Category: Beauty

It is people’s instinct to like to be beautiful. On average, time spent on appearance contributes 7.7 hours of young girls’ week time (Dahl, 2014). This phenomenon reflects teenagers’ high attention to external beauty. The standard of beauty changes with the elapse of time, and under the influence of appearance-based phenomenon, it is more important to have a captivating appearance. Modern people generally establish their self-image by their looks as people notice about someone is how they look. Having a breathtaking semblance can build self-confidence and affect a relationship. This essay will investigate how social value system and peer relationship influence the view of physical appearance and argue that exterior beauty enhances adolescents’ self-esteem because it helps teenagers approve of themselves and be acknowledged by others.

Under socialization, external beauty enables teens to earn recognition and get a sense of security and satisfaction, which can increase their self-esteem. In today society, the message of having good looking is always reinforced by traditional and new media. Teenagers not only are encouraged to be thin and radiant through the advertisements, but also asked to get more followers on social media platforms. They are easily influenced by mainstream values and accept the concept of being thin and charming. One study found that women can gain their body satisfaction when comparing their body with those social ideal images (Hogue et al., 2016). Another study showed that 80% of girl are assertive because of spending the time to groom themselves (Dove, 2016). These reflect that physical appearance is positively correlated with self-assurance. In recent years, the media has vigorously promoted the slimming culture. There would be grave consequences on the evaluation of themselves. If adolescents think that they do meet the beauty requirement, they are prone to be secured about their self-image. The social media has constantly shaped different images of men and women. Comparing with the approved images is a process of building pride by influencing adolescents’ perceptions and expectations.

A good external appearance improves self-image as teens get a good evaluation among peers and expand their social lives. Peer pressure is an immense force in one’s life, especially youngsters. Acceptance of peers becomes an important factor in affecting youths’ self-esteem. Outward appearance is one of the first things people note when they catch a glimpse of somebody. Teens use this judgment to make out a person they have never met before. People with better outward phenotype usually have better peer relations and result in better body satisfaction (Holsen et al., 2012). Young people put a premium on the recognition of peers. It is apparent that physical beauty increases the chance to meet new friends. An advantage of having a stunning looking is that it is relatively simpler to enrich social life, which has a positive impact on teens’ identity development. Security, selfhood and affiliation are three components of establishing self-esteem. Receiving positive evaluation from peers makes teenagers be secured as they know there are people they can rely on. Moreover, external beauty makes them feel individual and approved of. With the sense of belongingness and acceptance, youngsters can better establish self-confidence due to physical beauty.

Some people think that teenagers pursue external beauty to meet the aesthetic standards of society will ignore and stifle self-development. It ultimately affects their uniqueness, and hence self-esteem. However, the pursuit of external beauty and the development of internal beauty are not contradictory. While paying attention to appearance, adolescents can also improve personal characters. Transcendent beauty consists of external beauty and internal beauty. As teens are influenced by social phenomena, they are willing to develop personal traits after attaining the standard of physical beauty. People appreciate their value for both their outward appearance and internal life in the process of affirmation (‎Burns & Monro, 2015). This results in raising awareness of developing good characters. At the time that youngsters are seeking exquisite looking, they pose an emphasis on the importance of inner beauty. Owing to this mindset, outstanding character traits and behavior can be developed. It is no longer tenable to say that they limit their self-development as youths prefer both internal and external beauty to establish a good image towards others. Self-image is improved as they can gain a sense of satisfaction when they attain their or social standard. On top of that, appearance has an inseparable relationship with personality. Characters can be judged accurately by looking at one’ semblance (Brogaard, 2017). Looking can reflect one’ characters and it is important to purse physical beauty before considering the inner beauty. The sense of uniqueness is not weakened, instead, physical beauty helps them to have a deep understanding of themselves. They can achieve both internal and external beauty, which is more beneficial to the development of self-esteem.

Physical beauty plays an important role in building self-esteem. Adolescence is in an important period for the formation of aesthetic consciousness. At this time, they are easily influenced by social value and peers. External beauty helps teenagers to evaluate their value and allows them to build up a relationship with peers. Self-esteem can be better developed, and it raises awareness of inner beauty. The ideal standard of physical beauty has changed throughout time. It is time for adolescents to be aware of the evolvement of the aesthetic basic. This is an opportunity for teenagers to get improvement. Changing oneself will also allow teenagers to appreciate themselves from the heart and love themselves.

Every day we are bombarded with mass media on ideal feminine beauty. From female models on the cover of Vogue to female contestants on the latest reality TV series, women are presented with a limited perception of what people consider to be beautiful. Rather than simply agreeing with the media, we need to consider that these feminine beauty standards are unattainable. Do you find yourself guilty of this?

Social media comparison refers to an individual’s inclination to compare themselves to others on an online platform. We are often inclined to compare ourselves to others whether they’re celebrities, models or even friends and family. The constant posting, liking and scrolling through posts exposes ourselves to incredible amounts of idealized media. Ask yourself why you have a social media account. Is it because you want to present a certain image of yourself online or want to subconsciously prove that you fit into the ideal societal standards of beauty? A study conducted by the Florida House Experience, a healthcare agency, discovered that most women constantly compare themselves with others on social media. The survey included 1000 men and women who had a social media account, focusing on their body image, confidence and media. It was observed that 87% of women compared their bodies to images they engaged in on social media. This clearly shows that these idealized images have a great impact on one’s self-perception of beauty based on the comparison to others online. Although people may look a certain way on social media, people are only presenting a certain image of themselves that is just unrealistic. Social media presents these societal beauty standards as achievable, fueling constant pressure on females and providing more of a limited perception on female ideal beauty than ever.

Advertisements are constantly promoting idealistic feminine beauty standards affecting female’s perception of beauty to a slender waist-to-hip ratio. Tiggemann and McGill, social and clinical psychologists, discovered how images of more slender women on adverts led to more social comparison and negative dissatisfaction of women with their bodies. The truth is, advertisements are constantly trying to entice us into making us want to look a certain way. We want so bad to be something completely and utterly unrealistic. The advert from Protein World plants body insecurity and self-doubt in women who do not look like the model in the advert. It promotes an unrealistic body image for women, shaming all other bodies that don’t necessarily look like this body on the advert and claiming that this is the ultimate body goal. These advertisements are creating unattainable beauty standards with their purpose only to convince you into purchasing their product to fit into these feminine beauty standards.

Reality shows are unfailingly promoting the audience towards the perfect female’s body. Look at all the female contestants on ‘The Bachelor’. They’re ‘perfect’. With hourglass figures, suntanned skin and big breasts. But if we take a step back, we can begin to unfold that the fundamental root of this problem is that the media is continuously presenting people with a limited view of female beauty. We are only seeing women that fit into these societal feminine beauty standards. There is no diversity of beauty on these reality shows whatsoever. Instead, these shows should be showing us all beauty: a variety of shapes, sizes and skin tones of women. Beauty is not defined by just one set of standards that all women are constantly comparing and expecting themselves to fit into.

Photoshopping is heavily used in the media to promote a flawless and ideal woman’s body as the societal standard. It leads women to feel constantly pressured and believing that beauty only exists in an unachievable body type. Photoshopping digitally distorts a woman’s body to create something unrealistic and completely unachievable. It uses the airbrushing of ‘imperfections’ and the elongation of limbs to add to a physical visual aesthetic. Dr Pippa Hugo, a professional and well-known psychologist, warned people that “photo retouching by teenage girls was becoming the norm”. She claimed that photoshopping creates “disturbing psychological consequences”, reporting that in various schools nine out of 10 teenage girls “doctor themselves” into becoming thinner through the use of photoshop. It is unbelievably toxic and disturbing to see the large amounts of females conforming to digitally altering their body. These ideal feminine beauty standards portrayed in the media are leading us to praise these highly edited images and Barbie-like figures instead of embracing our bodies.

No one can have a size zero waist, perfectly flawless skin and a large thigh gap. We need to stop deceiving ourselves into believing that these expectations are achievable. They are simply unattainable because they are not real.

Beauty is mostly referred to how people thought about themselves. If people are revered of their outlooks or intelligence, their self-esteem will cumulatively increase, and they would feel beautiful. However, most people recently are being insecure about their appearance and start to make-up, color their hair, purchase stunning dressing or even seek for cosmetic surgery in order to emulate other charming celebrities and be alluring. Those people have been forgotten the significance of their inner beauty. Inner beauty shows inner character, moral values ethics, and culture. This essay will argue why personality, intelligence and inner belief are more important than physical outer beauty.

Personality is more influential than beauty. Good characteristics, such as kindness, empathy and well-behaved, could make us even more physically attractive than outer beauty. According to a worldwide survey, including Sweden, Singapore and the Philippines, people in all over 20 countries are more likely to think partners’ personalities are more important than their looks. Overall, 81% of people say they are looking for a partner with a good personality, while 76% want one with a sense of humor (Stevens, 2018). This has explained that people will attach importance to others’ personalities rather than physical appearance. According to a research on personality and physical attractiveness, groups which given positive personality information found a significantly wider range of body sizes physically attractive, compared to the control group (without knowing the personality). Groups given negative personality information found a significantly narrower range of body sizes attractive than the control group (Nicholson, 2011). The two groups after telling the traits have different range of agreement. This means that although people pay attention to outlooks, they will unconsciously pay attention to traits, which also indicated that inner beauty such personality is more important than physical beauty.

Intelligence is outlined in some ways. What cannot be forgot to mention are general problem-solving skills, the capability for logic, understanding, cognizance, learning, emotional knowledge, etc. Those abilities are leading to face any kind of situation and challenges. If one were beautiful but without brains, he or she might not be able to handle such situations well. Megan Fox was remarked by her incredible beauty. It wasn’t long before she was cast in one among the largest franchises on the massive screen, ‘Transformers’. However, Fox expressing her appreciation for obtaining an opportunity to act as the actress in an exceedingly immense box-office franchise, Fox created some massively offensive comments concerning the director, Michael Bay (Lu, 2018). As an up-and-coming actress, this foolish deed of her will remain a blot on her escutcheon. However, if we are smart, even though we are not charm enough, many people will also appreciate us. Former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam was not that handsome, but his people also proud of his achievement of developing ballistic missile and launching vehicle technology. Because of his intelligence, he recognized as the ‘People’s President’ and honored with prestigious awards such as the country’s highest civilian award (2018). Intelligence is something which cannot be erased as time passes. Before APJ Kalam passes away, he still delivering a lecture at an institute. We can live without beauty, but we cannot live without intelligence.

Although there is a barrage of evidence to prove the aesthetic of inner beauty, there is also a branch of research show that people who get an attractive appearance get more work. According to the ‘Work & Power’ survey by Elle and MSNBC.com, 58% of attractive female bosses got high ratings for being successful at their jobs, while it was 41% for ‘average-looking’ females and only 23% for unattractive female. It proved that good looks are a trait that both men and women find important (Huhman, 2011). However, it is a person’s inner belief that makes them more appealing to others. Physical appearance can be a bonus, but something it is easily overlooked when others are more superior than them. The grow of confidence is come from ourselves. Benedict Cumberbatch now is one of the most popular and most sought-after actors in Hollywood. Before, he almost did not get the titular role of Sherlock since studio bosses described him as ‘the weird ginger one’. He proved them wrong and now he nominated for an Oscar, an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA (jonesie12345, 2017). Although there are many of the celebrities that seem to success by their physique and their facial features, without innate talent, glowing confidence and self-belief, they cannot even work for a proper job longer. The inner belief which guiding people to reach their dream is what one should own.

Physical beauty is subjective, but personality, intelligence and inner belief are not. They never fade out and would also be improved. Inner beauty helps us appreciate outer beauty. People cannot live without either inner or outer beauty. They both are indispensable, but inner beauty surely more essential than physical beauty. People should not be overemphasized outlook but should emphasize on enriching knowledge, growing confidence and fostering characteristics so that they would be charming and appealing.

References

1. Huhman, H. R. (2011, November 09). Are Good Looking People More Successful? Retrieved March 11, 2019, from https://www.businessinsider.com/are-good-looking-people-more-successful-2011-11
2. Jonesie12345. (2017, March 27). Ugly Celebrities. Retrieved March 11, 2019, from https://www.imdb.com/list/ls064405717/
3. Let’s Remember Former President APJ Abdul Kalam on His Birthday – Happy Birthday Kalam! (2018, October 15). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lets-remember-former-president-apj-abdul-kalam-on-his-birthday/the-all-rounder/slideshow/66212013.cms
4. Lu, S. (2018, January 11). 15 Female Celebs Who Are All Beauty and No Brains. Retrieved from https://www.therichest.com/world-entertainment/15-female-celebs-who-are-all-beauty-and-no-brain/
5. Nicholson, J. (2011, May 24). Is Your Personality Making You More or Less Physically Attractive? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201105/is-your-personality-making-you-more-or-less-physically-attractive
6. Stevens, S. (2018, February 06). Study: Personality Is More Important than Looks | Scott Stevens | New Country 107.9. Retrieved from https://newcountry1079.iheart.com/featured/scott-stevens/content/2018-02-06-study-personality-is-more-important-than-looks/

The standard of beauty has changed throughout the years, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is how women have been forced to conform to the standards set by the media. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison was set in the 1940s, a time when white beauty standards deformed the lives of black women. Upon googling the 1940’s images it can be seen that the majority of the pictures were white women and very few were black women. The basis of the white beauty standard and the idolization of being a white female in the 1940s can be seen heavily throughout this classic novel.

Throughout this novel, white beauty standards take a heavy toll on the many characters within this novel. Even though this was centuries after slavery, the black community still faced racial discrimination due to the high standards at which women were held in the 1940s. This strong white supremacy could be seen everywhere, even with the Shirley Temple doll that was given to Claudia. At this time, the white beauty standard was white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes which still holds its place in today’s society. With the desire to match up with these standards, Claudia states “Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs-all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every child treasured” (Morrison 20). This statement shows that American culture promotes the standards of white beauty and its desire. Due to the high standard that women were held to, African American women faced rejection and self-hatred. Each of the characters in the novel is affected by the beauty standards and it leads to their acceptance or rejection by the society in which they live and how they see themselves.

Out of all the characters, Pecola Breedlove suffered the most because she connected beauty with being loved, and having blue eyes will allow her to be accepted into society. Due to the way cinema portrayed ‘absolute beauty’, Pecola believed that the only way to be accepted by society was based on her whiteness and physical beauty standards. According to an academic journal written by Minhazul Md. Islam, “In gender studies and feminist theory, beauty standards are also interpreted as socially constructed rather than given. In this perspective, such standards are a form of control. The “beauty myth” reproduces gender inequalities by propagating unrealistic beauty ideals for women” (Minhazul 192). This study explains moreover of how the media caused Pecola to question her beauty because of how it’s been portrayed within society and her quest for ‘absolute’ beauty drives her to madness, which in a way suggests that her desire will never be fulfilled. Pecola’s unhealthy obsession with beauty she also believes if she were prettier it would stop her parents from fighting. As stated by the narrator, “It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes…were different, that is to say, beautiful, she would be different…maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove” (Morrison 46). This part of the novel goes into talking about Pecola’s home life, and in a way, she blamed herself for what was happening because she wasn’t pretty enough, and she didn’t have the blue eyes that were idolized in their society. She believed that her physical appearance could alter one’s psychological condition and other problems in her own life.

Unlike Pecola, Claudia’s family is comfortable with the color of the skin and their appearance, but their problem is they see whiteness to be superior to blackness and they simply put up with it. We see their first encounter with this problem when Claudia receives a doll with yellow hair, blue eyes, and pink skin from her family. Her family says to her, “Here, this is beautiful and if you are on this day ‘worthy’ you may have it” (Morrison 21). Based on this, it suggests that if you don’t have these features then you are not worthy to be a human being and you are not beautiful. Through Claudia’s eyes, she doesn’t understand why someone sees this as beautiful because it is an object and can’t have feelings of any kind. Also, she believes through this experience that beauty could be earned and bought. Islam states in her journal, “Beauty standard is always built upon socially fabricated values. Claudia’s perplexity concerning the representation of beauty refers to politics. This also is associated with Freud’s idea of the unconscious treatment of words as real things” (Islam, 193). This supports the idea of how Claudia thinks beauty can be bought and your appearance will define whether or not you are worthy and beautiful. After a while, she realizes that due to society, she will never be seen as beautiful because of her skin color and she as well as her peers turn to worship those who are seen as beautiful such as Shirley Temple.

Overall, the white beauty standard in “The Bluest Eye” affects the characters by not allowing them to see their full potential or beauty. They all were set into these beliefs because of how America portrayed the standard of beauty through toys and cinema. This standard of white beauty still exists in society today, especially on social media. On the other hand, when it comes to toys, they are beginning to create dolls so children can see themselves as beautiful no matter what and feel more accepted within society.   

We surround ourselves every single day using technology and looking through social media watching the latest posts on public figures we follow. We tend to always seem to run into a certain image that is defined as the ‘beauty standard of the moment’. Although beauty has evolved within the years many see it as an ordinary thing, as a joke, but as mentioned before there are two sides to this controversial topic. Many change their appearance to please themselves. Although many think that among teens for them to look at a female and even male figure looking a certain way is alright, actually it can produce negative thoughts and promote poor self-esteem. This is why it is believed that it promotes low self-confidence within a person, and should be taken into action to be able to make a change on what beauty really is. Images of beauty have been negatively used on social media, which have caused decreased self-esteem in ways that reflect on beauty and increase rate on anorexia and depression. Therefore, social media users must stop posting negative comments in order to make the world a kinder place and problems free.

“Cosmetic surgery in the UK has seen a 73 percent referral to images of the Kardashian/Jenner sisters. After Kylie Jenner made her statement confirming she had lip fillers, cosmetic surgeons saw a 700 percent request for plumper lips” (Payne, 2017). Has social media really increased beauty expectations? Beauty is a word that many find difficult to define. It is proven that it has an impact on inner self esteem, and leads up to an unpleasant health development. However, as it impacts it also induces more confidence and hard work to make a change in male or female. It is important to know that a physical stereotype can be improved or prevented, to avoid situations of anorexia etc.

The article VIVA ‘Is Social Media Changing Our Perception of Beauty’ by Emily-Rose Payne proved how also back then everyone was concerned about their physical appearance. She stated “There has always been influence making people want to change their appearance…There has always been influence making people want to change their appearance” (Payne). The standards of beauty don’t just happen on their own they have to be introduced by an individual who inspires others to be exactly the same. On social media and across certain platforms people share things within themselves who later then turn into a public figure such as Kim Kardashian with an hourglass body with curves and a butt. Stuff like that is what is harming people nowadays, although we can’t control what people post on social media. We have to acknowledge it can be harmful, there have been deaths due to dangerous procedures just so they can be accepted and be seen as a definition of beauty.

In the article ‘The Beauty Myth’ by Naomi Wolf, is perturbed by a different social control she argues and proves the beauty myth. An obsession with being physically perfect that ambushes the modern women today than back then, and that spirals to less hope, self-consciousness and self-hatred as one tries to fulfill up to the beauty standards they see on a daily basis. Wolf mentions “The more legal and material hindrances women have broken through, the more strictly and heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have come to weigh upon us” (Wolf, 486). The statement Wolf provided in the article states that now in the twenty-first century there are high expectations for how a female should look. I believe that this way of putting ‘weight’ on a person to look a certain way isn’t healthy at all. If everyone were to follow how a ‘beautiful’ person looks then no one would be unique in their own way. This sense of having high expectations traps a person to make a drastic change in their body from plastic surgeries or excessive workouts and eating habits. She also mentions “During the past decade, women breached the power structure; meanwhile, eating disorders rose exponentially and cosmetic surgery became the fastest growing medical specialty”, so what does this say? Well clearly this has established a problem within a person because from what they see on social media and out in the world they try to compare themselves to that certain image that’s why they pay thousands of dollars for cosmetic surgery, and submerge themselves to a life extent problem of eating disorders just to cut back on ‘the calories’, so weight can be lost. Wolf’s argument of beauty is that out on social media it affects a person mentally, and physically it submerges them to have a certain image in mind and become that certain images to fit in. That leads to poor self-esteem, and promotes high risks of health problems.

Seeing a certain body image on the media can be traumatic for some individuals. According to the Mirror Mirror Eating Disorder Help, lets us know the importance of understanding the impact of body image in the media. Reason why it’s important is because nowadays images have a huge impact on mental health and the way an individual sees themselves. The MMEDH stated that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the typical American spends about half of his free time in front of the TV. Television is not the only form of media that influences our body image, of course. We watch movies, see pictures online, read magazines and other periodicals, watch performances by rock stars, see ads for clothing (featuring ridiculously skinny models) and so on. In all these forms of media, we see images of very skinny women. When a regular person sees that it promotes the urge of becoming that exact person, and that’s where eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia come in. Not just eating disorders can affect an individual but also depression and anxiety can appear since they are worried about their appearance because they feel like they aren’t up to the standard of the ideal popular body.

Although having an ideal definition of what a perfect body is and its beauty standard is, it could also promote assuredness of being unique from everyone else. In Natalie Jacewicz’s article ‘Social Media Can Boost Self-Esteem in Young People’, she stated although “The negative effects of social media on young people’s mental health are well-documented by researchers and the press. Social media can drive envy and depression, enable cyberbullying, and spread thoughts of suicide” (Jacewicz). We do acknowledge that just a screen can affect someone’s life entirely in less than five minutes.

If we were to stop and think social media also boost someone’s self-esteem by building your own character and making you feel good about yourself, making it your own, then that promotes support because of how you want to see yourself. She stated: “But some academics and therapists are proposing a counterintuitive view: they have found that social media may also help improve mental health by boosting self-esteem and providing a source of emotional support”. Having the minimal emotional support can impact a person and think that everything surrounding her may have a different impact on her that what she thought. It is a platform of ways to express yourself in any way you want to be seen, you choose your best attributes and what you are content with and that promotes mental thinking and make yourself excited about your persona because your content with what you shared with the world. For what is worth having self-confidence is better used on social media because what beauty is seen as in that platform is just being honest with yourself, ‘show your true colors’. Demonstrate who you are because honestly receives more support than trying to be someone you are not. That leads up to improving better mental health because it promotes confidence and self-esteem because you’re letting yourself out in the world like who you are not changing your image to fit in. But is putting yourself out there going to change how people view you, there is still going to be opinions on how you are despite if you believe you look your very best.

Small actions should be taken to make a change on social media and how everyone views it. One thing that has started circulating the Internet is Instagram removing the likes on a person. So only the owner can see how many likes or views he/she has going on and no one else can see it. As well not just on Instagram but on other media platforms things have open up to become more restrictive on your profile if you choose to.

Conclusion

In conclusion, beauty has various definitions, but the real definition of beauty is what you want to believe, express yourself in various ways and feel good about it. Not caring what others think, not following a trend because if you don’t then you won’t ‘fit in’. Having that open mindset all around the world promoted unity to support one another and not affect one another. It’s worth caring about, increasing someone’s self-esteem not by social media forcing an individual to look a certain way. The effects, that would have, are far way worse than posting a picture where you don’t look your best. I believe that in future years, social media is going to be a platform where anyone express themselves even more and people might have a different kind of thinking than they have now. Such as being unique is the new trend and then that could lead to following other trends then having a typical physical stereotype to follow. If no action is taken the rate of mental health and eating disorders were increased triple than what it is now.

The word ‘beauty’ is far more than what our stereotypical society may think it is. When you think of the word beautiful, what do you think it is? Well, many people would answer that question with something like: tall, slim and long hair. This is because the celebrities, models and social media influencers we see online create this expectation. We are made to believe that unless we look like them, we do not reach the standard of being beautiful, which quite often can have a negative effect, especially to teenagers who typically spend most of their time in the online word. In order to be ‘beautiful’ we are expected to fix our imperfections, go to the gym and look fit, only wear the modern, trendy, in-style clothes. Our world creates these unrealistic meanings for so many words such as beauty, but there is a much more deeper meaning to this word.

How can the word beauty just be one stereotypical meaning if all us humans are different and have different perspectives of things? Ask yourself what the meaning of beauty is. Is it truly what you believe beauty is or what society makes out for it to be? Yes, we can describe someone as beautiful from what we see physically, but true beauty doesn’t only have to be seen with our bare eyes. True beauty is felt within your heart, understanding the mind and soul of someone and the way they come across to people. If you saw a ‘beautiful’ young woman but she was nasty, rude and overall didn’t have a kind a positive presence, would you still call that person beautiful? I’m guessing and I hope your answer is no, because how can you call someone beautiful with such an ugly heart? Personally, that person would automatically be far from beautiful.

All people are different. Each person has their own physical and personality traits that makes them different to the people surrounding them. Those things make you beautiful. Why do we never think we are good enough? Good enough for who? More people need to understand that there is no one else to impress but yourself. Once you begin to realize that no one really matters when it comes to believing that you are beautiful but yourself, you start to be less uptight about the way you dress, the way you talk and the way you act. Being yourself and caring less about what others may think of you, is the main key to finding your own true beauty.

American beauty has been wanting to be achieved by millions of men and women in the U.S. for decades and the desire now has reached to other countries. This is problematic due to the fact that Americans have put a standard of beauty upon both men and women that are not achievable for those who are not Caucasian, or are not wealthier to afford cosmetic surgery procedures. Women in general face more scrutiny when it comes to appearance, however, women of color often experience more discrimination based on their appearance alone. Which is why Western cultures standards of beauty affects women in a negative way. Some of the consequences of those actions include; disordered eating habits, surgery to correct ‘imperfections’, and skin bleaching for women of different races.

An example of this would be People’s magazine yearly list of the world’s most beautiful people. Most of the celebrities that are featured in the article, are from European decent, however, there are a few exceptions some being descendants from Asia, and African countries (Travis and Meginnis-Payne). Types of articles like these are controversial because it lacks diversity among race, age, gender, and body types. Not publishing images that show diversity to the public has been proven for women to be more self-conscious of their weight, find they feel less attractive in the eyes of others (Travis and Meginnis-Payne). North American culture has become obsessed with a person’s appearance, so today it is almost impossible to avoid the scrutiny of women from others.

Western cultures beauty standards have slowly made its way to other countries, and changing other cultures idea of beauty. For example, countries such as Ghana, Japan and Indonesia, have seen a trend of bleaching their skin to achieve a lighter complexion (Chaurasia, 217). This trend has an unknown origin as to where it started and came from, however, in countries like India where arranged marriages are still prevalent one of the determining factors for marriage is the woman’s skin color. Moreover, there are no standards that the groom must be held to for the bride’s family when looking for a man (Chaurasia, 217). With the higher demand for lighter skin, some women will do almost anything to achieve this look, whether it is from homemade products to whitening creams that are being sold. Achieving lighter skin these ways have the potential of being harmful, “whitening creams, such as Fair and Lovely, which [uses] natural ingredients and [provided] UVA protection. However, after India’s economic liberalization in 1991, there are now available a multitude of whitening products produced by foreign companies” (Chaurasia, 217). Women who buy into these products are supporting a multi-billion-dollar industry that makes women have low self-esteem, and certain products could be harmful to their bodies. With foreign companies creating skin bleaching products, they can put any ingredients in the product which may result in women in experiencing skin irritation, kidney and liver damage. Individuals should not be changing their bodies to fit into the ideal standard of beauty, instead Western culture needs to embrace others for who they are.

America has become a melting pot of a country with different cultures, races, and even different body types. However, with being such a diverse country the mainstream media is still dominated by thin, white females. Article ‘American Beauty Standards: ‘Paling’ in Comparison to the White Norm’, author Marrinan expresses that: “When people from different identities and races immigrate and start to build lives in America, they are constantly reminded of their differences by the media, advertising campaigns and socially constructed expectations. For decades, identifying as White and with a Western culture, and more importantly appearing as such, was considered beautiful and those that did not were ‘unattractive’” (Marrinan, 3).

For individuals who are not Caucasian, they are bombarded daily with Western cultures standard of beauty. Western culture should show more diversity within the beauty industry, showcasing how those who come from different cultures as well as the imperfections that every human has. The white standard has been ingrained into society’s brains, that in order to be attractive, those must be white, slim, and have no imperfections. Other races should not look up to men and women who are white, and base that Caucasians are the standard for attractiveness.

Sexual attraction is often based on physical first impressions. While that is true, “one’s identity influences their perception of their own beauty, their opportunities and chances for success may actually be lower. […] with how beauty has been idealized to the generalized public and how the perception of attractiveness is damaging to those that do not relate or identify as that” (Marrinan, 4). Society in American has been damaged from this idea of beauty, and has created a standard for people who cannot achieve the high standard that has been put in place. Although brands, such as Aerie, ASOS, Old Navy, Fenty, and others, have been trying to constantly change the industry with bringing in a new perspective as to what beauty is with diversity. It may not be enough to change America’s standard of beauty within advertisements.

Within many of the mainstream advertisements, women are seen as objects for men and are even photoshopped into an object. Objectifying women sends a strong message to the public that this is the ideal beauty standard for women. In addition, the objectification theory used in psychology, which is the framework of understanding of being a woman in the Western culture (Travis and Meginnis-Payne) women then internalize the high standards of beauty. Women do this in different ways, by body shaming others, disordered eating, becoming more self-conscious, etc. The theory shows how easy it is for people to have a higher increase in mental health related disorders. In ‘Beauty Politics and Patriarchy: The Impact on Women’s Lives’ authors, Travis and Meginnis-Payne explain “in addition to promoting the ideal [standard of beauty], much of advertising conveys the need for women to camouflage unacceptable physical features” (Meginnis-Payne and Travis). Which would include: using deodorant, shaving, and cleansers for genitals. Advertising does not only “promote happiness associated with having the right appearance” (Travis and Meginnis-Payne), it has evolved into telling women their physical appearance is not acceptable, and the product being advertised will help improve your appearance or make you feel better about yourself. These messages are dangerous to women, because it causes unhealthy behavior which has resulted in an increase of eating disorders over the years in the United States.

Opponents of this idea claim that media has impacted young women, in which, the media promotes healthy ways of living as well as, strategies of prevention for disordered eating habits (Morris and Katzman, 288). The article explains how eating disorders have increased over the years and “anorexia nervosa is 0.48% among girls 15 to 19 years old” (Morris and Katzman, 287). Due to the increase of eating disorders the authors claim that with a lack of media literacy among medical professionals, teachers, and parents, young individuals will be more prone to developing disordered eating habits. And that implementing media education programs in schools has been shown to “decrease in the harmful effects of media violence and alcohol advertising on children and adolescents” (Morris and Katzman, 288). The article also argues that parents have the biggest impact on these individuals to promote a healthy behavior for young adults. Parents that promote healthy eating habits, and who also discuss the dangers of media to their children have the potential of decreasing mental health disorders related to high standards of beauty. The article does acknowledge the fact that the mainstream media has the potential of contributing to low self-esteem among younger individuals.

However, society cannot rely on others like medical professionals, teachers, and parents to educate not only children but young adults about the dangers of mainstream media. It is projected that almost 35 million Americans are diagnosed with an eating disorder, or some other form of mental illness (Prah, 121). It is evident that media has a huge role with this number. Reading tabloids or watching television, both are bombarded with actresses that are very slim and could have anorexia or bulimia (Prah, 121). Although, researchers have now concluded that eating disorders are also caused by biological, psychological, and social factors like a culture that promotes thinness. Evidence has even shown that athletic culture encourages eating disorders, an example of this would include “gymnast Kerri Strug began training with a new coach and eating less. If she were a little leaner or lighter, the 14-year-old thought, maybe she would perform better” (Prah, 132). Many women believe that being thinner, will solve or make them happier in life because the media has stressed the idea that women who are slimmer live a happier life.

The American beauty standards have reached a dangerous level. Individuals will risk their health such as skin bleaching, mental health, and even risk death in order to achieve this idea of beauty. Western culture needs to change the way beauty is perceived, and show more diversity, whether that is showcasing different body types, racial groups, imperfections on models. This standard of beauty has affected over 35 million people in the United States already, imagine how many people around the world are being affected currently.

The Harsh Reality of Unrealistic Beauty Standards

Karen is a seventeen-year-old girl who has been affected by the effects of having a negative body image (Phillips, Atala, and Albertini, 1995). She frequently compared herself to others and obsessed about many of her body features that she thought of as imperfect (Phillips et al., 1995). Karen’s negative body image was detrimental to her mental health. She was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, major depression, and a generalized social phobia (Phillips et al., 1995). Because of Karen’s appearance concerns, she ended up dropping out of school and attempted to permanently end her life to get rid of her pain (Phillips et al., 1995). Karen was affected by unrealistic beauty standards. As written by Christina Donati, “[the unrealistic beauty standard] is the overbearing, delusional, over-represented idea of what the media, and everyone else, believes what can and cannot be considered beautiful in our world” (2017, para. 1). Karen spent years trying to live up to this standard and endured many struggles because of it.

The Pervasiveness of Edited Images in Media

In the past, to see an advertisement or any type of media, you would have to buy a newspaper. Today, we have the capability of seeing any type of media in the palm of your hands. Unfortunately, this is not always beneficial to society. Many types of media use individuals that are not always pure of editing. According to Huffpost.com, only twenty-eight percent of cosmetic ads were untouched by editing (2011). Because companies have the power to do this, the beauty standards are held at an unrealistic standard that a natural human could never compete with. This can lead to severe mental health issues in people of all ages, including seventeen-year-old Karen. Unrealistic beauty standards can generate negative body images and mental health disorders; the use of body positive campaigns have been introduced in effort to improve the beauty standards in the United States.

Impact of Media on Body Image and Self-Esteem

Unrealistic beauty standards have been shown to generate negative body images in people of the United States (Tylka and Kroon Van Diest, 2014, pg. 70). One place that these standards are present are in media. Media has unrealistic standards that people feel they need to live up to. In media, producers use photo editing to make the face of their name as perfect as it can be. This reinforces the unrealistic beauty standards. One example of a type of media that reinforces this is pornography. In Tracy Tylka and Ashley Kroon Van Diest’s research, they found that pornography can lower one’s self-esteem because they do not feel as if they are good enough for their partner (2014). In their article, they explain that the women and men featured in pornography conform to the unrealistic beauty standards (Tylka and Kroon Van Diest, 2014, pg. 70). When a women’s partner watches porn, they feel like they are being compared to the actors in the porn (Tylka and Kroon Van Diest, 2014). The authors state, “these women reported feeling less attractive and desirable after becoming aware of their male partners’ pornography use” (Tylka and Kroon Van Diest, 2014, pg. 70). This puts two stressors on the woman. First, it reinforces the body insecurities that she may have had in the first place. Women reported more negative attention to their flaws and being more insecure about their good features (Tylka and Kroon Van Diest, 2014, pg. 70). Secondly, it makes a woman feel like she is not enough to please her partner. However, women are not the only people that can be affected by the unrealistic standards of the media.

The Gendered Nature of Beauty Standards

Most people immediately think of women when they hear the word insecure (University of Pittsburgh, 2014). However, men can also be affected by the unrealistic beauty standards of the media. The men’s standard of ‘beauty’ is different than the women’s slim and sexy standard. Many media outlets want men that are muscular and fit. Most men in the media are still photoshopped and edited just like women. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh talk about how young men fall to the pressures of models and body builders (University of Pittsburgh, 2014). This makes the men feel as if they are not good enough for society as well. This has introduced a lifestyle in some men that includes extreme dieting and the use of steroids and nutritional supplements (University of Pittsburgh, 2014). This is a very unhealthy and unnatural way to meet the beauty standards and can cause some serious health problems such as “stunted bone growth, liver damage, and shrunken testicles” (University of Pittsburgh, 2014, para 4). Men who eat healthy and regularly excessive could never compete with the extreme habits they would have to maintain to meet the unrealistic standard. Putting one’s body on the line to try to measure up to the deceiving male figures in media is not worth the potential risks that come along with it. This not only puts pressure on a person’s physical health, but it also strains their mental health.

Mental Health Disorders Stemming from Beauty Pressures

The pressure that the unrealistic beauty standards of the media put on men and women can lead to certain mental health disorders. One the mental health issues that can arise are eating disorders. Eating disorders, as described by the American Psychiatric Association, “are illnesses in which the people experience severe disturbances in their eating behaviors and related thought and emotions” (Parekh, 2017, para. 1). Some of the eating disorders that are characterized with negative body images are bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervous. Bulimia nervosa also described by the American Psychiatric Association is an eating disorder that involves binge eating large amounts of food and purging the food that they intake through forcing themselves to vomit or by taking laxatives (Parekh, 2017). Anorexia nervosa is another common eating disorder. It is normally characterized by having weight “at least fifteen percent less than the normal healthy weight expected for their height” (Parekh, 2017, para. 4). Patients with anorexia usually have a “fear of being ‘fat’” and problems with their body image (R. Parekh, 2017 para. 4). Most people with anorexia do not eat, may be bulimic, and or excessively exercise (Parekh, 2017). This causes additional health issues such as anemia and osteoporosis because they body is put into starvation mode (R. Parekh, 2017). Like men using steroids, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are detrimental to one’s physical health and are unhealthy ways to try to conform to the media’s standards.

There are many things that can cause a person to develop an eating disorder. The most common one, is body insecurity. Body insecurity is caused by comparing oneself to a standard that one’s body does not meet, such as the unrealistic beauty standards. Marzieh Mashalpourfard did a study on the relationship of social anxiety, body image perception and depression with bulimia nervosa and anorexia in youth to see how body image perception related to eating disorders (2018). In her research, she surveyed two hundred male and female freshman students and asked them about eating disorders, social anxiety, body image, and depression (Mashalpourfard, 2018). The results of the study conclude that anxiety, body image perception, and depression can significantly predict an eating disorder (Mashalpourfard, 2018). This reaffirms that the pressure that is put on people because of the unrealistic beauty standards causes detrimental damage to people’s bodies and minds. Many men and women are willing to put the heath of their bodies on the line to conform to the standards. Eating disorders are not the only mental health issue that can be rooted form the pressures of society.

Body dysmorphic disorder is another mental health disorder that can brought upon by negative body image. As stated in Lucia Tomas-Aragones and Servando Marron’s ‘Body Image and Body Dysmorphic Concerns’, “BDD [body dysmorphic disorder] is characterized by excessive concern and preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in bodily appearance…” (Tomas-Aragones and Marron, 2016, pg. 49). This means that patients diagnosed with BDD obsess about part of their body that they do not see as ‘perfect’. Unfortunately, suicide rates for people that have body dysmorphic disorder are high (Tomas-Aragones and Marron, 2016). According to Katharine A. Phillips’s study ‘Suicidality in Body Dysmorphic Disorder’, eighty percent of individuals with BDD had suicidal thoughts (2007). Additionally, around twenty-six percent of individuals with the disorder attempted suicide (Phillips, 2007). There are many therapies and treatments that can help patients with body dysmorphic disorder, but many health care professionals overlook the disorder (Tomas-Aragones and Marron, 2016). Many patients are too ashamed of their bodies to bring it up to doctors (Tomas-Aragones and Marron, 2016). Society today is too focused on having perfect people advertise products instead of thinking about the effect that their editing has on the consumers. However, some companies have realized the damage that unrealistic beauty standards have done to the health of the people and changed the way they campaigned.

Body Positivity Campaigns: A Step Towards Change

Body positivity campaigns can reduce the pressure of the beauty standards that are put onto people. One good example is body positive models. Madeline Stuart became a professional model at age 22 (Free, 2019). However, Madeline is not like all of the other models on the runway because she has Down syndrome (Free, 2019). Madeline is quoted saying, “I’m happy to change the way society looks at people with disabilities. I want the world to be more accepting. That is my dream” (Free, 2019, para. 5). Madeline defies the worlds stereotype for models. She also proves that there is no one size fits all on beauty. Madeline has walked for many well-known designers such as Colleen Morris and Nonie (Free, 2019). Madeline someone that women and individuals with Down syndrome look up to.

Body positivity campaigns can not only be though models, but through entire clothing companies. American Eagle, a well-known teenage clothing company, has worked to become all natural and promote body positivity. In January of 2018, Aerie, a branch of American Eagle, released their new editions to their #AerieReal campaign (American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., 2018). They brought in Olympic gold medalist, Ally Raisman, actress and activist, Yara Shahidi, and singer-songwriter Rachel Platten (American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., 2018). These well accomplished women were added to the empowering #AerieReal campaign that “celebrates its community by advocating for body positivity and the empowerment of all women” (American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., 2018, para. 6). The branch of American Eagle has been retouching free since 2014 (American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., 2018). American Eagle has also introduced some more body positive models into their main clothing lines as well. By introducing body positive campaigns, companies and individuals are changing the way that people think about the beauty standards.

The negative body images and mental health disorders that unrealistic beauty standards can generate will not go away. The body positive campaigns that companies such as American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. have introduced into society can help change the way people think about beauty. People suffering from eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder would not have as harsh of a stereotype to compare themselves to. This would hopefully lead to less cases of these terrible disorders and leave people feeling better about themselves.

By using body positive campaigns, we lift the stigma that promotes perfectness among humans. If media outlets were to use pure people as their models and actors, this would create a world with more body positivity. Unfortunately, we are far from this dream world. There are still many people who suffer from eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorders associated with negative body image. These mental health issues not only cause bad thoughts but can be detrimental to one’s physical health and may even lead to suicide. These issues could be improved by changing the unrealistic beauty standards that reside in our world today. By helping change the beauty standards, we can help people who suffer from the effects of having a negative body image, such as Karen, to be more positive about their body image, and help them succeed.

References

1. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (2018). Aerie introduces Yara Shahidi, Aly Raisman, and Rachel Platten as new #AerieREAL role models, joining Iskra Lawrence. Retrieved from http://investors.ae.com/news-releases/news-releases-details/2018/Aerie-Introduces-Yara-Shahidi-Aly-Raisman-and-Rachel-Platten-as-New-AerieREAL-Role-Models-Joining-Iskra-Lawrence/default.aspx
2. Donati, C. (2017, November 13). Here’s Why Society Has Unrealistic Beauty Standards. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/heres-why-society-has-unrealistic-beauty-standards_b_5a09bb8ee4b06d8966cf3172.
3. Free, Cathy. (2019, February 12) This Australia Fashion Model Is in High Demand. She Also Has Down Syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/02/11/this-australian-fashion-model-is-high-demand-she-also-has-down-syndrome/.
4. Gleason, N., & Sprankle, E. (2019). The Effects of Pornography on Sexual Minority Men’s Body Image: An Experimental Study. Psychology & Sexuality, 10(4), 301–315. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/10.1080/19419899.2019.1637924
5. Mashalpourfard, M. (2018). Relationship of Social Anxiety, Body Image Perception and Depression with Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa in Youth. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health, 20(2), 138–147. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=132968781&site=ehost-live&scope=site
6. Phillips, K. A., & Atala, K. D. (1995). Case Study: Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34(9), 1216. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/10.1097/00004583-199509000-00020
7. Phillips, K. (2007). Suicidality in Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Primary Psychiatry (14)12 58-66. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2361388/
8. Tomas-Aragones, L., & Marron, S. E. (2016). Body Image and Body Dysmorphic Concerns. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 96, 47–50. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/10.2340/00015555-2368
9. University of Pittsburg. (2014). Women in Media: Unhealthy and Unattainable Standards. Retrieved form http://www.gsws.pitt.edu/blogs/jtf18/women-media-unhealthy-and-unattainable-standards.

In the article “The Truth About Beauty”, the author Amy Alkon talks about how modern beauty sets standards people tend to follow. It feels like our modern world has an alternate universe. “Uglytopia”, Amy says. It’s a place where the content of a woman’s character is more important than her bra size or being on the cover of a magazine. Life is mean, and it picks favorites. There are certain advantages that some people tend to be born into like a pretty face or a lot of money. These people live the lives many dream of, but it is not our reality. The truth is, that a man will pick a hot, selfish chick rather than a selfless pure-hearted girl.

Amy explains that a wide and popular portion of evidence deeply shows that men and women are not only biologically different but psychologically different as well. As it was said, men tend to go for someone with advantages. Many features a woman possesses can attract a man to what they are looking for. Dressing expensive, having a small waist, youth, symmetry, having a pretty face, and femininity are all features men see of a fertile woman with advantages. You see, men see themselves as perfect. They want to pass on their “good genes” to a child but need a fertile woman. That is why a girl needs to have these advantages. Society sets these expectations so high that for many women it is a competition in which only the strongest can survive.

The truth is that women try to appeal to “the male gaze”. They want to look and feel their best while a man selects them for his wife. By looking their best, women increase their chances of getting picked. This is because looking neat is a priority to one of the advantages men seek for. No one cares about if a woman has a brain. Men want sexy and taken care of. No one is going for a girl who doesn’t wash herself every day. Besides the fact that all women want to appeal to “the male gaze”, it is hard for everyone to do so. Many women struggle with keeping a small figure. Nowadays, there are fast-food restaurants on every block. Of course, there are beauty standards around the world that are different than in America. In some places, like Sahara-adjacent hoods, it is considered beautiful to be curvy.

On the other hand, women prefer men simpler, as one would say. Many women have few standards on what they look for in a partner. If a man is taller than a woman and is wealthy, they have the woman’s needs taken care of. Some men may not have the needs of a woman. If a man doesn’t own these riches, it is harder for them to find a wife. These unwritten laws and rules were used in the “olden” days. Even if society has changed, it is still very helpful to have a man or woman possess these qualities.  

While on the airplane fragments of cloud scatter the ocean, as if painted by an artistic hand, delicate inflections of the brush spreading white over blue. Clouds pooled around the great mountains. The mountains lay in a great line like the spine of the land. Earlier in the morning the blue that stretched into the horizon had only been broken only by temporary wisps of white. The clouds are puffs of white magic in acres of blue. Slightly changing from pearl white to a calm yellow, warmly glowing in the summer sunshine. The morning sky is mostly cloud, deep steel blue greys that mirror the hues of the highway. Clouds move constantly flowing as sheets, hundreds of feet apart yet giving the appearance of one dense layer from the land below.

My visit to Hearst Castle was an old country mansion that had been extended over the centuries. It was built of stones of various sizes and shapes each one unique. It had over thirty bedrooms and twenty bathrooms within the magnificent walls that surrounded them. Everything about it said expensively built, inside and out. It was high upon a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It’s many pointed towers giving it the look of an eccentric crown. It had grown old, and tattered, the windows broken and the bricks crumbling.The walls were a white stone that glistened in the summer sun and the roof was grey slate. The oak floors lay strewn with leaves and debris, the staircase swept up toward an upper landing that had fallen away. Family portraits were painted in oils and hung in gold frames.The sculptures everywhere around the castle had been made long ago by masters of the craft.

One sunny day we took a trip to the beach. The sun emitted wave upon wave of heat from the center of a pale blue sky. The beautiful, big blue ocean’s waves are crashing against the cliffs. As you watch the beautiful birds joyfully fly around in circles in the air. They approached an ocean, vast and clear. The waves were wild horses rearing up before crashing down onto the beach. Pounding the sand with their white foam hooves.The water was almost still small waves occasionally hitting the beach with little force.The warm, golden sand runs between your toes with the gentle breeze. As you walk along, you find gorgeous, shiny shells that have been washed into the shore by the rippling of the water. They were all so tiny, so delicate.

We walked into a museum full of paintings I seen a painting that the composition of the painting is curious. Art is part of our human soul it is dreams emerging from a part of ourselves. A way to communicate with the deeper self of both the artist and others. My eyes were moving from place to place unable to decide what the focus of the piece is. I can only imagine that the art reflects the chaos inside the artist. The colors are vivid, almost to the point of garish. The stroke lines are bold and the images from out of this world. The painting looked like ash from some dirty fire had been mixed in. The paint itself looked like it was too thick on application giving the surface a rough look, the appearance of a stormy ocean.

I watch the sunset fall behind the horizon painting the sky. When seeing the sunset on the the sun cast its golden rays down upon the clouds of billowing smoke, turning them bright red. The sun was already dipping behind the horizon, an orange haze casted over the moving sea reflecting off every wave. It was like blazing flames were sinking steadily beneath the horizon. The bright pink wisps of clouds partially cloaking the magnificent globe. Half of a glowing radiant light loomed on the water’s horizon. The sun’s flames that give off warm rays that make you gaze into the distance, to absorb its power and existence.The sunset was already dipping behind the horizon, but the daylight still lingered in the air as though accidentally left behind.