Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Personal response 2
Personal response
Newspaper article 2
Going skin deep
From: SPH
Who are we to define beauty? Is there a guideline, or perhaps distinction between ugly and beautiful? I shouldn’t think so. The concept of beauty, is very much unique to any individual, and hence it is this social stigma in society that I am here to discuss.
As noted, Singaporean teens, mainly girls, are unhappy with their appearance. They often compare themselves with the much deluding Hollywood stars, which does have its adverse effect on our generation. This means that teens nowadays are so consumed in their idealistic nature of how their appearance “should” be like, which is disturbing. Physical features amount to the term “beautiful” – when beauty is in fact skin deep. This leads to a low self-esteem, which can have a negative impact on a young girl’s character in this delicate process of growing up. It is human nature to be particular of our appearance, but they have taken the quote “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” too seriously, in a sense that peoples’ conceptions on their appearance are far more important than how they perceive themselves. Indeed our portrayal of our appearance is important, but when it sinks into an obsession, that is where the danger begins.
In our daily life, we can make a conscious effort to set aside our deviations into our appearance, such as refraining from taking a look in a mirror. This way, we can focus more on our character and behaviour, rather than our outlook. But perhaps, we should be in their shoes and understand the desire to be beautiful, to understand their situation.
From a grown-up’s point of view, the assumption is made that teenage girls are trying to meet “impossibly high standards in looks”. Perhaps, such a claim can be made according to the survey, where one out of five young Singaporean women would consider surgery. It is reasonable to think that teenage girls are fixated on their physical flaws due to the influence of the media, but more importantly, the apparent drive to be beautiful, even present amongst many of my friends.
It seems that teenage girls lack confidence, of themselves and the world around them. Of course, there is a sense of empathy for what they are going through, the constant turmoil and dread of feeling “ugly”. Perhaps, in order to approach the situation in their aspect, I would have to think like the opposite sex. The authors were practical in conveying that we shouldn’t feel pity for them, but rather to display awareness, in order to reshape the mindset of our society.
Being a boy, I would never completely understand the complexities of the opposite sex, that what I am henceforth shapes the way I think and comprehend. Blinded by the conformation we follow on looks in Singapore, perhaps both boys and girls face the same problem – I should be impartial that boys as well tackle the desire to “look good” in some sense.
In conclusion, I do not think beauty is all that important…
It’s your heart that matters.
Newspaper article 2
Going skin deep
From: SPH
Who are we to define beauty? Is there a guideline, or perhaps distinction between ugly and beautiful? I shouldn’t think so. The concept of beauty, is very much unique to any individual, and hence it is this social stigma in society that I am here to discuss.
As noted, Singaporean teens, mainly girls, are unhappy with their appearance. They often compare themselves with the much deluding Hollywood stars, which does have its adverse effect on our generation. This means that teens nowadays are so consumed in their idealistic nature of how their appearance “should” be like, which is disturbing. Physical features amount to the term “beautiful” – when beauty is in fact skin deep. This leads to a low self-esteem, which can have a negative impact on a young girl’s character in this delicate process of growing up. It is human nature to be particular of our appearance, but they have taken the quote “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” too seriously, in a sense that peoples’ conceptions on their appearance are far more important than how they perceive themselves. Indeed our portrayal of our appearance is important, but when it sinks into an obsession, that is where the danger begins.
In our daily life, we can make a conscious effort to set aside our deviations into our appearance, such as refraining from taking a look in a mirror. This way, we can focus more on our character and behaviour, rather than our outlook. But perhaps, we should be in their shoes and understand the desire to be beautiful, to understand their situation.
From a grown-up’s point of view, the assumption is made that teenage girls are trying to meet “impossibly high standards in looks”. Perhaps, such a claim can be made according to the survey, where one out of five young Singaporean women would consider surgery. It is reasonable to think that teenage girls are fixated on their physical flaws due to the influence of the media, but more importantly, the apparent drive to be beautiful, even present amongst many of my friends.
It seems that teenage girls lack confidence, of themselves and the world around them. Of course, there is a sense of empathy for what they are going through, the constant turmoil and dread of feeling “ugly”. Perhaps, in order to approach the situation in their aspect, I would have to think like the opposite sex. The authors were practical in conveying that we shouldn’t feel pity for them, but rather to display awareness, in order to reshape the mindset of our society.
Being a boy, I would never completely understand the complexities of the opposite sex, that what I am henceforth shapes the way I think and comprehend. Blinded by the conformation we follow on looks in Singapore, perhaps both boys and girls face the same problem – I should be impartial that boys as well tackle the desire to “look good” in some sense.
In conclusion, I do not think beauty is all that important…
It’s your heart that matters.
# posted by Kris @ 8:13 AM 
