Are there universal criteria for beauty? How foreign races were regarded?
How do aesthetics and power relations work among different cultures?
The criteria of what constitutes a beautiful woman vary significantly depending the cultures and people (Boritzer, 2002). Ideally, standards or characteristics of determining a beautiful woman in one culture may be inappropriate in another culture. People may think that the concept of beauty is the same across cultures, but that is not the always case. While some women with certain attributes are considered beautiful across many cultures, the definition of women’s beauty across the globe varies from one culture to the other (Boritzer, 2002). Such dissimilarities are attributable to the way cultures define beauty differently. For example, Americans may value flowy hair, long necks, and bronzed skin, in other parts of the globe, women with short hair, pale complexions, and big bodies are considered beautiful. Additionally, as the saying goes beauty is in beholders’ eyes. It implies that are no universal beauty standards.
The contact with foreign cultures usually influences and changes people’s perspectives on aesthetics. In most instances, intercultural encounters have a significant influence on the image of beautiful women. For example, the definitions and interpretations of beauty differ among the Chinese and Japanese. In contemporary settings, the Western image of a beautiful woman is exerting considerable influences on the way Eastern cultures view beauty (Boritzer, 2002).
Is it a new discovery or bunkum?
It is not a new discovery because of the variation in the way different cultures or people perceive beauty and beautiful women is not new. Cultural history reveals that different cultures have held different beliefs or perspectives about beauty since time immemorial. However, this does not imply that it is bunkum. The concept of bunkum is associated with nonsense, foolishness, or untrue ideas or words. The idea that beauty varies from one culture to another is not bunkum. In most instances, the absence of a universal standard of beauty can be proven through elaborate research studies. I think that the mere fact that different cultures have diverse perspective about culture underlines the importance of diversity in contemporary social settings.
Reference
Boritzer, E. (2002). What Is Beautiful? Oxford: Oxford University Press.
