Beauty In Our Society

Beauty—a universal factor for attractiveness and a monumental factor that

separates those whom our society considers "beautiful" from those whom we
consider "ugly". We have imposed such high standards on it. Our society did. And
in our modern generation, it has undeniably turned into both a blessing and a
curse. We see those standards everywhere, we hear them, and we compare them
to our own selves up until we let ourselves give into them. However, before I let
myself delve deeper into the subject, I want to greet you all, my beautiful and
lovely audiences, and wish you a pleasant morning. I am Irish Angel Galo, here to
deliver a message aiming to approach and give insight to one of our society's long-
overdue issues—a message aiming to impart knowledge and realization to each
one of you.

We define "external beauty" as a feature present in an object or person that we

consider aesthetically pleasing. And more often than not, we acknowledge and
praise it more than inner beauty—we appreciate it more than one's personality.
For it is the external beauty that we first see upon an individual, not their
personality that come along in later interactions. It is also a factor that considers
one's treatment of and attitude toward another. We, as a society, treats beutiful
people as superior from the opposite. As a matter of fact, multiple studies suggest
that we view beautiful individuals as more intelligent, trustworthy, likeable,
friendly, and competent than those we consider "ugly." Therefore, we let
ourselves get more acquainted with "beautiful people" and ignore those who are
not, for we view them as dislikeable people.

As a result, the society we live in has evolved to possess such high regards for
external beauty. We give importance to beauty and aesthetically pleasing
characteristics in every industry. Physical appearance and neatness became a
quality necessity for job applications, especially in corporate and entertainment
industry. The lack of fashion sense and make-up knowledge became a disadvatage
for individuals who lacks interests on them—and the chances of them being hired
diminishes greatly. Because of this manifestation of external perfection, "beautiful
people" gained more recognition and popularity; they receive more love and job
opportunities. In fact, due to their likeability, many beautiful people can make a
living without even pursuing higher education. On the other hand, ugly people are
forced to hide in shame and under multiple layers of make-up and plastic surgery.
They are forced to change their appearances just to be able to compete in this
society and receive equal treatment as their counterparts do. This constant
striving to achieve equal treatment and validation became a curse for unattractive
people. These extremely high standards contribute to immense pressure on every
individual—even attractive people.

The rise of social media in our modern generation does not help appease this
pressing concern. Teenagers nowadays give immense significance to beauty. More
so, they made the word "aesthetic" a holy grail of attractiveness, thus paving its
way to becoming a trend throughout all social media platforms. In social media,
people gain validation and affirmation of their beauty through likes, comments,
and shares. And because of the popularity it serves, many of the netizens are
desperate to get hold of that beauty and be able to fit into standards we set as a
society.
Because of this interest of physical aesthetics, filters are used to correct facial
imperfections, cosmetic surgeries became a social norm, the market sales of
skincare products skyrocketed, and the overall growth of the beauty industry
doubled all because of individuals who are insecured about their looks. Industries
took advantage of people's insecurities—they made products according to them
and made an insurmountable amount of profit from it. This just proves how
prevalent and widespread the issue of toxic beauty standards is

However, utilizing these kinds of products and surgeries does not necessarily
equate to depravity and abuse of oneself. We must also understand that in order
to fully appreciate our physical appearances—despite their flaws—we must know
how to enhance them, and that's where those products and services come into
play. We must understand that sometimes we just need it to feel more confident
about ourselves. However, incorrigible and obsessive use of it may indicate
chronic self-deprecation and, even worse, a mental illness. We cannot always hide
our insecurities from one another's physical appearances, and sometimes we feel
extreme dissatisfaction from it. In fact, individuals who display the same
manifestations may be vulnerable and subjected to mental illnesses such as
depression and anxiety, eating disorders, and the worst of all—body dysmorphia.

Sometimes, we feel so ugly that we are afraid to look into mirrors and gaze upon
ourselves in photos. We feel so insecure about our appearances that we berate
ourselves to the point of mental and emotional exhaustion. Physical attractiveness
became a heavy burden as beauty standards evolved in our society. Continually,
we find it hard to fit into a society that praises flawless skin, a well-accentuated
face, and a proportionate body. We find it difficult to live among such beautiful
people.

Beauty is important; it is essential to harmonizing with our society and connecting

with other people. It is a component of attractiveness; it is an inspiration for love.
Yet it is important to realize that inner beauty does not need make-up or
materialistic things to supplement its attractiveness. And that is why, in the midst
of a society with high regard for external beauty, we must stay original and true to
ourselves. For it is our personality that defines us, not our external beauty. Once
again, this is Irish Angel Galo, a witness to beauty in our society.