Jason+Gibbons

Beauty in America

Every day millions of women in the US judge themselves as ugly and unwanted. They see aspects of their body that they deem unperfect or strange. However, whos to say what is beautiful and what not? In america, the privellidge of determining beauty has been stripped away by the beauty product companies. Companies that convince younger and older women alike that they aren't beautiful unless they are using a particular product. Magazines and newspapers are filled with beautiful women, many of them modified by computers to capsulate perfection. Women reading these magazines and newspapers then think that because they do not look like the women in the pictures they are not beautiful. Studies have proved how harmful the beauty industry has been to the self-esteem of women but it seems that the beauty industry has no care of the consequences.

"We, as consumers, have been brain washed into thinking that a very specific set of standards are necessary for someone to be considered beautiful. They include being young, tall, and thin with perfect hair, creamy flawless skin, big eyes, and pearly white teeth. And that is just the beginning." ( http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/261712/defining_beauty_in_america.html?cat=9)

Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic. ~Rosalind Russell

http://packphour.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/american_beauty.jpg

"Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window sign - all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured. 'Here,' they said, 'this is beautiful, and if you are on this day "worthy" you may have it.'" - Morrison, Toni. __The Bluest Eye.__ Random House Inc. New York. 1970.

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Every woman in the United States participates in a daily beauty pageant, whether she likes it or not. Engulfed by a popular culture saturated with images of idealized, air-brushed and unattainable female physical beauty, women and girls cannot escape feeling judged on the basis of their appearance. As a result, many women feel chronically insecure, overweight and inadequate, as these beauty images apply to an ever-shrinking pool of women. Moreover, the diet, cosmetic and fashion industries are often too willing to exploit these narrow beauty standards so women and girls will become cradle-to-grave consumers of beauty products, cosmetic surgery and diet programs. http://www.ywca.org/atf/cf/%7B3B450FA5-108B-4D2E-B3D0-C31487243E6A%7D/Beauty%20at%20Any%20Cost.pdf



Beauty comes as much from the mind as from the eye. ~Grey Livingston

http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl2/10/105309/20_2009/7e475fbd165567ea_America_s-Next-Top-Model-Se.jpg

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[|The Scary Truth About the Beauty Industry]

industry in america The environment in America The American Character