What is Beauty?

Date: 23rd September, 2015

Akshay Dua Assignment No. 1
3B
Roll No. 33
Beauty is the quality of being pleasing, especially to look at, or someone or
something that gives great pleasure, especially when looking at it. An "ideal
beauty" is an entity which is admired, or possesses features widely attributed to
beauty in a particular culture, for perfection. The experience of beauty often
involves
an
interpretation
of
some
entity
as
being
in
balance
and harmony with nature, which may lead to feelings of attraction and emotional
well-being. The idea of beauty is not just a physical appearance of a person or
object. Rather, it is an understanding that gives some perceptual experience to
ones eyes, ears, intellect, and moral sense. Natural, powerful, real beauty,
however, originates from within the heart of individuals and when it blossoms, it
is expressed as a captivating, exquisite, and alluring spirit that is not easy to
contain.
The view of beauty not being universal was presented by Plato. According to his
views, beauty is something that cannot be fully defined through the senses. That
is because different objects are observed in different ways by different people.
Beauty is something that is defined according to the experiences that one has
had. Because this can be a subjective experience, it is often said that "beauty is
in the eye of the beholder."
Art is expressing one's feeling and mind in a non-literal way. The beauty of art is
that people can interpret the art work differently. Art is more diverse than
language because it gives everyone the authority to feel the work in their unique
way etc.
Plants are a part of the beauty of nature. Plants are an important aspect in
human life mostly due to their impact on the ecosystem. Plants are producers
and act as the main source of food for herbivores and omnivores.
What is categorized as beautiful is also defined through specific practices within
individual culture. For instance, the Surma and Mursi women of Ethiopia wear
large lip plates in order to stretch out their lips (Saad). The size of the plates
indicates levels of status. Another example is the Kareni and Padaung women of
Myanmar who use metal rings to elongate their neck and raise their chin. The
elongated neck resulting of this practice is viewed as the ideal beauty. While each
one of these practices would be considered foreign and outlandish to many
societies, they are a precise definition of what is considered beautiful in these

unique cultures. Cultural practices clearly contribute to the overall definition of

beauty.
Francis Bacon, the 16th century philosopher, put it this way: There is no
excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. This quote
describes the basic philosophy of the high fashion industry. The fashion industry
does not define beauty through proportional, standard features- this world is
interested in different, exotic and unique features that stand out. Along with the
trends in the fashion industry, the media also tends to promote a specific
definition of beauty. The media tends to focus on defining beauty as thin and fat
free, leading to many problems revolving around negative body image.
Some people are captivated by inner strength of character. As a result, they may
perceive someone to have a beautiful soul. Beauty is usually appreciated by
people because of the pleasure they derive from an object, an individual, or even
a thought.
Ugliness is a property of a person or thing that is unpleasant to look upon and
results in a highly unfavorable evaluation. To be ugly is to be aesthetically
unattractive or repulsive. Ugliness also lies in the eyes of the beholder. It depends
on how a person see anything and how he/she reacts and the comparison that is
made with something that he/she finds beautiful.
For instance: If we compare the beaches in Goa and Kerala. The beaches in Kerala
are cleaner and less populated than the beaches in Goa. But still we find Goa
better just because there is more footfall and there are beach resorts.