IWITNESS

Aired on January 14, 2017

BEAUTY NOBELA
By: Jay Taruc

Today’s beauty definition has continued to be discriminatory to some realms. No matter

how one argues that real beauty resides inside, the society upholds to definite beauty standards
in which being unique, real and different has no place. Women continue trying and struggling to
fit in with what society says. It even comes to a point in their life that they’re willing to risk
everything, undergo surgeries just to be the kind of beauty the society recognizes.

Throughout the years, the definition of beauty has been evolving. Media, celebrities and
advertisements influences the perceived face of beauty by the society. Beauty follows the trend,
trailing what’s presently loved by everybody. In today’s time, we can’t deny how Korean Culture
pervaded our standards of beauty. Nowadays, Filipinos condescended lots of Korean products
that had permeated our cosmetics market. It shows the wretched side of reality that beauty can
be discriminating. The most disheartening part of it, we ourselves discriminates our cultural beauty
and lure ourselves onto foreign figures.

Plastic surgeries have been the focus of the documentary. These surgeries have been
referred to as beauty ‘nobela’ as it may ended happily, or it may end in a tragic way. Lots of people
undergo these kinds of surgeries, risking it all to achieve the beauty they had always wanted.
Their experiences and struggles in life have been their pushing factor to go through such incision.
These people, they looked at the mirror, disgusted by what they see and think that they’re not
enough. They may have been bullied for their looks, deprived by acceptance and validation of
society. They just want to be loved and accepted and it seems that outside beauty is the basis to
receive that love and acceptance. They do not like what they see at the mirror because it’s not
something the society would assent to. Life is hard on those who don’t fit in the society’s standards
of beauty. Insecurities root from the poor treatment of society to them. “If only I am this, I would
be loved by many.,” this statement has been said by many of them several times. They are
insecure of their looks because that what society has always let them feel. It let them feel that
being just who they are is not enough. It’s always the outside beauty that the society have given
importance to. Always looking for a fairer skin, a pointed nose, a curvy body and rounded eyes, it
is what they’re only looking into to the point that what’s inside of us has been neglected. Now, I
am not surprised if the number of people who’ll undertake surgeries will double each year. This
number has something to say about how our society has been acting up throughout the years. It
reflects a hypocrite society clouded by narrowed perceptions.

As when it comes to surgeries, I am not against of those people that underwent through
these. I understand that they have a tragic past and they no longer want to live in that way. If it’s
where they feel prettiest the most, who am I to go against it. I have not shared their struggles and
pain, the discrimination that society throws to them. I love seeing women regaining confidence,
loving themselves and if that’s their way to regain confidence, there’s nothing wrong with it. I know
the feeling of having low self-esteem and believe me, it’s the worst feeling ever. What I do not
approve is how society behaves up to these days. They confined beauty into a narrowed
perception, limiting whom to give love and acceptance. This stigma needs to change. It needed
to be changed. The society should stop putting pressure to women in becoming the kind of beauty
we are seeing on billboard and magazines. Advertisements must stop being discriminatory to
darker skins. The society needs to change. It needs to learn to culture self-esteem on bodies we
have. It should accept being different and patronize our own cultural beauty. We don’t need to
trail foreign standards of beauty. Everyday, lots of people get depressed and commit suicide
because of this toxic mindset hanging to our culture. Society needs to promote and flourish self-
love. In that way, people are no longer pushed to change themselves. It’s not us who needs to
change our appearances but it’s the society that needs to change perception of beauty.

Beauty definition should evolve in a way that it doesn’t discriminate people. Beauty is an
appeal of art to our senses. Our bodies, our colors and our curves are arts inherited to us by our
ancestors, reflecting cultural beauty. It’s time that the society should destroy their definite image
of beauty. Instead it should flourish diverse kinds of beauty, learning to accept people in whatever
skins they are in, giving the love and respect everybody deserves. Beauty is not confined to being
flawless. A beautiful person is not perfect. Her beauty shines even through her flaws. The society
needs to hear what Kahlil Gibran has said, “Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart.”
Humans are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. Society’s standards that relies on what
eyes can see but not on what hearts can feel is the lowest form of beauty. Utmost beauty resides
in the mind, soul and heart of the people and I hope that the society would start seeing that.