Inner Beauty and the Reaction of
Society
Ugliness
The concept of ugliness
is a characteristic of an individual
that is deemed unpleasant to look at, and gives rise to an unfavourable
perception. To be regarded as ugly is to display an unattractive
appearance,
which could also be considered as repulsive, or even offensive. In much
the
same way as beauty, its converse, ugliness involves a subjective
judgment which
lends itself, in the final analysis, to be summarised by the expression
"in the eye of the beholder." Therefore, the implicit idea of
ugliness can be a mistaken or short-sighted judgment, as portrayed in
the story
of The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen. In this literary fairy tale, the story tells of an unassuming
little bird,
brought up in a barnyard, and who is subjected to abuse from his
neighbours
until one day, much to his delight and to the disbelief of others, he
develops
into a graceful swan, the most beautiful bird of all.
Even though
ugliness is typically regarded as a visible
characteristic, it may also manifest itself as an internal attribute.
As an
illustration, an individual may, on the one hand, be outwardly
attractive but,
on the other, be inwardly selfish and vindictive. It is also possible
to be in
what may be described as an "ugly mood," which is normally a
transient, internal state of unpleasantness.
Physical Attractiveness
This
may be defined as the characterisation of the physical
traits associated with an individual in terms of their being
aesthetically
pleasing or even beautiful. They may also include implicit references
to such
embodiments as sexual attractiveness and physique.
That
characteristic which is regarded as physically
attractive depends upon three determinants:
Universal perception,
which is intrinsic in all human
cultures
Consideration of cultural
and social implications
Individual subjective
preferences
Regardless
of universally held perceptions of beauty in
respect of both sexes, it is the male who typically places a much
greater value
on the physical appearance of their partner than is the case of women.
This can
be explained by evolutionary psychology which tries to identify psychological traits, such as
memory, perception, or
language, as the outcome of natural selection or sexual selection.
This
resulted from human ancestors who selected partners based upon
secondary sexual
characteristics which are
features
that distinguish the two sexes of a species, but which are not
associated with
the reproductive system.
A
further determinant relates to various indicators of
fitness, such as symmetrical features, which can give rise to greater
reproductive success as a result of higher fertility in such partners.
However,
a male’s physical features were ranked lower than his ability to
provide for
offspring. This may be explained by the fact that the foremost
indicator of
fertility in women is that of youth, whilst the traits in a man that
augment
reproductive success can be characterised by his ability to generate
the
resources for survival and protect his family.
Studies
have shown there to be universal standards in terms
of attractiveness, not only within but also across cultural divides, as
well as
within ethnic groups.
Beauty
– How To Succeed
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