Running head: BEAUTY AND SOCIETY 1

Beauty And Society

Student Name

Institutional Affiliation
BEAUTY AND SOCIETY 2

Beauty And Society

The relations of beauty and society are evident such as when the looking-glass concept

states that people perceive beauty depending on opinions from others. Notably, the social class

aspect showed me that although I am from a middle class, cultural relativity warrants that I

should not judge someone based on their character but rather how his/her culture impacts them.

That said, the looking-glass self, social class, cultural relativity, and sociologists’ role in society

reveal that beauty is a relative factor that is shaped by other people’s output, and sociologists

should understand these factors rather than change.

Looking-Glass Self

The looking-glass self looks into related concepts in the development of the self as

getting contributed by other people’s opinions. MEAD addresses development through the

looking-glass self, which is a sociological concept developed by Charles Horton Cooley, who

asserts that an individual’s self develops as a result of how others view the subject. Therefore, I

did not develop my sense of self in solitude, but it got impacted by external factors that influence

the same. The looking-glass self explains the development of the self, which comes out as what

other individuals believe I am. An example would be when someone thinks they always have

bright ideas because those around the person keep reiterating the fact. The society has varied

ideals regarding beauty, and as a slim person, I notice that I am beautiful. I notice many girls

trying to lose weight through dieting and exercises so they can become slim, which is viewed as

a standard of beauty. It is in this respect that I see myself as beautiful, and my self-confidence

drops whenever my weight increases.

BEAUTY AND SOCIETY 3

Social Class

The factors of social class look into the stratification of societies commonly denoted with

upper, middle, and lower classes. Social class asserts that every society gets divided depending

on social and economic bases. Hence, every individual, including myself, must belong to a

specific class, and it impacts how others perceive them. The lower class consists of the

economically disadvantaged people who live in ghettos. The middle class occupy middle-level

jobs and afford a decent house, car, and their children attend descent schools. As part of the

middle class, we had an average life that is better than that of the lower class. My father had a

business, and my mother was employed. The upper class in any society consists of owners of

capital who employ those in the middle and lower classes. They have large tracts of land and

other assets and are respected in society. Being part of the middle class exposed me to both the

upper and lower class in different settings, and I notice that beauty is an intrinsic trait rather than

outward. Although I agree with the looking-glass self to some extent, people of the upper, middle

and lower, social classes experience both high and low self-esteem in as far as beauty is

concerned.

Cultural Relativity

The concept of cultural relativity relates to how culture influences my opinions and

perceptions. Cultural relativity refers to the variation of social perspectives that get shaped by

culture. Therefore, I possess life perception that aligns with my cultures, such as where I view

slim people as being beautiful, and everyone deserves an education regardless of gender or social

class. Being a slim person did not limit me from engaging with others who were thick and

viewed this as their form of beauty. I remember when talking to an African male who schooled

in the United States (US), and he told me he prefers thick women because they are petite.
BEAUTY AND SOCIETY 4

Although I was taken back by this outlook, I noticed that he comes from a different culture, and

cultural relativity took place. His view on beauty is correct only that it does not conform to my

culture.

Sociologists’ Role

Notably, the perspectives on beauty and how I relate led me to know that the role of

sociologists is to understand society as opposed to changing the same. Society is dynamic, and

sociologists are experts who help us understand how it works. Sociologists should not change

society because it existed even before our generation came. For instance, the society’s ideals on

beauty affected how I view myself and others. Then cultural relativity comes in and asserts that

we should judge others depending on their culture. This implies that society is dynamic and

complex, and the only effort should be to understand it rather than changing how people live and

handle social situations. It is in this regard that even after taking sociology, I would use my

knowledge to change the beliefs of a particular community unless if they violate laws.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the perspectives of looking-glass self, social class, cultural relativity, and

the sociologist’s role reveal beauty as dynamic and mostly reliant on social perspectives. I am a

slim person, and I know I am beautiful because, as per the looking-glass self, society views slim

people as beautiful. A concern comes when I fell ugly whenever I gain weight, although cultural

relativity implies that other cultures should be allowed to view thick as beautiful. Admittedly,

sociologists should understand society rather than try to change the system.