American Beauty

American Beauty shows a modern everyday family that appears to be happy and normal on the outside but very dysfunctional with serious problems. On the surface the film American Beauty is about the dream so many Americans have today, and have had for many years. The perfect life. Although American Beauty encompasses an example of emotional sleepwalking and living life as it passes by. The film was made and released in 1999, directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. The title of the film American Beauty was named after a particular Rose Hybrid. American Beauty stars Kevin Spacy who plays the character of Lester Burnham a 42-year-old man that starts to look at his life and seems to be unhappy with it. He is a twisted individual in search of himself or something else, he seemed to be lost. Lester has a wife (Carolyn) and daughter (Jane), a house, two cars, a good job, family dinners, every day of his…

makes eye contact with Frank through the window and opens the garage door via remote control. Frank slowly ambles in while Lester exclaims “Jesus, man, you’re soaked!” (American Beauty) Lester is clearly confused by Frank 's reasoning for being there, but then realizes the somber look on Frank’s face, prompting him to ask if everything is okay. Frank, ignoring the question, starts a conversation about Lester’s wife. Lester shares that his wife is…

America is an extraordinary nation, with a melting pot of identities and sexual expression, the more complexity, the more beautiful - hence, "American Beauty." The movie, American Beauty embodies many human sexuality theories, including identity, the inferiority complex, love, gender roles, and homophobia. Multiple characters' obstacles emerge from their negligence, and inability to preserve a reasonable identity. For example, Lester Burnham experiences joy by detaching his career and family,…

The film American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, views the American Dream as a constricting force that forces people into a materialistic, consumerist facade that adversely impacts their happiness. The characters are almost trapped by this ideology, and they have come to focus more on their material possessions and careers, rather than their family and those important to them. Throughout the film, we see constant examples where the characters value their material possessions over family, such…

Beauty standards are taking over our nation and it is time for us to take notice if we have not already. For example, social media like magazines, television and the internet lead us to think that we need to have a certain type of body. In Patricia McLaughlin's "Venus Envy" and Claire Suddath's "An Open Letter" both authors talk about how beauty standards are taking over the world and how ridiculous they can become. One major beauty standard these days would be the pressure for both men and…

represent beauty, intelligence and confidence while other body shapes exclude you from that title. It is well known that in American culture the beauty standard is set to a ridiculously high expectation. One that most women will never be able to accomplish without some sort of unnatural modification. And what is it that society continues to do? Social media, advertisements even the television programs we watch continue to push these expectations on young women rather than prevent the escalation…

people. Across the globe beauty standards vary from country to country. In Ethiopia, scars on woman's stomach are considered beautiful so they can attract husbands. Kenyan women believe long earlobes and shaved heads are all the the rave. Some women will go as far as using elephant tusks and twigs to pierce and stretch their earlobes. In Thailand, the Kayan tribe desires long necks because they believe it is the the ultimate sign of elegance. They will use heavy brass rings from the age of…

MOVIE CHOSEN: American Beauty American Beauty, a movie directed by Sam Mendes is a movie about taking a break from our ordinary day to day lives and becoming aware of the beauty around us while redefining what ‘beauty’ means to different people. It presents a satirical critique on the images of ‘beauty’ and ‘success’ portrayed by media and society which we internalize and strive to achieve leading to feelings of insecurity and confusion. By following a postmodernist approach, the director…

When you ask ones own personal definition of beauty, one might say “Pleasing to the human eye.” Society’s definition of beauty is most commonly perceived through appearance. Our society constantly changes the requirements or extends the definition and the meaning of the word ‘beauty’. American beauty fades away every few decades and turns into something new and iconic. Women in the 20’s turned the original “no skin showing’ beauty to a promiscuous new style. Likewise, women in the 70’s turned…

be truly beautiful they need makeup or to be skinny and curvy at the same time. ¨ A woman can always look younger than she really is.¨ - from Beauty Culture source. When the ancient Egyptians first started inventing makeup they did not have all the types of makeup that they had today they didn't have the techniques they have nowadays either. The use of products to enhance physical beauty has evolved throughout the years, just as the ideal of beauty has. People use makeup to feel beautiful.…