BEAUTY STANDARDS
by: Shuvalakshimey Veethasalam (278019)
by: Shuvalakshimey Veethasalam (278019)
Setting of the speech (a brief point of view):
The presentation of the speech is set to be done in an auditorium that can accommodate about 1500 people. The talk is open for everyone ; targeting the people of the age range from 18 years old to 35 years old. However, it is not restricted to anyone above the age of 35 from joining. It is a safe space for all. People from various background, religion, beliefs , continent and gender are welcomed to attend this talk.
Speech Content
Hello everyone, thank you for the warm welcome and a very good day to everyone present here. I am Shuvalakshimey and I am delighted to be welcomed by such an amazing crowd today. I hope all of you realise how beautiful and incredible you are and I’m glad to be here to share my insights with all of you regarding Beauty Standards. You may have heard the phrase “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder”. But have you ever wondered who set the parameter to rate what is beauty? Well, let’s get a little technical here.
The standard of beauty is essentially a fluid definition of what it means to be pretty, based on the dominant feminine beauty values in a given culture. However, as beauty standards start to evolve, it does not only comprise a set of features that is deemed “beautiful” for women alone, but it also covers the aspect on the male beauty standards.
Of certainly, beauty is a cultural phenomenon. What one community admires may irritate or even repulse another group of people. What one person finds appealing is met with a shrug by another. Beauty is subjective and it’s nevertheless, universal. Perceptions surrounding beauty and body types not only vary by culture, but have evolved significantly throughout history.
Despite the fact that we all know every body type is attractive, regardless of cultural norms, the world continues to debate whose look is "better."
Taking European Beauty Standards for an example, perfect proportions, according to the ancient Greeks, were the secret to a beautiful face. They would not have valued a current movie star's eccentric attractiveness, such as Meryl Streep or Sissy Spacek. Rubens' women's double chins would irritate the eyes of today's fashion photographers. Victorians, who believed that little rosebud lips were the primary feature of beauty, would be astounded by today's big, sensuous mouths.
On the other hand, through the eyes of Asian’s, beauty standard is perceived differently. History tells us the yearning for pale skin has long existed in Asian culture. Pale complexion, for example, represented elite status in ancient China, whereas dark skin showed that you farmed or worked long hours in the sun. Having fair skin is often seen as the benchmark of beauty in countries such as Korea, Japan, India and Thailand. This desire eventually led to the development of skin whitening, which is now a multibillion-dollar worldwide industry in Asia.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Do you see the problem here? Society has made it normal to judge a person by their appearance just because they dislike certain things about the way they look. Every time someone looks through a magazine, and sees a picture of a model, their heart might desire to want to look like them. This ideology contributes to a notion that the way they look is not good enough. Sooner or later, they tend to feel insecure about the way the look.
These expectations are harmful to a person's self-esteem and can lead them to make questionable decisions about their own appearance. What we see in the media today has a huge impact on society. Many television shows and films feature attractive, fit men and women who appear to be perfect in the eyes of young teenagers. Thus, this contributes to appearance anxiety disorder among men and women. It destroys their confidence and forces them to believe that they are not good enough for anyone
Today, one of the most critical elements affecting an individual's mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health is their use of social media. The media's frequent portrayal of ideal beauty and body image comparisons has a global impact on men and women's beauty choices.
The adolescence phase is a critical period for both positive and negative body image development. The constant pursuit of the ideal slender, and lean figure can lead to unpleasant emotions. These emotions may lead teenagers to face serious eating disorder problems. However, for women and men in their early 20’s to mid-30’s, social media presents slender women and muscular men as more attractive and successful in comparison to chubby women and skinny men.
Apart from the physique of their bodies, men and women are also judged by the way their skin looks. To be more specific, acne prone skin is often regarded as unattractive. Pimples and dark pigmentation on a person’s face are said to be ugly.
Dear audience,
Do you realise that society has failed to understand how a human body works? Pimples and acne as well as pigmentations are normal. Often time when someone is stressed and gets less sleep, their skin tends to breakout. This is because the human body did not get enough rest to carry out it’s functions properly. Therefore, it is totally unreasonable to set an unrealistic idea of beauty and dump them on people.
What I am trying to emphasise here is that, beauty comes from within. You should know you're beautiful just the way you are. And you don’t have to change a thing about your appearance. The world and society can change its heart and perspectives.
Do bear in mind, beauty is not pain. You don’t have to starve yourself to look beautiful. You don’t have to lift heavy weights to be muscular. Treat yourself, eat that doughnut. Your body weight and physical appearance does not determine your actual beauty. Everyone’s journey is different.
Respected audience,
Remember, social media does not portray the reality of life. Often time, photos posted online and in magazines are edited with a software called Photoshop. So, don’t invest too much time believing everything you see online. You are enough and live for the beauty of our own reality. Don’t let the definition of beauty set by society destroy you.
Lastly, before I end my speech for today, let me tell you one more thing. In case no one has ever told you this, the silent battle, the endless tears and every little step you’ve taken in your life to make yourself a better person is beautiful to me. That's what beauty means to me.
That's it from me. Once again thank you so much for lending me your ears. All of you have shown amazing spirit in today's event. Thank you.
The presentation of the speech is set to be done in an auditorium that can accommodate about 1500 people. The talk is open for everyone ; targeting the people of the age range from 18 years old to 35 years old. However, it is not restricted to anyone above the age of 35 from joining. It is a safe space for all. People from various background, religion, beliefs , continent and gender are welcomed to attend this talk.
Speech Content
Hello everyone, thank you for the warm welcome and a very good day to everyone present here. I am Shuvalakshimey and I am delighted to be welcomed by such an amazing crowd today. I hope all of you realise how beautiful and incredible you are and I’m glad to be here to share my insights with all of you regarding Beauty Standards. You may have heard the phrase “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder”. But have you ever wondered who set the parameter to rate what is beauty? Well, let’s get a little technical here.
The standard of beauty is essentially a fluid definition of what it means to be pretty, based on the dominant feminine beauty values in a given culture. However, as beauty standards start to evolve, it does not only comprise a set of features that is deemed “beautiful” for women alone, but it also covers the aspect on the male beauty standards.
Of certainly, beauty is a cultural phenomenon. What one community admires may irritate or even repulse another group of people. What one person finds appealing is met with a shrug by another. Beauty is subjective and it’s nevertheless, universal. Perceptions surrounding beauty and body types not only vary by culture, but have evolved significantly throughout history.
Despite the fact that we all know every body type is attractive, regardless of cultural norms, the world continues to debate whose look is "better."
Taking European Beauty Standards for an example, perfect proportions, according to the ancient Greeks, were the secret to a beautiful face. They would not have valued a current movie star's eccentric attractiveness, such as Meryl Streep or Sissy Spacek. Rubens' women's double chins would irritate the eyes of today's fashion photographers. Victorians, who believed that little rosebud lips were the primary feature of beauty, would be astounded by today's big, sensuous mouths.
On the other hand, through the eyes of Asian’s, beauty standard is perceived differently. History tells us the yearning for pale skin has long existed in Asian culture. Pale complexion, for example, represented elite status in ancient China, whereas dark skin showed that you farmed or worked long hours in the sun. Having fair skin is often seen as the benchmark of beauty in countries such as Korea, Japan, India and Thailand. This desire eventually led to the development of skin whitening, which is now a multibillion-dollar worldwide industry in Asia.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Do you see the problem here? Society has made it normal to judge a person by their appearance just because they dislike certain things about the way they look. Every time someone looks through a magazine, and sees a picture of a model, their heart might desire to want to look like them. This ideology contributes to a notion that the way they look is not good enough. Sooner or later, they tend to feel insecure about the way the look.
These expectations are harmful to a person's self-esteem and can lead them to make questionable decisions about their own appearance. What we see in the media today has a huge impact on society. Many television shows and films feature attractive, fit men and women who appear to be perfect in the eyes of young teenagers. Thus, this contributes to appearance anxiety disorder among men and women. It destroys their confidence and forces them to believe that they are not good enough for anyone
Today, one of the most critical elements affecting an individual's mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health is their use of social media. The media's frequent portrayal of ideal beauty and body image comparisons has a global impact on men and women's beauty choices.
The adolescence phase is a critical period for both positive and negative body image development. The constant pursuit of the ideal slender, and lean figure can lead to unpleasant emotions. These emotions may lead teenagers to face serious eating disorder problems. However, for women and men in their early 20’s to mid-30’s, social media presents slender women and muscular men as more attractive and successful in comparison to chubby women and skinny men.
Apart from the physique of their bodies, men and women are also judged by the way their skin looks. To be more specific, acne prone skin is often regarded as unattractive. Pimples and dark pigmentation on a person’s face are said to be ugly.
Dear audience,
Do you realise that society has failed to understand how a human body works? Pimples and acne as well as pigmentations are normal. Often time when someone is stressed and gets less sleep, their skin tends to breakout. This is because the human body did not get enough rest to carry out it’s functions properly. Therefore, it is totally unreasonable to set an unrealistic idea of beauty and dump them on people.
What I am trying to emphasise here is that, beauty comes from within. You should know you're beautiful just the way you are. And you don’t have to change a thing about your appearance. The world and society can change its heart and perspectives.
Do bear in mind, beauty is not pain. You don’t have to starve yourself to look beautiful. You don’t have to lift heavy weights to be muscular. Treat yourself, eat that doughnut. Your body weight and physical appearance does not determine your actual beauty. Everyone’s journey is different.
Respected audience,
Remember, social media does not portray the reality of life. Often time, photos posted online and in magazines are edited with a software called Photoshop. So, don’t invest too much time believing everything you see online. You are enough and live for the beauty of our own reality. Don’t let the definition of beauty set by society destroy you.
Lastly, before I end my speech for today, let me tell you one more thing. In case no one has ever told you this, the silent battle, the endless tears and every little step you’ve taken in your life to make yourself a better person is beautiful to me. That's what beauty means to me.
That's it from me. Once again thank you so much for lending me your ears. All of you have shown amazing spirit in today's event. Thank you.