The Religion of Beauty in the 21st Century

Sophia DeSantis
English Composition 1 Section 02
Professor Holsenbeck
17 March 2023
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Proposal:

I propose that beauty is subjective, therefore it is not worth sacrificing health to become more
beautiful.

Thesis Statement:

Beauty has confined itself as somewhat of a human truth, which has binding constraints for
anyone to curate a superficial image whether consciously or unconsciously. The unattainable
beauty standard promotes a dangerous type of conformity predetermined by social standards
through risky cosmetic procedures and the degradation of beauty as no longer self-evident.

Abstract:

For centuries, women have been expected and commanded to look a certain way. Beauty is a
work of art that knocks the viewer out of their shoes and speaks to their souls by capturing an
emotion in a new and exciting way. A truthful piece of art does not deceive the viewer through a
copy of previous works, but rather the artist is honest in his or her work. Beauty is evident in
both human art and in nature. In this paper, I will approach the idea of cosmetic surgery as
invasive and dangerous to one’s personal health. Furthermore, I will examine previous
oppressive fashion trends women have been subjected to in order to achieve a dangerous level of
beauty. I will discuss the controversial theory of aesthetics, or the appreciation of beauty in the
world. This theory questions the influence of the viewer in art in creating its meaning as well as
the issue of whether beauty is considered subjective or a human truth.
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Religion of Beauty in the 21st Century

I. Introduction

A. I will open up my paper with a quote from Audrey Hepburn, a film and fashion

icon, about how she feels about the true nature of a woman’s beauty.

1. “The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a

woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the

passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing

years”

B. Then I will introduce my topic about the subjectivity of beauty and the ways our

society surrounds a woman's worth around their appearance. The marketing

approaches and ways we speak about each other engrain the idea in people’s

heads that women are their bodies first and foremost and a human being with

complex thoughts and feelings second.

C. Thesis: Beauty has confined itself as somewhat of a human truth, which has

binding constraints for anyone to curate a superficial image whether consciously

or unconsciously. The unattainable beauty standard promotes a dangerous type of

conformity predetermined by social standards through risky cosmetic procedures

and the degradation of beauty as no longer self-evident.

II. Body Paragraph I

A. I will begin this argument with a personal experience I had with plastic surgery.

1. A good family friend of mine was extremely unhappy with her

appearance. She made the decision to undergo cosmetic surgery in her

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lips. The surgery completely botched her lips, leaving her with the biggest

regret of her life….

B. I will then provide some facts and statistics about the dangerous market that is

cosmetic surgery

1. I will introduce my first source in this paragraph

2. In 2018, over 1.4 million people received cosmetic surgical procedures.

Marketing and advertisements have no regards for the high risk plastic

surgery presents.

C. I will use one of my sources that delves into a study that evaluated multiple

Australian women who underwent plastic surgery and the dire effects it had.

1. Due to advertisement companies depicting attractive people as happier and

carefree, many consumers purchase products in order to appear more

attractive. There’s a whole market built solely on insecurities.

2. There seems to be advantages that come with being beautiful, which is

precisely why it is unequally distributed in our society.

III. Body Paragraph II

A. I will introduce my second source in this paragraph to discuss the psychology

behind why we subjectively view things as beautiful.

B. I will also discuss how certain social media platforms allow the influx of

impressionable young girls to develop unrealistic body image ideals, eating

disorders, and mood disorders such as depression.

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1. I will further go into the cultural aspects of aesthetics in modern day

America and the consequences of social media’s influence.

IV. Body Paragraph III

A. I will use my final source in this paragraph about the philosophy of aesthetics

according to Kant to further build on my argument.

B. “The apprehension of form is immediately pleasing, but the pleasure is regarded

not as a merely subjective state, but as if it were a part of the object” (Lee 2).

1. Beauty is present when we grasp the intelligibility of what we are

experiencing with no ulterior motive.

a) This creates a certain type of paradox in which beauty is evidently

designed in a particular type of way but has no apparent purpose.

2. We should all collectively work to expand the notion of beauty to account

for wide ranges of experiences to apply to diverse groups

V. Conclusion

A. I will rephrase my thesis in the conclusion and add any additional remarks I

would like to say.

B. Everybody wants to be beautiful, because what is beautiful is good.

C. While beauty will always remain subjective, it is important to stop promoting

unrealistic ideals and treating people as people and not the body they dwell in.
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Works Cited
Bonell, Sarah, et al. “Australian Women’s Lived Experiences of Stigmatization after Cosmetic

Surgery: A Qualitative Investigation.” Stigma and Health, vol. 7, no. 2, May 2022, pp.

169–77. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000378. Accessed 23 March 2023.

Laughter, Melissa R., et al. “Psychology of Aesthetics: Beauty, Social Media, and Body

Dysmorphic Disorder.” Clinics in Dermatology, Jan. 2023. EBSCOhost,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2023.03.002. Accessed 23 March 2023.

Lee, Harold N. “Kant’s Theory of Aesthetics.” The Philosophical Review, vol. 40, no. 6, Nov.

1931, pp. 537–48. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.2307/2180042. Accessed 23 March

2023.