Oppression Of Beauty And Culture

The concept of aesthetics has been long subjected to debates. As Plato once stated that the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Based from the literatures, western culture has dominated the concept of beauty. Western features like small pointed nose, chiseled face, big eyes and fair skin are favored by people from different culture. Media played a big role in influencing people as to what the norms of beauty are like. The color of the skin has been associated with wealth and power. This idea came from the history of oppression of the western society to the minority, like the African-American and Asian countries. Though having superior features, still, beauty enhancement is a common practice in the United States. From breast implants, nose jobs, Botox and even an enhancement for the sexual organ can be availed thru beauty clinics. According to Naomi Wolf, in her book, The Beauty Myth (1991), the cosmetic surgery industry in …show more content…
The French also are considered more sexy and bizarre. These ideas are embedded into French culture. Considering France’s history from Louis the XV to the twentieth century with surrealism and the proliferation of prostitutes, cabaret, and pornography, an inclination towards sexiness and the bizarre makes sense. On the other hand, the Americans are shown to have more ads for makeup and hair care products. These results have many potential implications. First, the product categories align with the literature that Americans prefer makeup to skin care products. They use makeup to cover up flaws and treat it as a commodity. More ads that display hair care products may indicate that Americans value great hair and are easily persuadable to try new