Physical self refers to the body which is a
wonderful and complex container.
…is a responsive machine with which we
interface with our environment and fellow
beings. … is a concrete dimension; tangible
aspect of the person that can be directly
observed and examined (Singh, 2018)
Influence of Culture to Beauty
De Mello (2014) noted that for evolutionary
psychologists, beauty is universal if all
cultures appear to have the same notion of
what beautiful is.
Evolutionary perspective explains that both
men and women have considered certain
physical features that are believed to be
indicators of beauty: health and good gene.
Fitness and BEAUTY is characterized by a
clean and unblemished skin, thick shiny hair,
and symmetrical face. That is, individuals
with unusual facial features are seen as more
beautiful since they are more noticeable
than those with average facial features.
Swami and Harris (2012) further added that
for the evolutionary psychological approach,
a person’s inclination for physical
attractiveness and choice of a mate is
dependent on the latter’s capability for
reproduction.
Beauty is cultural as well.
De Mello (2014) notes that in:
India- beauty comprise cleanliness, graceful
use of clothing, how a woman carries
herself, if her skin, hair and bindi on the
forehead are well cared for.
Africans in the past only a woman with face
or body scarification is considered beautiful;
a woman with large plates inserted into the
lower and sometimes upper lip is beautiful
and marriageable.
Few Asian countries like Malaysia,
Philippines and Indonesia consider flat
noses as beautiful before colonization.
In Japan, beauty is symbolized by the geisha
(a Japanese hostess trained to entertain men
with conversation, dance, and song.)
In the Philippines, our preference for beauty
is highly influenced by our much love for
movie and television actors and actresses
that we idolize. Thus, standards of beauty
are characterized by fair skin, long, straight
black hair, tall nose, and slanted eyes.
For scientists, a face is attractive when ideal
measurement is achieved for the space
between the eyes, the length of the chin, the
height of the eyes, the length and width of
the nose, and the width and the shape of the
mouth.
Importance of Beauty
The importance of BEAUTY is derived in the
premise that it is the face that we become
aware of when we encounter people.
What we observe (see) makes a difference in
the way we perceive them. Both men and
women, although women appear to be more
conscious of their beauty, take extra effort,
time and money to engage in activities that
enhance their appearance just to meet the
beauty standards that modern society seem
to promote.
Reasons Why some People Adapt to the a person may improve on so that he can
Seemingly Unrealistic and Unattainable achieve a healthy self-image.
Standards of Beauty
The harsh treatment from various media
(e.g., magazines and advertisements)
received by women who do not meet the
society’s standards of beauty. This kind of
treatment has psychological implication as it
affects women at its core. The latter leads to
the development of low self-esteem,
negative body image, eating disorders,
stress, and anxiety.
Britton (2012) mentioned that by putting
photo-shopped and computer-enhanced
models in advertisements, society has built
up impossible standards of beauty, which
has led to feelings of inadequacy among
women. Despite the costs (financial and
psychological), some still risk undergoing
procedures to compensate for the negative
feelings they have about their body image.
Good looks seem to be one of the sources of
esteem. But this is not a good source of
esteem since beauty fades as one gets
older, still a lot of women and men conform
to the society’s standards of beauty to
maintain their youthful look. Ultimately,
looking young despite old age, increases
one’s self-esteem.
BEAUTY or BEING BEAUTIFUL is a concept that
we automatically attached to the body. The
society’s standards of beauty sometimes
contribute to the development of a person’s
unhealthy body image or incapacitating beliefs.

Therefore, beauty should not be used as a

measure of a person’s worth. Nonetheless,
the physical aspect is one of the areas that