The article explores the contradiction in society's perception of beauty and its significant role in life, as discussed by philosopher Heather Widdows in her book 'Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal.' Widdows challenges the notion that beauty standards are irrelevant by exposing how these ideals, such as thinness, firmness, smoothness, and youthfulness, have become global pressures. Despite claiming beauty's unimportance, individuals still adhere to societal expectations, reflecting a deeper hypocrisy in how we navigate discussions about aesthetics and self-worth.
Very occasionally, I'll sit with a group of friends and we'll congratulate ourselves on how little we care about beauty. "It's all vanity," someone says, followed by grunts of agreement.
People have always been concerned with beauty. It takes a highly selective and biased historian to think beauty has never been important.
Widdows focuses on four examples of global beauty ideals: thinness, firmness, smoothness, and youthfulness. Where, in the past, these were called 'beautiful,' they were, more or less, a matter of taste.
The difference between a 'local' beauty ideal and a 'global' ideal is how, today, beauty standards are normalized and naturalized.
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