The Beauty Definition
Beauty is often defined as a subjective feature of particular objects, which makes those objects pleasant to see. These objects may include sunsets, landscapes, beautiful humans and artistic works of art. Beauty, along with individual taste and art, is perhaps the most significant area of aesthetics, among the most important branches of philosophy.
In the twentieth century, however, the beauty has also become an objective and scientific quality, as evidenced by the plethora of beauty articles for sale in almost any major city. Now, it is only a matter of choosing the most suitable beauty product for your own particular needs. Beauty of a certain type can be chosen and have been chosen by the majority of modern people, regardless of their cultural background, economic status, occupation and other factors. Beauty has become, therefore, a highly subjective, aesthetic quality. Subjective beauty, based on the desire of others to be aesthetically pleasing and confident about one’s own appearance, has become the predominant, overriding quality in contemporary beauty products. It is this subjective, aesthetic quality which is at the root of all beauty definitions.
Beauty, as perceived by one beholder, has different meanings and values according to various cultures, geographical locations, historical periods and time periods. For example, some people from Asia consider Chinese beauty to be very beautiful, while others would consider Japanese beauty to be beautiful. Thus, beauty also varies according to different standards of beauty in different societies, time periods and geographic areas. Beauty has become a subjective, and even an artificial, quality, which each person projects for themselves, depending on their own personal image of beauty.
Beauty has often been judged according to how one feels about oneself. Beauty is not judged only on how one sees oneself but also on how he or she feels about one’s appearance. Beauty therefore has a subjective basis, just as emotional evaluation does. When beauty is found in the sight of a person, it is considered to be beauty in the eye of the beholder; however, when beauty is found only in the view of the person who is actually looking at the object, that is judged to be only a physical appearance.
Beauty as an objective quality was rejected throughout much of modern history, with beauty being seen as a means of control. The concept of beauty was defined by the Greek ideal of virtue, which was seen as the idealization of social behavior, as well as the perfect order of things. By extension, beauty was defined as the idealization of human potentiality, which was the source of social power. By viewing beauty as an objective standard, beauty became the means of controlling who is beautiful and who is not. For example, if a black American was beauty, then that person could be excluded from white Americans’ viewing of beauty, simply because that person did not feel beautiful.
The beauty definition continues to change, with society often redefining beauty through societal pressure or through individual opinion. Beauty is also continuously influenced by the interactions of the sexes, as beauty may be defined differently by some than it is by others. Beauty is subjective, so it can also be influenced by many different external factors. However, beauty standards continue to serve as a significant part of the interaction of men and women in most societies.