The Psychology of Beauty

 

  While browsing the luminous makeup counters in the cosmetic section of my favorite department store, a thought-provoking observation occurred to me about the women who work there and the heavy makeup they display, almost like kids wearing masks on Halloween. Then one of them smiles at me and calls out, ‘Hi! I’m Mindy!  How are you?’  Her eyes stand at attention on her face framed with bold and long, curly black false eyelashes trimmed with thick, raccoon-like lines of painted black liquid liner drawn thick, practically covering her eyes and connecting her lashes to her glittering sapphire-shadowed lids. Her prominent cheekbones shimmer in sparkling shades of pinks and reds, her lips are stained to match, outlined to enhance their fullness, glossed to a shining finish.  Her deep bronze foundation is the color of suntan.  Her kindness was apparent and I immediately feel a sense of pity for her, as she teeters, then balances, in five-inch red patent stiletto heels as she wiggles and darts around the cases and counters in search of products, looking for the perfumes and moisturizers like a lady-in-waiting for her wealthy, well-dressed customers. When the hub-bub dies down, she and her colleagues check themselves in mirrors, adjust makeup, brush and spray overdone, teased hair, and dab perfume on wrists. 

I deliberate about the superficial face paint and penciled eyebrows drawn into two upside-down smiles on her forehead. I speculate what Mindy would look like when the makeup is removed. She tells me she is married and I’m immediately curious about her husband, and what he thinks of her without her gleaming façade. I wonder how Mindy feels about herself without the pretense of makeup.  It seems to me that, sadly, her sense of beauty, hence her sense of self-worth, is validated only with the camouflage.  I desperately want to tell her I wish she could appreciate herself just for who she is, a kind and worthwhile person. 

I wonder if striving to look like a mature version of a Barbie doll simply what is expected of her and if she is in pursuit of this sense of beauty for herself, for men, or other women. Feeling beautiful can ease the 'pain' of growing older, a feature not revered in our culture, but I believe the media is to blame with their underlying messages that women are not good enough the way they are but need certain products to improve their looks or their relationships. 

We need to be mindful of The Beauty Ideal, as read in Chapter 5 of our text, and know that, while these images shape women’s lives, it is a huge aspect of corporate capitalism and U.S. consumerism, and gendered beauty practices are related to products and commodities that women are encouraged to purchase.    And t most of us, buy into that premise.  We need to de-emphasize this aspect of our being and encourage young girls to build stronger intrinsic selves, to make that the priority rather than these external images.