The Social Construct of Beauty

The question that crosses your mind the moment you read this topic is-why a purely individual aspect is being referred to being a ‘social construct’? Why not? Beauty is no longer about being what you are. It is more about being what the society has deemed as an ideal image of a woman: zero figure, “36-24-36”, perfect curves, perfectly waxed and being fair. If we open our history texts and study about ancient India, we will find that women then were never skinny. They had wide hips and large thighs, which seemed like the image of an ideal woman at that time. When we say that beauty is a social construct, we also have to grapple with the question of how the definition of beauty has changed over time.

“Beauty was never a culture specific thing. The definition of beauty varied across various cultures. Some wore neck rings, some coloured and scarred their face; some blackened their teeth as this is what was considered beautiful in their culture.”- Says a sociology student.

This idea that has been plastered into the minds of every individual about beauty has come largely from the billion dollar industry of products that advertise fairness and thinness. Today, a Barbie doll is the epitome of beauty that everyone wants to achieve. These advertisements make beauty a vulnerable idea by showing that –

Individuals who suffer from eating disorders risk their lifeSource

A. Being dark is not good.
B. Being fat is equally bad.
C. Aging is a disease that you need to treat.
D. And if you don’t buy their products to achieve the above goals- you will fail in your life.

A teenager, Dhriti Sonowal says that-“Why should I use fair and lovely. I may not be fair but I am lovely. God never asked me to use this; advertisements did and so did the society, indirectly hi sahi.”

People today are not only victims of these advertisements, but, they have also been plagued by various eating disorders. Teenagers especially have a distorted image of their body and indulge in anorexia nervosa and bulimia- both of which are serious eating disorders that can also be fatal. Not only this, products such as ‘Diet Coke’, fat burner products etc reemphasize the issue of weight and how the society wants you to be skinny.

M. G Durham in his book “The Lolita Effect” talk about how media has sexualized the image f young girls and how one can deal with it. A book that is a must read for parents, teachers and counsellors who have to deal with such issues.

“It is funny how women have always been the centre of such topics. Men today are equally categorised on the basis of their looks and physique. We are also now in this web of ‘beauty’ and are concerned with how we look,” – says Aditya Agrawal.

What the society wants should not limit your freedom.Source

We surely can say that beauty is a social construct that has now come to be associated with a complete different notion than what it was. People should understand that how fair you are, how skinny you are or how close you are to the standards of what your society says is an ideal figure is not important. What is important is that not for a second should you feel insecure in your body and never should you doubt your worth .And as Eminem says “Don’t let them say you ain’t beautiful.”