The atlas of beauty.

True Life Situation: I am xyz My real life situation is that: I fly around in search of elegance in different parts of the world. Wherever I come across elegance, I catch and record it in pictures.
Information question: My actual life condition begs the question: does our world influence our understanding of attractiveness in human societies?
Thesis statement: Our sense of vision and creativity of appearance is highly affected by the world in which we work.
Throughout my journeys and encounters, I have seen the uniqueness that has been portrayed in different parts of the world.It is fascinating that what is perceived to be beautiful and trendy in Beijing seems out of date in Paris.

Justification. Culture has succeeded in defining what is visually desirable, regardless of our own intuitive draw or what we really want or find attractive, (Douty, 1968). For example, in the streets of Seoul, a woman with no tan, double eyelids and V-line face will be termed as beautiful. Conversely, in Delhi a woman with long, glossy hair on a face with lots fairness cream is considered beautiful, (Griffin, 2015).

Application. The tenents discussed above point to significant differences in perception towards beauty from various parts of the world. This partly explains why we have differing context of beauty across the world.

Limitation. It is however not reasonable to hinge beauty on societal perceptions only. Throughout, surveys conducted across the globe there are subtle fundamentals that can identified about beauty perceptions.

Alternative view 1: similarities in beauty ideals points to incredible facets that form beauty perceptions. Natural selection roles and symmetrical appearances form crucial tenents of expressing beauty.

Psychology: beauty determined by natural selection.

There are numerous natural selection factors that help contribute to overall perception of physical attractiveness. They include: good health, sexual diphormism, youthfulness, WHR and SHR.

Good health. Being in the right physical, mental and social mood greatly increases one’s attractiveness. People who are sick or undergoing mental problems are bound to look less attractive compared to their equally endowed counterparts who are healthy .

Youthfulness. Women who are young are usually perceived by men as attractive. Aging signs such as wrinkles, turkey neck and gray hair are perceived as unattractive. This can be partly demonstrated by the clamor for cosmetic surgery across the world in women who are at an advanced age or advancing to old age.

Sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism in humans is the presence of physical and sexual differences between the sexes, apart from the differences in sexual organs . Men are more attracted to faces of women with high estrogen, and women are more attracted to faces of men with high testosterone) levels.

WHR and SHR. research studies have shown, men are physically attracted to women with lower waist-to-hip ratio and women prefer with a higher shoulder-to-hip ratio. Researchers say we prefer these ‘ideal’ body features because they may represent signs of good genes and fertility, (Aubrey, 2006).

Facial symmetry and the relation golden ratio to the presence of beauty. (Mathematics)

Evidence shows that our perception of physical beauty is hard wired into our being and based on how closely the features of one’s face reflect phi in their proportions, (Craig, 2007).  Research executed across diverse cultures on beauty, found that all groups had the same perceptions of facial beauty (Meisner, 2014). The research, discovered that beauty is not only related to phi, but can be defined for both genders and for all races, cultures and eras with the beauty mask which he developed and patented.  This mask use of the pentagon and decagon as its foundation, which embody phi in all their dimensions

Application: The above discussion strives to explain the role of natural selection and mathematics in beauty perception. however, this tenent can be thoroughly exhaustive since there are numerous diversions that are noted for this theory. There exists numerous instance of beauty perceptions that do not adhere to the tenents of natural selection or mathematics.

Alternative view 2: beauty perceptions are formed in the mind are majorly centered on values rather than physical appearance.

Application: In Values of Beauty, Paul Guyer discusses major ideas and figures in the history of aesthetics from the beginning of the eighteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. This theory emphasizes the complexity rather than the isolation of our aesthetic experience of both nature and art, and the interconnection of aesthetic values such as beauty and sublimity on the one hand and prudential and moral values on the other.

Bibliography.

Aubrey, J. S. Exposure to sexual objectifying media and body self-perceptions among

college women: An examination of the selective exposure hypothesis and the role of moderating variables. University of Missouri. (2006).

Bambuck, M. Plus sized and proud of it. ABC News. Retrieved from

http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=4520389 (2008).

Baran, S. & Davis, D. Mass Communication Theory. Belmont, CA: Thomson

Wadsworth. (2008)

Craig, D. Cases and Commentaries. Journal of Media Ethics, 22(4), 348-361. (2007).

Douty, H. I. Visual somatometry in health related research. Journal of Alabama

Academy of Science, 39(1), 21-24. (1968).

Griffin, E. Portraits of Beauty Around the World. Retrieved from:

http://www.elle.com/culture/news/a26870/atlas-of-beauty-photos/ (2015)

Ludovic, T. 17 Most Attractive Physical Traits (According to Science) Retrieved from:

http://flawlessgene.com/17-attractive-physical-traits/ (2017

Meisner, G. Facial Analysis and the Beauty Mask. Retrieved from:

https://www.goldennumber.net/beauty/ (2014)