Beauty is defined by Wikipedia as “the quality of being pleasing to the eye.” Beauty is most commonly defined as a physical trait of things which makes those objects enjoyable to see. These objects include sunsets, landscapes, humans and beautiful works of art. Beauty, with beauty and art, is perhaps the most important subject of aesthetics, another of the three major branches of psychology. The other branches of psychology are also concerned with how people feel about these physical characteristics of things.
For many people, beauty is subjective, and in a way it is. For instance, some people will not be attracted to a poster for a film because they consider it to be unattractive, but others will find the poster to be beautiful. This is why many social media outlets have been involved in promoting beauty, often to the point of self-parody. Advertisers pay huge amounts of money to advertise on social media sites in order to reach a specific demographic – to the extent that some women pay up to $100 a month just so they can look at the latest celebrity “buzz” on the Internet.
In the world of social media, beauty can take many forms. One popular social media site is Instagram, where users can share pictures of their daily life. Pictures can range from the mundane (a breakfast at a favorite restaurant) to the exotic (a vacation to a tropical island) and everything in between. There are several types of beauty, including physical beauty, personality beauty and cosmetic beauty. Just as in the world of advertising, a beautiful image can make a product seem more desirable and valuable.
Fashion is a big part of the world of beauty. Women’s clothing lines and celebrity magazines are constantly featuring images of beautiful women. The Runway is particularly famous for this. Stars are forever sporting different hairstyles and makeup techniques in hopes that they will one day win the big prize: the Victoria’s Secret Model Look. Fashion designers often adapt their designs to meet the needs of female customers, creating “sexy” garments that are designed to appeal to a larger market than would have been possible otherwise. Many of today’s favorite fashion designers are true purists when it comes to beauty, often holding a mirror to their own beholder in order to determine exactly how beautiful they truly are.
Beauty is a subjective quality; beauty standards vary greatly from culture to culture. The United States is known for its strong cultural influence when it comes to beauty standards. For example, many overweight American women are silently shunning mainstream beauty competitions like the Miss America pageant in order to maintain a healthy, attractive body image. Beauty standards in the United States have also been used to justify other societal practices, such as the often violent treatment of black, female minorities by white, rich women.
The beauty industry, including both the fashion industry and beauty salons, have responded positively to the growing consumer demand for more desirable physical appearance. Many salons offer services that include body waxing, body painting, eyelash extensions, and manicures at affordable prices. These affordable services help to ensure that many women can maintain a beautiful appearance at home or while traveling on business. With increased social media use by individuals who want to be perceived as more desirable than average, the fashion industry is responding to the public’s need for more beautiful models.