Western Beauty Gender's Influence on East Asian Females Essay

Defining Gendered Beauty

Beauty is a subjective matter supposed to be interpreted by a viewer. Gendered beauty refers to the concept whereby male and females are considered to be visually appealing in various manners in the human eye (Said and Mohamad). The notion of gendered beauty and general beauty arose from the fact that there is no universal idea of beauty for male and females. For example, beauty in women is defined by being slender, and when men are muscular, they are considered good-looking. Gendered beauty is therefore dependent on the sex of an individual making the judgments of what beauty is.

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Self-Perception of Gendered Beauty

How individuals perceive their magnificence highly depends on the people looking to impress. For instance, heterosexual individuals categorize beauty as that what they think the opposite sex finds appropriate. In most times, it is mostly defined by what is seen in fashion magazines. Such magazines have set up the repertoire making them 'reliable' foundations in the beauty industry (Attwood). This results in what the public sees and believes are the most updated version desirable to the human eye. In addition to this, the notion of this gendered beauty is seen more pronounced in every gender's self-image. For instance, female's self-esteem is higher because of the evolving nature of the meaning of the beauty image (Attwood). The self-esteem among men is also increasing though it is not as prominent as women's.

Cultural Difference in Gendered Beauty in the East

Despite there being a consensus among nations where gendered exists, the standard of beauty us distinct in all societies. According to a research conducted recently, shows that beauty differs in different countries among women. In the United States today women having a tan skin are considered beautiful while women in the East are depicted attractive when they have fairer skin (Attwood). Caucasian male traits are considered more appealing because they symbolize more wealth whereas Asian features symbolize hardship and coarseness, thus making them less attractive. This is the same case as women, however in Asian men paler skin is considered more beautiful, and tanned skin is considered beautiful by the Western men.

Western Influence on the Gendered Beauty of Eastern Image

There have been several debates centered on the Western impact on the Eastern culture. The cultures of the East have maintained extreme traditional practices of fashion until the 20th century cause the Western dresses had either been abolished or frowned upon up to the 19th century (Attwood). That era of traditional fashion ended leading to what style is today despite traditional clothes worn in cultures like of the Chinese but mainly for particular events and celebrations.

While the Eastern culture must have influenced the West, after a careful analyzation of the beauty standards among these two different parts of the world, it is evident that beauty is entirely different. The most significant difference is in the gendered beauty where the color of an individual's skin tone is of consideration (Said and Mohamad). Among the men and women in the West tanned skin is considered more beautiful while the Asian men find women with paler skin. With All the other Western influences in culture on the Asian culture, the impact of skin tone on beauty seems not be affecting the men or women of Asia.

The similarity of the gendered beauty between the West and East is the impact on the society and the historical background. From the roots of Confucianism, the Chinese gender distinctions have placed prominence on ancient hierarchy. Correspondingly, the Western gendered beauty also historically emphasizes the regime (Jahoda). Many individuals believe that this concept of the gendered beauty has encouraged women to live their lives focusing on their appearance and the relationship with men. This reinforces the patriarchal structures of power in the society hence directly tying the concept of gendered beauty reason being in these patriarchal concepts; it is evident that women are considered more beautiful when they are delicate and passive as against to dominant and manly. In contrast, masculine men are deemed to be more appealing thus an indication that they retain power and dominance.

Women's Empowerment and Collective Individuality

A vital factor in the East Asian beauty is the impact of society and family on the consumer behavior and life choices. According to a recent study, 82% of women in Asian countries admitted to the fact that they halted in pursuing their dreams because of factors of societal pressure which is the highest contributor of self-esteem issues (Major-Poetzl).

Various marketing campaigns have been launched to encourage women dream again and break free these outside forces suppressing them. Iconic women and inspirational figures discuss stories of strength and courage and strength. The crippling pressure of women to get married by 25 is also discussed (Major-Poetzl). The Asian women face social pressures and are therefore helped to reframe their ideas of happiness, self-worth, and independence around the concepts of beauty. This approach is made by engaging individuals who contribute to this kind of pressures.

Works Cited

Attwood, Feona. Mainstreaming Sex: The Sexualization of Western Culture. 1st ed., I.B.Tauris, 2009.

Jahoda, Gustav. Images of Savages: Ancient Roots of Modern Prejudice in Western Culture. Taylor and Francis, 2015.

Major-Poetzl, Pamela. Michel Foucault's Archaeology of Western Culture: Toward a New Science of History. UMI, Books on demand, 1996.

Said Wahida and Binti Mohamad. ""Cultural Studies: The Effect of Western Culture on Muslim Lifestyle."." International Journal of Cognitive and Language Sciences, vol. 10, no. 6, 2016, Accessed 30 Apr. 2018.