Comments on: Cheeseburger Rule #14: Find Out What Beauty Means to You

By: pump high heel shoes

pump high heel shoes — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:05:15 +0000

YAA Adding this to my bookmarks. Thank You

By: spacedcowgirl

spacedcowgirl — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:50:45 +0000

Thanks for sharing that America the Beautiful quotation.. that’s so interesting. I’ll have to make sure and check out the documentary now.

By: tiffabee

tiffabee — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:48:20 +0000

Yes, she did write “Can’t Buy My Love.” She is awesome!

By: Juliet

Juliet — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:18:11 +0000

Jean Kilbourne wrote Can’t Buy My Love, didn’t she? I freakin’ love that book, and used it as a resource when I did my speech on the media impact on what women are supposed to look like when I was an undergrad. It was a great speech, if I do say so myself, and it made a lot of people think and ask questions. I was afraid of doing it, as the “fat girl,” but then I was really glad I did.

My idealized sense of female beauty isn’t as bad as most… it’s the plus-sized models you see on Zaftique or Torrid or even SizeAppeal and Avenue. I think curves are sexy, but not unrealistic or fake curves.

I also can look at a slender person, though, and if she looks healthy, I can think she’s beautiful. I find beauty where many don’t, both in people and in nature.

By: hope505

hope505 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:15:34 +0000

“..My point is that regardless of the technology there will always be some type of media that defines what beauty is as a collective and will therefore influence what beauty is individually…”

We, as Individuals, make up the collective we know as “society”…so if we as Individuals learn to change our specific ideas of what is “beautiful”, then Society will change as a collective.
Media will not “always” define what beauty is…in fact, media does not define beauty right now, rather, the media only reports on and USES the collective popular idea of “beauty” for promotion of products and services.

By: Joi

Joi — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:46:07 +0000

I think its good to remember that even without our modern media technologies our society/culture would still dictate what beauty is. Specifically I think of how in Europe in the early centuries, someone who was a “English Rose” was valued (waif like, ivory skin, thick dark hair). Or at various times how a woman with large hips was considered beautiful. We can see those images in old Roman art or statues.

My point is that regardless of the technology there will always be some type of media that defines what beauty is as a collective and will therefore influence what beauty is individually.

By: hope505

hope505 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:45:45 +0000

ok cstair, “..Being “thinner” both connotes and denotes health and a healthy lifestyle. ..”

I beg to differ. Please ask anyone in Malawi, Africa.

Nice to know that you also value “comely” facial features.

I, persoanlly, have a thing for guys with slightly messed-up teeth. I’m not talking about poor oral hygeine (ew!!) but crooked teeth, overbites, buck-teeth, gaps…rawr. *hahaha!* I had a boyf. for about 4 years who was ‘conventionally hot’ = GQ style, slammin’ bod, beautiful thick shiny hair…and a gap like the grand canyon between his 2 front teeth. *heh* It made him more ‘real’ to me.
* ; )

And the bioprogrammed criteria for attraction that y’all are talking about: Science has revealed that subconsciously (and sometimes NOT so subconsciously) there are biological “cues” for what is attractive to the opposite sex, so we’ll make sure to keep procreating. For women, childlike facial features to indicate youth, clear skin, large eyes, and the ever important hip-to-waist ratio are all factors that indicate our attractiveness to males.

By: batates777

batates777 — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:11:21 +0000

I totally agree with you , My Mother keeps on telling me for instance that 40 yrs back the FAT /Chubby was a model of beauty at my country..and that men were never atracted to thin girls back then ! mreover every girl was on diet to get fatter !!! extremely the opposite now ! haa..wish if i luved in that time ..would hv made life easier for me..sigh

By: cstair

cstair — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:56:35 +0000

right, I’m not attracted to the extremely skinny models either but I like that slenderness with some “hippage” because thats just what men are initially programmed to want in a partner, I also like “thicker” women. Of course everyone has their little offshoots that deviate from the generic beaten path and I’m one of those people. I like the quirks and personality, and physically, usually all that matters to me is like how comely their facial features are, everything else is secondary.

By: Itxaro

Itxaro — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:02:33 +0000

cstair: it’s funny, though, because I’m not sure that’s the case anymore. Sure, they have women with glossy hair and full, pink lips, and sparkling eyes, but all the women in the ads are at a level of thinness that is unhealthy for nearly everyone. I don’t see a lot of women in a ‘normal’ BMI (ignoring the failures of the BMI) paraded around as beautiful.

To me, beautiful has always meant someone with a unique flair, with a kind of light in their eyes and a way of carrying themselves that shows a true enjoyment of life.