Is Superior To Inner Beauty

14. Our Photoshopping Disorder Literature Review: A Distorted Perception of Beauty in Modern Society

15. Reasons Why India is a Beautiful Country

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André Aciman: Why Beauty Is So Important to Us

By André Aciman Dec. 7, 2019

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A quest for our better selves

Humans have engaged with the concept of beauty for millennia, trying to define it while being defined by it.

Plato thought that merely contemplating beauty caused “the soul to grow wings.” Ralph Waldo Emerson found beauty in Raphael’s “The Transfiguration,” writing that “a calm benignant beauty shines over all this picture, and goes directly to the heart.” In “My Skin,” Lizzo sings: “The most beautiful thing that you ever seen is even bigger than what we think it means.”

We asked a group of artists, scientists, writers and thinkers to answer this simple question: Why is beauty, however defined, so important in our lives? Here are their responses.

We’ll do anything to watch a sunset on a clear summer day at the beach. We’ll stand and stare and remain silent, as suffused shades of orange stretch over the horizon. Meanwhile, the sun, like a painter who keeps changing his mind about which colors to use, finally resolves everything with shades of pink and light yellow, before sinking, finally, into stunning whiteness.

Suddenly, we are marveled and uplifted, pulled out of our small, ordinary lives and taken to a realm far richer and more eloquent than anything we know.

Call it enchantment, the difference between the time-bound and the timeless, between us and the otherworldly. All beauty and art evoke harmonies that transport us to a place where, for only seconds, time stops and we are one with the world. It is the best life has to offer.

Under the spell of beauty, we experience a rare condition called plenitude, where we want for nothing. It isn’t just a feeling. Or if it is, then it’s a feeling like love — yes, exactly like love. Love, after all, is the most intimate thing we know. And feeling one with someone or something isn’t just an unrivaled condition, but one we do not want to live without.

We fall in love with sunsets and beaches, with tennis, with works of art, with places like Tuscany and the Rockies and the south of France, and, of course, with other people — not just because of who or what they are, but because they promise to realign us with our better selves, with the people we’ve always known we were but neglected to become, the people we crave to be before our time runs out.

André Aciman is the author of “Call Me by Your Name” and “Find Me.”

The marketing machines of modern life would have us believe that beauty is about physical attributes. With the benefit of the wisdom we have attained after many years spent traversing the planet as conservation photographers, we know otherwise.

Beauty has less to do with the material things around us, and more to do with how we spend our time on earth. We create true beauty only when we channel our energy to achieve a higher purpose, build strong communities and model our behavior so that others can find inspiration to do better by each other and our planet. Beauty has nothing to do with the latest makeup or fashion trends, and everything to do with how we live on this planet and act to protect it.

Every day we learn that species, landscapes and indigenous knowledge are vanishing before our eyes. That’s why we’ve dedicated our lives to reminding the world of the fragile beauty of our only home, and to protecting nature, not just for humanity’s sake, but for the benefit of all life on earth.

Committing our time, energy and resources to achieve these goals fills our lives with beauty.

Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen are conservation photographers and the founders of SeaLegacy .

Science enriches us by bringing us beauty in multiple forms.

Sometimes it can be found in the simplest manifestations of nature: the pattern of a nautilus shell; the colors and delicate shapes of a eucalyptus tree in full flower; the telescopic images of swirling galaxies, with their visual message of great mystery and vastness.

Sometimes it is the intricacy of the barely understood dynamics of the world’s molecules, cells, organisms and ecosystems that speaks to our imagination and wonder.

Sometimes there is beauty in the simple idea of science pursuing truth, or in the very process of scientific inquiry by which human creativity and ingenuity unveil a pattern within what had looked like chaos and incomprehensibility.

And isn’t there beauty and elegance in the fact that just four DNA nucleotides are patterned to produce the shared genetic information that underlies myriad seemingly unrelated forms of life?

Elizabeth Blackburn is a co-recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

A person’s definition of beauty is an abstract, complicated and highly personal ideal that becomes a guiding light throughout life. We crave what we consider beautiful, and that craving can easily develop into desire, which in turn becomes the fuel that propels us into action. Beauty has the power to spawn aspiration and passion, thus becoming the impetus to achieve our dreams.

In our professional lives as fashion designers, we often deal with beauty as a physical manifestation. But beauty can also be an emotional, creative and deeply spiritual force. Its very essence is polymorphic. It can take on limitless shapes, allowing us to define it by what makes the most sense to us.

We are extremely fortunate to be living at a time when so many examples of beauty are being celebrated and honored, and more inclusive and diverse standards are being set, regardless of race, gender, sexuality or creed. Individuality is beautiful. Choice is beautiful. Freedom is beautiful.

Beauty will always have the power to inspire us. It is that enigmatic, unknowable muse that keeps you striving to be better, to do better, to push harder. And by that definition, what we all need most in today’s world is perhaps simply more beauty.

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough are the co-founders and designers of Proenza Schouler.

Beauty is just another way the tendency of our society to create hierarchies and segregate people expresses itself. The fact that over the past century certain individuals and businesses realized that it is incredibly lucrative to push upon us ever-changing beauty standards has only made things worse.

The glorification of impossible ideals is the foundation of the diet and beauty industries. And because of it, we find ourselves constantly in flux, spending however much money and time it takes to meet society’s standards. First, we didn’t want ethnic features. Now, we are all about plumping our lips and getting eye lifts in pursuit of a slanted eye. Skin-bleaching treatments and tanning creams. The ideal is constantly moving, and constantly out of reach.

The concept of beauty is a permanent obsession that permeates cultures around the world.

Jameela Jamil is an actress and the founder of the “I Weigh” movement .

The Life of Beauty

The sung blessing of creation

Led her into the human story.

That was the first beauty.

Next beauty was the sound of her mother’s voice

Rippling the waters beneath the drumming skin

Of her birthing cocoon.

Next beauty the father with kindness in his hands

As he held the newborn against his breathing.

Next beauty the moon through the dark window

It was a rocking horse, a wish.

There were many beauties in this age

For everything was immensely itself:

Green greener than the impossibility of green,

the taste of wind after its slide through dew grass at dawn,

Or language running through a tangle of wordlessness in her mouth.

She ate well of the next beauty.

Next beauty planted itself urgently beneath the warrior shrines.

Next was beauty beaded by her mother and pinned neatly

To hold back her hair.

Then how tendrils of fire longing grew into her, beautiful the flower

Between her legs as she became herself.

Do not forget this beauty she was told.

The story took her far away from beauty. In the tests of her living,

Beauty was often long from the reach of her mind and spirit.

When she forgot beauty, all was brutal.

But beauty always came to lift her up to stand again.

When it was beautiful all around and within,

She knew herself to be corn plant, moon, and sunrise.

Death is beautiful, she sang, as she left this story behind her.

Even her bones, said time.

Were tuned to beauty.

Joy Harjo is the United States poet laureate. She is the first Native American to hold the position.

Beauty is a positive and dynamic energy that has the power to convey emotion and express individuality as well as collectiveness. It can be felt through each of our senses, yet it is more magnificent when it transcends all five.

Over more than 30 years as a chef, I have experienced beauty unfolding through my cooking and in the creation of new dishes. Recipes have shown me that beauty is not a singular ingredient, object or idea, but the sum of the parts. Each dish has an appearance, a flavor, a temperature, a smell, a consistency and a nutritional value, but its triumph is the story all those parts tell together.

When my team and I launched Milan’s Refettorio Ambrosiano, our first community kitchen, in 2015, beauty was the guiding principle in our mission to nourish the homeless. We collaborated with artists, architects, designers and chefs to build a place of warmth, where gestures of hospitality and dignity would be offered to all. What I witnessed by bringing different people and perspectives around the table was the profound ability of beauty to build community. In a welcoming space, our guests had the freedom to imagine who they would like to be and begin to change their lives. In that space, beauty wielded the power of transformation.

When I visit the Refettorios that Food for Soul, the nonprofit I founded, has built around the world over the years, what strikes me as most beautiful is neither a table nor a chair nor a painting on the wall. Beauty is the spontaneity of two strangers breaking bread. It is the proud smile of a man who feels he has a place in the world. It is the emotion of that moment, and its power to fill a room with the celebration of life.

Massimo Bottura is a chef and the founder of Food for Soul .

Who wouldn’t argue that some things are objectively beautiful? Much of what we can see in the natural world would surely qualify: sunsets, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, wildflowers. Images of these scenes, which please and soothe our senses, are among the most reproduced in all of civilization.

It’s true, of course, that we’re not the only creatures attracted to flowers. Bees and butterflies can’t resist them either — but that’s because they need flowers to survive.

Lying at the opposite end of the beauty spectrum are reptiles. They’ve had it pretty bad. Across decades of science fiction, their countenance has served as the model for a long line of ugly monsters, from Godzilla to the Creature in the “Creature From the Black Lagoon” to the Gorn in “Star Trek.”

There may be a good reason for our instinctive attraction to some things and distaste for others. If our mammalian ancestors, running underfoot, hadn’t feared reptilian dinosaurs they would have been swiftly eaten. Similarly, nearly everyone would agree that the harmless butterfly is more beautiful than the stinger-equipped bee — with the possible exception of beekeepers.

Risk of bodily harm appears to matter greatly in our collective assessment of what is or is not beautiful. Beauty could very well be a way for our senses to reassure us when we feel safe in a dangerous universe.

If so, I can’t help but wonder how much beauty lies just out of reach, hidden in plain sight, simply because we have no more than five senses with which to experience the world.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, where he also serves as the Frederick P. Rose director of the Hayden Planetarium. He is the author of “Letters From an Astrophysicist.”

Beauty can stop us in our tracks. It can inspire us, move us, bring us to tears. Beauty can create total chaos, and then total clarity. The best kind of beauty changes hearts and minds.

That’s why the bravery of our girls is so beautiful — it can do all these things.

Over the past year, girls have moved us to tears with impassioned speeches about gun control, sexual assault and climate change. They have challenged the status quo and brought us clarity with their vision of the future. They have changed the hearts and minds of generations that are older, but not necessarily wiser.

Girls like Greta Thunberg and Isra Hirsi are fighting for the environment. Young women like Diana Kris Navarro, a Girls Who Code alumna, are leading efforts against harassment in tech. Girls like Lauren Hogg, a Parkland shooting survivor, and Thandiwe Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter activist, are speaking out against gun violence. The list goes on and on and on.

These girls are wise and brave beyond their years. They speak up because they care, not because they have the attention of a crowd or a camera. And they persist even when they’re told they’re too young, too small, too powerless — because they know they’re not.

Their bravery is beauty, redefined. And it’s what we need now, more than ever.

Reshma Saujani is the founder and chief executive of Girls Who Code and the author of “Brave, Not Perfect.”

I spend most of my waking hours (and many of my nightly dreams) thinking about beauty and its meaning. My whole life’s work has been an attempt to express beauty through design.

I see beauty as something ineffable, and I experience it in many ways. For example, I love gardening. The form and color of the flowers I tend to fill me with awe and joy. The time I spend in my garden frequently influences the shape of my gowns, as well as the objects that I choose to surround myself with. It even brings me closer to the people who have the same passion for it.

As humans, we all are more or less attuned to beauty. And because of this, we all try to engage with it one way or another — be it by being in nature, through poetry or by falling in love. And though our interaction with it can be a solitary affair, in the best cases, it connects people who share the same appreciation for it.

Beauty is what allows us to experience the extraordinary richness of our surroundings. Sensing it is like having a visa to our inner selves and the rest of the world, all at once. The interesting thing about beauty is that there is simply no downside to it: It can only enhance our lives.

Zac Posen is a fashion designer.

“The purpose of sex is procreation,” a straight cisgender man once told me, trying to defend his homophobia. “So that proves that homosexuality is scientifically and biologically wrong. It serves no purpose.”

I was quiet for a moment. “Huh,” I then said, “so … what’s the science behind blow jobs?” That shut him up real quick.

I often hear arguments that reduce human existence to a biological function, as if survival or productivity were our sole purpose, and the “bottom line” our final word. That is an attractive stance to take because it requires the least amount of energy or imagination. And for most animals, it’s the only option — the hummingbird sipping nectar is merely satisfying her hunger. She does not know her own beauty; she doesn’t have the capacity to perceive it. But we do. We enjoy art, music, poetry. We build birdfeeders. We plant flowers.

Only humans can seek out and express beauty. Why would we have this unique ability if we weren’t meant to use it? Even quarks, those fundamental parts at the core of life, were originally named after “beauty” and “truth.”

That’s why beauty matters to me. When we find beauty in something, we are making the fullest use of our biological capacities. Another way of putting it: When we become aware of life’s beauty, that’s when we are most alive.

Constance Wu is a television and film actress.

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Beauty Essay Hacks: Features, Structure, and Writing Tips

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How to Write Essays about Beauty

Table of Contents

Develop a strong thesis

It’s the concept you have to develop or the main problem of the paper that you need to solve. If you have to write about beauty, you can consider the following:

• The concept of inner beauty or the hidden side of human’s personality.
• The concept of the beauty that is related to the physical appearance of a human.
• The concept of the beauty of living beings and nature around you.
• The concept of beauty of inanimate things.

Depending on the concept, you will build up a different story for every of them. You can compare the beauty concepts of different ages and epochs. Or you can pick up the problem that affects you the most. For example, you can write that the physical appearance is not the main thing that defines whether the person is beautiful or not. Another example can be about the beauty of nature in different parts of the world and its influence on the people that live there and so on. Your fantasy and imagination are your only limits in developing a thesis.

Mind your style

If you’re writing an essay about beauty, you should meet standard style requirements. Don’t use jargon or slang words. It’s not a very good idea to judge other people or living beings if they look different from you by saying that they are not beautiful. You can use negative judgments only if they are supported by proofs that you take from reliable sources. However, we don’t advise you to use unnatural language or too formal style.

If you use your natural language, it will be much easier for you to express your thoughts and paraphrase the most valuable information from your sources. Don’t invent any new approaches to formatting your paper. Stick to the guidelines provided by your professor. Use one font for the whole text and standard spacing as well. If you have a chance to use another font, print the paper to see how readable it is. Remember the rule that less is better.

How to do the research?

Reading a lot of books won’t help if you don’t know how to do the research for the essay. You will have a lot of information that will be useless once you start writing the text. What’s the most important while doing the research? It’s a thesis. You should mind it and spend time only on the texts or articles that are related to it. You will probably be highly motivated to read a lot of sources, but slow down and focus only on essential things.

Take the thesis or several of them with you to the library or just put them near you when you will surf the Internet. Ask yourself, “So what?” every time you see valuable information about the topic of your essay. Think what value it has for you and the readers. Think if it can help you prove your arguments in the text. Thinking that you will save this page or this article and you will read it in some days is wrong. You won’t do that even in a year. Copy the exact phrases and words together with the title and the author of the book.

How to finish your essay?

When your research is finished, you will have a page or two filled with the citations from various sources. Start writing the body part where you will insert them. Devote one paragraph of the text to one argument from you. Sum up your thoughts, predict some future researches on the topic in conclusion, and write down the introduction. When you have the text ready, proofread it and ask someone to evaluate your concept. You can do it yourself if you put the text away for a few days and come back to it again later.

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The idea of beauty is always shifting. Today, it’s more inclusive than ever.

Whom we deem ‘beautiful’ is a reflection of our values. Now, a more expansive world has arrived where ‘we are all beautiful.’

The Sudanese model Alek Wek appeared on the November 1997 cover of the U.S. edition of Elle magazine, in a photograph by French creative director Gilles Bensimon . It was, as is so often the case in the beauty business, a global production.

Wek, with her velvety ebony skin and mere whisper of an Afro, was posed in front of a stark, white screen. Her simple, white Giorgio Armani blazer almost disappeared into the background. Wek, however, was intensely present.

She was standing at an angle but looking directly into the camera with a pleasant smile spread across her face, which wasn’t so much defined by planes and angles as by sweet, broad, distinctly African curves. Wek represented everything that a traditional cover girl was not.

More than 20 years after she was featured on that Elle cover, the definition of beauty has continued to expand, making room for women of color, obese women, women with vitiligo , bald women, women with gray hair and wrinkles. We are moving toward a culture of big-tent beauty. One in which everyone is welcome. Everyone is beautiful. Everyone’s idealized version can be seen in the pages of magazines or on the runways of Paris.

We have become more accepting because people have demanded it, protested for it, and used the bully pulpit of social media to shame beauty’s gatekeepers into opening the doors wider.

Eye of the beholder

Technology has put the power to define beauty in the hands of the people. Mobile phones allow people greater control of their image, and include apps that come with filters used for fun, appearance, and entertainment.

Wek was a new vision of beauty—that virtue forever attached to women . It has long been a measure of their social value; it is also a tool to be used and manipulated. A woman should not let her beauty go to waste; that was something people would say back when a woman’s future depended on her marrying well. Her husband’s ambition and potential should be as dazzling as her fine features.

For Hungry Minds

Beauty is, of course, cultural. What one community admires may leave another group of people cold or even repulsed. What one individual finds irresistible elicits a shrug from another. Beauty is personal. But it’s also universal. There are international beauties—those people who have come to represent the standard.

For generations, beauty required a slender build but with a generous bosom and a narrow waist. The jawline was to be defined, the cheekbones high and sharp. The nose angular. The lips full but not distractingly so. The eyes, ideally blue or green, large and bright. Hair was to be long, thick, and flowing—and preferably golden. Symmetry was desired. Youthfulness, that went without saying.

This was the standard from the earliest days of women’s magazines, when beauty was codified and commercialized. The so-called great beauties and swans—women such as actress Catherine Deneuve , socialite C.Z. Guest , or Princess Grace —came closest to this ideal. The further one diverged from this version of perfection, the more exotic a woman became. Diverge too much and a woman was simply considered less attractive—or desirable or valuable. And for some women—black and brown or fat or old ones—beauty seemed impossible in the broader culture.

In the early part of the 1990s, the definition of beauty as it applied to women began to loosen thanks to the arrival of Kate Moss , with her slight figure and vaguely ragamuffin aesthetic. Standing five feet seven inches, she was short for a runway walker. The British teenager was not particularly graceful, and she lacked the noble bearing that gave many other models their regal air. Moss’s star turn in advertisements for Calvin Klein signified a major departure from the long-legged gazelles of years past.

Moss was disruptive to the beauty system, but she was still well within the industry’s comfort zone of defining beauty as a white, European conceit. So too were the youthquake models of the 1960s such as Twiggy , who had the gangly, curveless physique of a 12-year-old boy. The 1970s brought Lauren Hutton, who stirred scandal simply because she had a gap between her teeth.

Even the early black models who broke barriers were relatively safe: women such as Beverly Johnson, the first African-American model to appear on the cover of American Vogue , the Somali-born Iman, Naomi Campbell, and Tyra Banks. They had keen features and flowing hair—or wigs or weaves to give the illusion that they did. Iman had a luxuriously long neck that made legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland gasp. Campbell was—and is—all va-va-voom legs and hips, and Banks rose to fame as the girl next door in a polka dot bikini on the cover of Sports Illustrated .

Wek was a revelation. Her beauty was something entirely different.

Her tightly coiled hair was sheared close to her scalp. Her seemingly poreless skin was the color of dark chocolate. Her nose was broad; her lips were full. Her legs were impossibly long and incredibly thin. Indeed, her entire body had the stretched-out sinewiness of an African stick figure brought to life.

To eyes that had been trained to understand beauty through the lens of Western culture, Wek was jarring to everyone, and black folks were no exception. Many of them did not consider her beautiful. Even women who might have looked in the mirror and seen the same nearly coal black skin and tightly coiled hair reflected back had trouble reckoning with this Elle cover girl.

See and be seen

Fashion and beauty magazines present a paragon of aspiration, often setting beauty standards for women across cultures. The magazines also serve as giant advertisements for the industries dependent on selling these ideals to willing customers.

Wek was abruptly and urgently transformative. It was as though some great cultural mountain had been scaled by climbing straight up a steep slope, as if there were neither time nor patience for switchbacks. To see Wek celebrated was exhilarating and vertiginous. Everything about her was the opposite of what had come before.

We are in a better place than we were a generation ago, but we have not arrived at utopia. Many of the clubbiest realms of beauty still don’t include larger women, disabled ones, or senior citizens.

But to be honest, I’m not sure exactly what utopia would look like. Is it a world in which everyone gets a tiara and the sash of a beauty queen just for showing up? Or is it one in which the definition of beauty gets stretched so far that it becomes meaningless? Perhaps the way to utopia is by rewriting the definition of the word itself to better reflect how we’ve come to understand it—as something more than an aesthetic pleasure.

We know that beauty has financial value. We want to be around beautiful people because they delight the eye but also because we think they are intrinsically better humans. We’ve been told that attractive people are paid higher salaries. In truth, it’s a bit more complicated than that. It’s really a combination of beauty, intelligence, charm, and collegiality that serves as a recipe for better pay. Still, beauty is an integral part of the equation.

But on a powerfully emotional level, being perceived as attractive means being welcomed into the cultural conversation. You are part of the audience for advertising and marketing. You are desired. You are seen and accepted. When questions arise about someone’s looks, that’s just another way of asking: How acceptable is she? How relevant is she? Does she matter?

Today suggesting that a person is not gorgeous is to risk social shunning or at least a social media lashing. What kind of monster declares another human being unattractive? To do so is to virtually dismiss that person as worthless. It’s better to lie. Of course you’re beautiful, sweetheart; of course you are.

We have come to equate beauty with humanity. If we don’t see the beauty in another person, we are blind to that person’s humanity. It’s scary how important beauty has become. It goes to the very soulfulness of a person.

Beauty has become so important today that denying that people possess it is akin to denying them oxygen.

There used to be gradations when it came to describing the feminine ideal: homely, jolie laide, attractive, pretty, and ultimately, beautiful. The homely woman managed as best she could. She adjusted to the fact that her looks were not her most distinguishing feature. She was the woman with the terrific personality. Striking women had some characteristic that made them stand out: bountiful lips, an aristocratic nose, a glorious poitrine. A lot of women could be described as attractive. They were at the center of the bell curve. Pretty was another level. Hollywood is filled with pretty people.

Ah, but beautiful! Beautiful was a description that was reserved for special cases, for genetic lottery winners. Beauty could even be a burden because it startled people. It intimidated them. Beauty was exceptional.

But improved plastic surgery, more personalized and effective nutrition, the flowering of the fitness industry, and the rise of selfie filters on smartphones, along with Botox, fillers, and the invention of Spanx, have all combined to help us look better—and get a little bit closer to looking exceptional. Therapists, bloggers, influencers, stylists, and well-meaning friends have raised their voices in a chorus of body-positivity mantras: You go, girl! You slay! Yasss, queen! They are not charged with speaking harsh truths and helping us see ourselves vividly and become better versions of ourselves. Their role is constant uplift, to tell us that we are perfect just as we are.

And the globalization of, well, everything means that somewhere out there is an audience that will appreciate you in all your magnificent … whatever.

We are all beautiful.

In New York, London, Milan, and Paris—the traditional fashion capitals of the world—the beauty codes have changed more dramatically in the past 10 years than in the preceding hundred. Historically, shifts had been by degrees. Changes in aesthetics weren’t linear, and despite fashion’s reputation for rebelliousness, change was slow. Revolutions were measured in a few inches.

Through the years, an angular shape has been celebrated and then a more curvaceous one. The average clothing size of a runway model, representative of the designers’ ideal, shrank from a six to a zero; the pale blondes of Eastern Europe ruled the runway until the sun-kissed blondes from Brazil deposed them. The couture body—lean, hipless, and practically flat-chested—can be seen in the classic portraits by Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and Gordon Parks, as well as on the runways of designers such as John Galliano and the late Alexander McQueen. But then Miuccia Prada, who had led the way in promoting a nearly homogeneous catwalk of pale, white, thin models, suddenly embraced an hourglass shape. And then plus-size model Ashley Graham appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 2016 , and in 2019 Halima Aden became the first model to wear a hijab in that same magazine , and suddenly everyone is talking about modesty and beauty and fuller figures … and the progress is dizzying.

In the past decade, beauty has moved resolutely forward into territory that was once deemed niche. Nonbinary and transgender are part of the mainstream beauty narrative. As the rights of LGBTQ individuals have been codified in the courts, so have the aesthetics particular to them been absorbed into the beauty dialogue. Transgender models walk the runways and appear in advertising campaigns. They are hailed on the red carpet for their glamour and good taste but also for their physical characteristics. Their bodies are celebrated as aspirational.

The catalyst for our changed understanding of beauty has been a perfect storm of technology, economics, and a generation of consumers with sharpened aesthetic literacy.

The technology is social media in general and Instagram specifically. The fundamental economic factor is the unrelenting competition for market share and the need for individual companies to grow their audience of potential customers for products ranging from designer dresses to lipstick. And the demographics lead, as they always do these days, to millennials, with an assist from baby boomers who plan to go into that good night with six-pack abs.

Hyejin Yun undergoes eyelid surgery in the Hyundai Aesthetics clinic in Seoul. The procedure makes eyes look bigger. South Korea has one of the highest rates of plastic surgery in the world; one in three women ages 19 to 29 has had cosmetic surgery.

Social media has changed the way younger consumers relate to fashion. It’s hard to believe, but back in the 1990s, the notion of photographers posting runway imagery online was scandalous. Designers lived in professional terror of having their entire collection posted online, fearing that it would lead to business-killing knockoffs. And while knockoffs and copies continue to frustrate designers, the real revolution brought on by the internet was that consumers were able to see, in nearly real time, the full breadth of the fashion industry’s aesthetic.

In the past, runway productions were insider affairs. They weren’t meant for public consumption, and the people sitting in the audience all spoke the same fashion patois. They understood that runway ideas weren’t meant to be taken literally; they were oblivious to issues of cultural appropriation, racial stereotypes, and all varieties of isms—or they were willing to overlook them. Fashion’s power brokers were carrying on the traditions of the power brokers who’d come before, happily using black and brown people as props in photo shoots that starred white models who had parachuted in for the job.

But an increasingly diverse class of moneyed consumers, a more expansive retail network, and a new media landscape have forced the fashion industry into greater accountability on how it depicts beauty. Clothing and cosmetic brands now take care to reflect the growing numbers of luxury consumers in countries such as India and China by using more Asian models.

Marked by beauty

We’ve been chasing beauty for millennia, primping and painting our way to a more desirable ideal. Cultures in every era have held different standards of feminine beauty and myriad means of achieving it, from the toxic lead cosmetics of the past to today’s Botox injections. But the standards often serve the same aims: to attract and retain a mate; to signal social status, wealth, health, or fertility; and of course, to simply feel beautiful.

Social media has amplified the voices of minority communities—from Harlem to South Central Los Angeles—so that their calls for representation can’t be so easily ignored. And the growth of digital publications and blogs means that every market has become more fluent in the language of aesthetics. A whole new category of power brokers has emerged: influencers. They are young and independent and obsessed with the glamour of fashion. And fashion influencers don’t accept excuses, condescension, or patronizing pleas to be patient, because really, change is forthcoming.

The modern beauty standard in the West has always been rooted in thinness. And when the obesity rates were lower, thin models were only slight exaggerations in the eyes of the general population. But as obesity rates rose, the distance between the reality and the fantasy grew. People were impatient with a fantasy that no longer seemed even remotely accessible.

Fat bloggers warned critics to stop telling them to lose weight and stop suggesting ways for them to camouflage their body. They were perfectly content with their body, thank you very much. They just wanted better clothes. They wanted fashion that came in their size—not with the skirts made longer or the sheath dresses reworked with sleeves.

They weren’t really demanding to be labeled beautiful. They were demanding access to style because they believed they deserved it. In this way, beauty and self-worth were inextricably bound.

Giving full-figured women greater access made economic sense. By adhering to traditional beauty standards, the fashion industry had been leaving money on the table. Designers such as Christian Siriano made a public point of catering to larger customers and, in doing so, were hailed as smart and as capitalist heroes. Now it’s fairly common for even the most rarefied fashion brands to include large models in their runway shows.

But this new way of thinking isn’t just about selling more dresses. If it were only about economics, designers would have long ago expanded their size offerings, because there have always been larger women able and willing to embrace fashion. Big simply wasn’t considered beautiful. Indeed, even Oprah Winfrey went on a diet before she posed for the cover of Vogue in 1998. As recently as 2012, the designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died last year and who himself was 92 pounds overweight at one point, was called to task for saying that pop star Adele was “a little too fat.”

Attitudes are shifting. But the fashion world remains uneasy with large women—no matter how famous or rich. No matter how pretty their face. Elevating them to iconic status is a complicated, psychological hurdle for the arbiters of beauty. They need sleek élan in their symbols of beauty. They need long lines and sharp edges. They need women who can fit into sample sizes.

But instead of operating in a vacuum, they now are operating in a new media environment. Average folks have taken note of whether designers have a diverse cast of models, and if they do not, critics can voice their ire on social media and an angry army of like-minded souls can rise up and demand change. Digital media has made it easier for stories about emaciated and anorexic models to reach the general public, and the public now has a way to shame and pressure the fashion industry to stop hiring these deathly thin women. The Fashion Spot website became a diversity watchdog, regularly issuing reports on the demographic breakdown on the runways. How many models of color? How many plus-size women? How many of them were transgender? How many older models?

One might think that as female designers themselves aged, they would begin to highlight older women in their work. But women in fashion are part of the same cult of youth that they created. They Botox and diet. They swear by raw food and SoulCycle. How often do you see a chubby designer? A gray-haired one? Designers still use the phrase “old lady” to describe clothes that are unattractive. A “matronly” dress is one that is unflattering or out-of-date. The language makes the bias plain. But today women don’t take it as a matter of course. They revolt. Making “old” synonymous with unattractive is simply not going to stand.

The spread of luxury brands into China, Latin America, and Africa has forced designers to consider how best to market to those consumers while avoiding cultural minefields. They have had to navigate skin lightening in parts of Africa, the Lolita-cute culture of Japan, the obsession with double-eyelid surgery in East Asian countries, and prejudices of colorism, well, virtually everywhere. Idealized beauty needs a new definition. Who will sort it out? And what will the definition be?

In the West, the legacy media are now sharing influence with digital media, social media, and a new generation of writers and editors who came of age in a far more multicultural world—a world that has a more fluid view of gender. The millennial generation, those born between 1981 and 1996, is not inclined to assimilate into the dominant culture but to stand proudly apart from it. The new definition of beauty is being written by a selfie generation: people who are the cover stars of their own narrative.

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The new beauty isn’t defined by hairstyles or body shape, by age or skin color. Beauty is becoming less a matter of aesthetics and more about self-awareness, personal swagger, and individuality. It’s about chiseled arms and false eyelashes and a lineless forehead. But it’s also defined by rounded bellies, shimmering silver hair, and mundane imperfections. Beauty is a millennial strutting around town in leggings, a crop top, and her belly protruding over her waistband. It is a young man swishing down a runway in over-the-knee boots and thigh-grazing shorts.

Beauty is political correctness, cultural enlightenment, and social justice.

In New York, there’s a fashion collective called Vaquera that mounts runway shows in dilapidated settings with harsh lighting and no glamour. The cast could have piled off the F train after a sleepless night. Their hair is mussed. Their skin looks like it has a thin sheen of overnight grime. They stomp down the runway. The walk could be interpreted as angry, bumbling, or just a little bit hungover.

Masculine-looking models wear princess dresses that hang from the shoulders with all the allure of a shower curtain. Feminine-looking models aggressively speed-walk with a hunched posture and a grim expression. Instead of elongating legs and creating an hourglass silhouette, the clothes make legs look stumpy and the torso thick. Vaquera is among the many companies that call on street casting, which is basically pulling oddball characters from the street and putting them on the runway—essentially declaring them beautiful.

In Paris, the designer John Galliano, like countless other designers, has been blurring gender. He has done so in a way that’s exaggerated and aggressive, which is to say that instead of aiming to craft a dress or a skirt that caters to the lines of a masculine physique, he has simply draped that physique with a dress. The result is not a garment that ostensibly aims to make individuals look their best. It’s a statement about our stubborn assumptions about gender, clothing, and physical beauty.

Not so long ago, the clothing line Universal Standard published an advertising campaign featuring a woman who wears a U.S. size 24. She posed in her skivvies and a pair of white socks. The lighting was flat, her hair slightly frizzed, and her thighs dimpled with cellulite. There was nothing magical or inaccessible about the image. It was exaggerated realism—the opposite of the Victoria’s Secret angel.

Every accepted idea about beauty is being subverted. This is the new normal, and it is shocking. Some might argue that it’s even rather ugly.

As much as people say that they want inclusiveness and regular-looking people—so-called real people—many consumers remain dismayed that this, this is what passes for beauty. They look at a 200-pound woman and, after giving a cursory nod to her confidence, fret about her health—even though they’ve never seen her medical records. That’s a more polite conversation than one that argues against declaring her beautiful. But the mere fact that this Universal Standard model is in the spotlight in her underwear—just as the Victoria’s Secret angels have been and the Maidenform woman was a generation before that—is an act of political protest. It’s not about wanting to be a pinup but about wanting the right for one’s body to exist without negative judgment. As a society, we haven’t acknowledged her right to simply be. But at least the beauty world is giving her a platform on which to make her case.

This isn’t just a demand being made by full-figured women. Older women are insisting on their place in the culture. Black women are demanding that they be allowed to stand in the spotlight with their natural hair.

There’s no neutral ground. The body, the face, the hair have all become political. Beauty is about respect and value and the right to exist without having to alter who you fundamentally are. For a black woman, having her natural hair perceived as beautiful means that her kinky curls are not an indication of her being unprofessional. For a plus-size woman, having her belly rolls included in the conversation about beauty means that she will not be castigated by strangers for consuming dessert in public; she will not have to prove to her employer that she isn’t lazy or without willpower or otherwise lacking in self-control.

When an older woman’s wrinkles are seen as beautiful, it means that she is actually being seen. She isn’t being overlooked as a full human being: sexual, funny, smart, and, more than likely, deeply engaged in the world around her.

To see the beauty in a woman’s rippling muscles is to embrace her strength but also to shun the notion that female beauty is equated with fragility and weakness. Pure physical power is stunning.

“Own who you are,” read a T-shirt on the spring 2020 runway of Balmain in Paris. The brand’s creative director, Olivier Rousteing, is known for his focus on inclusiveness in beauty. He, along with Kim Kardashian, has helped popularize the notion of “slim thick,” the 21st-century description of an hourglass figure with adjustments made for athleticism. “Slim thick” describes a woman with a prominent derriere, breasts, and thighs, but with a slim, toned midsection. It’s a body type that has sold countless waist trainers and has been applied to women such as singer and fashion entrepreneur Rihanna who do not have the lean physique of a marathoner.

Slim thick may be just another body type over which women obsess. But it also gives women license to coin a term to describe their own body, turn it into a hashtag, and start counting the likes. Own who you are.

When I look at photographs of groups of women on vacation, or a mother with her child, I see friendship and loyalty, joy and love. I see people who seem exuberant and confident. Perhaps if I had the opportunity to speak with them, I’d find them intelligent and witty or incredibly charismatic. If I got to know them and like them, I’m sure I’d also describe them as beautiful.

If I were to look at a portrait of my mother, I would see one of the most beautiful people in the world—not because of her cheekbones or her neat figure, but because I know her heart.

As a culture, we give lip service to the notion that what matters is inner beauty when in fact it’s the outer version that carries the real social currency. The new outlook on beauty dares us to declare someone we haven’t met beautiful. It forces us to presume the best about people. It asks us to connect with people in a way that is almost childlike in its openness and ease.

Modern beauty doesn’t ask us to come to the table without judgment. It simply asks us to come presuming that everyone in attendance has a right to be there.

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Aspects of Society Beauty Standards Essay

Introduction, works cited.

Modern society is characterized by constant media appraisal of beauty. Every boy and girl receives the message that being beautiful is important in life. Entire industries revolve around the concepts of physical attractiveness and appeal. Yet, despite the overall acknowledged role of beauty in society, many struggle with identifying elements that characterize a person as beautiful. Comparing and contrasting, illustrating, and cause and effect explanatory strategies will offer insight into the essence of contemporary beauty standards, the most evident examples, and their origins.

The comparing and contrasting strategy will allow for ascertaining what is currently considered beautiful. Although beauty is a subjective concept and its expression is highly dependent on the geographical, economic, and social context, some physical features are most commonly considered attractive. Laham argues that “men tend to prefer women with large wide-set eyes, full lips, high cheekbones, a small nose, a narrow jaw, and full breasts; and who have a low waist-to-hip ratio” (75). This implies that a woman with small eyes, narrow lips, low cheekbones, a large nose, a wide jaw, small breasts, and a large belly would be considered unsightly.

Even though most of the beauty standards revolve around women, certain cultural expectations of male beauty exist as well. Laham lists the following features as most commonly considered beautiful: “a heavy lower face, high degree of facial symmetry, masculine facial dimorphism, broad shoulders, a relatively narrow waist, and a V-shaped torso” (75). In contrast, a man with a lighter face, evident differences between the right and left sides of the face, feminine features, a large belly, and a waist larger than shoulders would not be considered attractive.

Both physical ideals are common in that they accentuate sex-specific characteristics and promote weight stigma. In the same way, physical femininity is preferable for women, masculine features are suitable for men. However, the low weight ratio is a more unifying standard of male and female attractiveness. Current society praises slim bodies in both sexes while criticizing excessive fat. Body size is a significant psychological pressure point for the majority of people, albeit it does affect women more to such a point that many develop mental illnesses because their weight prevents them from feeling beautiful (Ciciurkaite and Perry 35). Therefore, the most distinctive characteristic of present-day beauty standards is low weight.

The illustrating strategy will allow an understanding of the beauty standards via the use of real-life examples. The most appropriate way to locate a woman considered more attractive than others is to analyze the results of beauty pageants. These competitions have been designed specifically to compare female contestants and crown the winner as Miss World, Miss International, Miss Earth, or Miss Universe – the most-known pageants in the world. The most evident element of these competitions is that most of the contestants and winners have similar body types, which fit into the previously described ideal (Willett-Wei and Shaw). The most meaningful change over the years is the increasing ethnic diversity of contestants, who still possess similar physiques.

However, beauty pageant winners are not as famous as cinema celebrities. Jayne Mansfield, Kim Novak, and Marilyn Monroe exemplify women with hourglass figures (Laham 80). Penélope Cruz and Angelina Jolie showcase the beauty standard for lips (Laham 157). Scarlett Johansson, Minka Kelly, and Emilia Clarke are praised for their seductive hair (Aziz, Neelum, and Akhtar 81). Finally, the most important beauty standard is youthful appearance, with photographers and cinematographers attempting using various techniques to hide one’s age as is the case with Charlize Theron (Aziz, Neelum, and Akhtar 84). These women are recognized as beauty icons in the industry and the general population.

As most of the media attention centers on ascertaining the most attractive women, icons of beauty among men are less evident. Nevertheless, there are cinema stars that have gained the most recognition for their appearance. For example, in the media perception, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Keanu Reeves are seen as objectively attractive (La Force). Another example of the cinema industry emphasizing male beauty is Tom Cruise’s role in the movie Top Gun . The only physical feature that would not characterize him as beautiful is his short height. However, scenes were shot in such a manner that this subtlety is almost not seen by the viewer, which further corroborates the established beauty standard for men.

The cause-and-effect exploratory strategy explains the origins of contemporary beauty standards. Even though there is evidence that infants who have not been exposed to media narratives react to beautiful faces more positively than to unsightly ones, the perception of beauty itself has changed over history (Aziz, Neelum, and Akhtar 78). One of the oldest explanations for why beauty is considered important lies in the perception of attractive people as noble and their opposites as evil (Srivastava 4). Even though cultural awareness has moved beyond this assumption, the reaction of toddlers suggests that such behavior is unconscious.

The biological explanation of physical attractiveness attributes the perception of beauty to the ability of humans to procreate and provide for the future. For instance, wide shoulders allowed men to carry prey that would feed the family, while “a tight, muscular rear is necessary to make the strong forward thrusting motion needed for successful sperm transfer during sex” (Pease and Pease 315). Meanwhile, the youthful appearance of a woman’s breasts, long legs, and rounded buttocks communicates the message of her fertility and childbearing ability (Pease and Pease 306). Even though the complexity of the human body is too high to make such assumptions, these signals are unconscious as is the perception of beauty.

Finally, mathematical proportions of parts of the human body are also a strong causative factor of attractiveness. The historic standards of Ancient Greece accentuated the importance of symmetry for beauty (Aziz, Neelum, and Akhtar 77). The beauty of the universally acclaimed portrait Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is also attributed to the use of facial symmetry (Laham 71). This aspect has been passed on through generations and is currently one of the most important criteria used in beauty pageants to identify the winner (Srivastava 4). As a result, there is a mathematical explanation of beauty, which has persisted through history and is expressed in the form of symmetry.

In conclusion, comparing and contrasting, illustrating, and cause and effect explanatory strategies showcase that society’s beauty standards are both unique and consistent with traditional values. The recent hundred years have seen the codification of principles of physical attractiveness for men and women. Symmetry, low weight, and sexual dimorphism determine whether a person is considered attractive or not. Most elements of beauty have a biological or mathematical explanation, which causes the unconscious perception of beauty. Combined with media exposure, it explains why current beauty standards are so similar despite the diversity of cultures and societies.

Aziz, Selina, Neelum Almas, and Amer Akhtar. “Feminine Beauty in the Hyperreal World: A Postmodern Analysis of Esquire’s Women We Love.” Journal of Gender and Social Issues , vol. 20, no. 1, 2021, pp. 77-88.

Ciciurkaite, Gabriele, and Brea L. Perry. “Body Weight, Perceived Weight Stigma and Mental Health among Women at the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status: Insights from the Modified Labelling Approach.” Sociology of Health & Illness , vol. 40, no. 1, 2018, pp. 18-37.

La Force, Thessaly. “Viggo Mortensen, the Unlikely Leading Man.” The New York Times , Web.

Laham, Martha. Made Up: How the Beauty Industry Manipulates Consumers, Preys on Women’s Insecurities, and Promotes Unattainable Beauty Standards . Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2020.

Pease, Barbara, and Pease, Allan. The Definitive Book of Body Language: How to Read Others’ Attitudes by Their Gestures . Orion, 2017.

Srivastava, Simpi. “Global Production of a Feminine Ideal: Behind the Scenes of Beauty Pageants.” Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics and Innovation , vol. 1, 2020, pp. 1-15.

Top Gun . Directed by Tony Scott, Paramount Pictures, 1986.

Willett-Wei, Megan and Gabbi Shaw. “THEN AND NOW: How the Miss Universe Pageant Has Evolved over the Last 69 Years” . Insider , Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, September 3). Aspects of Society Beauty Standards. https://ivypanda.com/essays/aspects-of-society-beauty-standards/

"Aspects of Society Beauty Standards." IvyPanda , 3 Sept. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/aspects-of-society-beauty-standards/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Aspects of Society Beauty Standards'. 3 September.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Aspects of Society Beauty Standards." September 3, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/aspects-of-society-beauty-standards/.

1. IvyPanda . "Aspects of Society Beauty Standards." September 3, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/aspects-of-society-beauty-standards/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Aspects of Society Beauty Standards." September 3, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/aspects-of-society-beauty-standards/.

Beauty of Nature Essay

It is hard for one to witness the beauty of nature and not fall for it. Whether we listen to the mesmerising sounds of birds in the morning or love to watch the brilliant sunset in the evening, there is something beautiful about nature that fills us with joy. We are extremely lucky beings that we get to enjoy the beauty of nature every day. Let us discuss the different things that nature provides us through this short essay on beauty of nature.

When we describe the beauty of nature, several aspects like trees, plants, animals, water, hills and weather come into play. Through essay writing on beauty of nature, your kids will be able to express what they admire about nature clearly. Moreover, this essay will reveal how kids pay close attention to things that we hardly notice or care about.

Experience with the Beauty of Nature

During the mid-summer season, I went to a beautiful hill station with my family. Even though the ride was long, the beautiful scenery on the way kept me entertained. I could see deep forests and misty mountains as we went higher and higher. The winding roads also fascinated me, and I felt as if I had entered a different world. Upon our arrival at the place, I immediately fell in love with nature as it was preserved as such with fresh fragrant flowers of different kinds, cool weather and lush greenery. I found all my worries melting away as I walked amidst this wonderful nature.

Nature offers limitless happiness and satisfaction to us. As a nature enthusiast, one would find joy in the calm breeze, flowing streams or dancing flowers. From the little pebbles to sturdy rocks, everything is part of nature, which adds charm to it. Even nature creates music through the running rivers, twittering birds and gentle winds. When the sun sets and the moon takes its place, the whole sky is lit, and there is nothing more dreamlike than sleeping under the starry sky.

The seasons change, and each has its distinct beauty that cannot be matched. While spring brings in the best of nature through its vibrant greenery, winter calls for a misty and foggy beauty of nature. Autumn covers nature with a golden carpet of leaves and flowers, and summer witnesses the brightest days with delicious fruits. Besides, there are many living creatures, like birds, insects, fish, etc., in varying shape, size and colour that makes nature lively. A single peek through the window of your house would help you understand the true beauty of nature, which will surely lighten your mood.

Moral of the Essay

Each one of us will have a unique feeling when we look at nature. You can know what your child likes about nature through this essay writing on beauty of nature. We can see, feel and hear the glamour of nature in every step that we take and the air we breathe. This short essay on beauty of nature would inspire your kids to look around and take delight in its different forms so that they will be energised and enthusiastic.

How to enjoy the beauty of nature?

All of us can enjoy the beauty of nature in the ways we see it. You could either go for an early morning walk or jog in the evening, where you could be close to nature, thus imbibing its beauty. Travel with your friends and family to hill stations, beaches and exotic places, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise or sunset.

What are the factors that affect the beauty of nature?

Although nature maintains its beauty, human exploitation has caused serious threats to nature. The excessive cutting down of trees for industry and home purposes and the pollution of water, air and land through the dumping of waste from factories are the main factors that threaten the beauty of nature.

How to preserve the beauty of nature?

Nature is an invaluable gift given to us, and we must not involve in any activity that would diminish its beauty. By planting more trees, avoiding the use of plastic, and reusing and recycling things, we can maintain the beauty of nature as it is.

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Biodiversity — The Beauty of Nature

The Beauty of Nature

• Categories: Art History Biodiversity

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Words: 727 |

Published: Mar 16, 2024

Words: 727 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The aesthetic appeal of nature, the healing power of nature, the importance of biodiversity, the role of nature in human creativity.

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