Running Head: BEAUTY

NOWADAY

Community Problem Report: Beauty Nowadays

Anna Victoria Grajeda Alvarado
The University of Texas at El Paso

Beauty Nowadays

ABSTRACT
Beauty nowadays and the media are highly linked. Its a struggle between self-esteem
and beauty standards. The media creates an ideal human being physically wise. This
creates controversy because the standards set by this phenomenon are unrealistic and
people try to achieve them, some do it in a very healthy way eating what is right for the
body. Others want to look how the advertisement person looks like by the next day and
therefore they induce themselves in plastic surgeries, try the wrong food supplementary,
some people not even that their mind is so weak that they fall for the eating disorders.
This paper will provide examples on how the beauty industry affects women and men in
various ways. By the conclusion of this report the reader will have a better
understanding and be more aware of what they are surrounded by.

Beauty Nowadays

INTRODUCTION

We cannot say that the beauty industry started as an industry it was something
more like a trend. There is not an exact date for the beginning of this trend but-the first
archeological records of clear makeup use come from Ancient Egyptian and Sumerian
tombs dating as far back as around 3500 BC. They used soot and other natural
ingredients to paint their faces, and even had specialized tools to apply their makeup.
(Wilcox, n.d.) This issue even though is highly directed to females, they are not the only
ones affected -men are affected as well but not on the same magnitude. There can be a
lot of controversy with this issue due to the fact that the standards set for the ideal
women and men are not very easy to reach or they are also expensive. People may
call the goals unrealistic, but how can they be unrealistic if there are people out there
actually looking like that. This subject creates a non-ending circle because when there
is good there is also bad and vice versa. For example a woman or a man that is
overweight sees advertisement or gets comments from the people they are surrounded
by that person can either find it as a motivation or fall in depression. This issue not only
affects the victim of the beauty industry but also the people they are surrounded by and
mostly people that care for that person. It is also an issue on the work force. Lastly the
beauty industry knows exactly what to say and show in order for people to be affected
in a good or bad way- by their messages that is what will be discussed on this paper.

BEAUTY ON THE WORK FORCE

Beauty Nowadays

We develop a theory of sorting across occupations based on looks and derive its
implications for testing for the source of earnings differentials related to looks. These
differentials are examined using the 1977 Quality of Employment, the 1971 Quality of
American Life, and the 1981 Canadian Quality of Life surveys, all of which contain
interviewers' ratings of the respondents' physical appearance. Holding constant
demographic and labor-market characteristics, plain people earn less than people of
average looks, who earn less than the good-looking. The penalty for plainness is 5 to 10
percent, slightly larger than the premium for beauty. The effects are slightly larger for
men than women; but unattractive women are less likely than others to participate in the
labor force and are more likely to be married to men with unexpectedly low human
capital. (Hamermesh & Biddle, 1993) With that stated it is shown that women and men
are affected by standards of beauty, being plane, average or good-looking by
societal standards created by the beauty industry can be of an advantage to those
falling on the good-looking category but of a great disadvantage for those falling on the
plain category.
LOOKING GOOD VS. FEELING GOOD
There is great controversy on this two toppings because as stated before they
are linked there is good but at the same time theres bad and vice versa. The media as
also stated knows exactly what to say and show in order get attention from people for
example on a video by Clean & Clear shows how girls feel insecure about their acne,
creating maybe for someone that doesnt even care about their face, to feel shame and
hide their face. The girls on the video look happy and glowing one of the girl says

Beauty Nowadays

When I have a clear skin I feel that everybody can see the real me. (Clean&ClearUS,
2014) Also for someone that is aware of his acne the product and the commercial is of
great help and use. Some of the media out there use the image of woman in a very
incorrect manner for instance beer shows women almost naked on their advertisement
making men think that if they buy the beer being advertised they could also get some
women like that. That tipe of advertisement uses those images to create a sexual
attraction between the viewer and the product (Manocha, 2014). Society might believe
that this hasnt been around for a very long time but that is wrong thinking. Back then
they didnt use woman the way they do know but still they cant be missing on
advertisement. (Budweiser Beer, 1958). Will woman try to achieve the bodies shown on
the advertisement in order to feel sexy, attractive or even just good about themselves?
HOW EARLY DOES IT START?
This starts from the formation of parents to their children. From there it goes to the toys
the children could be in possession of, Barbies and action figures it also is portrayed on
movies. For girls is to be delicate pretty and skinny and looking for their prince
charming. For boys is to be tough and strong. This could not be considered directly as
advertisement because it is a toy or a cartoon for children. On the good side of it it
creates with real children the interaction between them and gives them a common
playground toy.
NOT EVERYTHING OUT THERE IS MENT TO ATTACK

Beauty Nowadays

Some companies take the task to show women and men just as they are and
that it doesnt matter their height, their skin color or their weight. Others take the task to
show how companies are creating unrealistic standards for people. A video created by
Dove and Tim Piper shows how women are being extremely modified for ads. Creating
standards that ae beyond reach for humans. (Dove & Piper, 2006) If that video is almost
10 years old and the alterations where extremely exaggerated, who knows what they
are doing now to the images.
CONCLUSION
For everything out there, there is good and there is bad the media and its
advertisements on beauty can create either a state of mind of motivation and high
achieving personality with healthy goals or on the completely other side of the story it
can cause insecurity, low self-esteem, depression etc. It all depends on the mind that is
perceiving the information and how it gets processed. Even though this paper mainly
talks about women being affected they are not the only victims, men are also part of this
issue.

Beauty Nowadays

REFERENCES
Wilcox, C. (n.d.). Science of Makeup - From YouBeauty.com.
Retrieved from ://www.youbeauty.com/face/makeup-science
Hamermesh, D. S., & Biddle, J. E. (1993). NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES. Beauty
And The Labour Market, (4518).
Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w4518.pdf
Clean&ClearUS. (2014, February 3). See the Real Me - Acne Spot Treatment
Commercial | CLEAN & CLEAR [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ufCGSQlG8
Manocha, R. (2014, April 7).
Retrieved from http://visionwidget.com/images/2010-4/0413/beer_advertising.jpg
Budweiser Beer. (1958).
Retrieved from
http://pzrservices.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451ccbc69e2013485862140970c-400wi
Dove, & Piper, T. (2006, October 6). dove evolution [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U