The book is set 300 years in the future. The story is told by a teenage girl named Tally. In Tally's world physical beauty is paramount- the end all be all of every ones existence. Beauty is so important in fact, that people are separated by their age and appearance. And at the age of 16 everyone undergoes an extensive operation to transform their bodies from their natural ugliness to a government agreed upon ideal for physical perfection. They are lengthen or shortened, thinned out or filled in to meet a standard. Their eyes are widen, check bones defined, lips made fuller. Hair color, eye color, skin color are all standardized as well. In addition to changes in their physical appearance the operation also makes them healthier and stronger. Anyway, the story is about Tally's struggle to overcome the social conditioning she has about beauty and accept the truth about what beauty really is. That is the story. Here is what has been tumbling around in my mind since I read it.
At first I thought the story was simply a funny piece of pop culture taken to the extreme. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that (minus the extreme mandatory "pretty" operation) our society is not much different from the one described in the book. I mean, isn't beauty on our day defined for us by someone else? The media. Aren't we all, in one way or another, striving to achieve some preconceived notion of beauty? Don't we all experience some sense of dissatisfaction and shame when we simply don't measure up to our societies "pretty" standards. I didn't want to admit it at first, but the more I've thought about it, the more I realized that I am a product (perhaps victim is a better word) of our societies views of beauty. I think this reality hit me hardest when we were in Rome a few weeks ago.
I had been thinking about beauty for some time and had been asking myself how I define it, not how the world defines it for me. But I was struggling to define physical beauty in my mind becasue my feelings about people, my experience with them, my knowledge of who they were made it difficult to see their physical features the way they really are. So I was excited to go to Rome and do some "people watching" and see if I could come up with a definition base solely on appearance. Was it their height or hair color or size or facial features that made someone in a crowd stand out as beautiful? Was it the way they carried themselves, their nationality, their clothing or style of dress? What is it that makes people pretty? These were the questions I was seeking answer to.
In any case, as I walked around Rome and watched the people around me I discovered that indeed, my views on beauty were base on society's standards. I discovered that for me beauty is about size, hair and skin quality, facial features and style. I discovered that the greater the combination of these qualities a person had the more beautiful they seemed to me. This realization startled and up-set me.
I think it was up-setting for two reasons. 1) it meant I had been conditioned by society to think about beauty in a certain way and 2) becasue don't want to those ideas to govern my thinking about beauty. I want to think differently about beauty than the world says I should. I want to be able to look at my pale, imperfect skin in the mirror and not be embarrassed. I want to see my not-so-thin hips and not feel ashamed BUT the conditioning is real and it is deeply rooted in me.
Toward the end of the first book Tally faces some of the same realizations I did. She spends the rest of the series fighting to overcome her beliefs and come to terms with the fact that our definition of beauty really is our choice.
Anyway, I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I certainly don't have it all worked out yet in my mind and heart but I am grateful for a book series (written for youth) brought the subject out in the open. I think the more aware we are of how we feel about things the more empowered we are to change our thinking.
How do you define beauty? Have you thought about it lately? Are your thoughts on the matter really your own? What can we do to redefine beauty for ourselves? I'd love to know what you think.
RaYnA | May 4, 2010 at 11:59 AM
Laura, this is a very thought provoking piece. I am not sure how I define beauty and I am not sure where or how I learned what I find beauty to be. I am going to ponder this. Thank you for this post.
Bonnie | May 4, 2010 at 10:39 PM
You posted this 6 days ago? How did I miss it. This is a really thought provoking piece...I agree with Rayna.
Wow, well first off I think the freckles are beautiful. Since I am covered with them what are my options! Just kidding.
There are some interesting studies on this from a scientific point of view. And they discovered that the more symmetrical a face is the more beautiful it is perceived to be. There was certain criteria also like the length, width and tilt of the nose, length of forehead, distance between the eyes, etc. But I think we are influenced most by the pretty girls of the media.
But when you look around there are not that many real people that measure up to those standards.
For me what makes a person pretty is how they put it all together. I am a decorator at heart I guess. I like to see someone that has put some thought and effort into their appearance. I think teeth are important and the smile. And if the eyes of the person are expressive. Hair has to be clean and well groomed. The funny thing about the weight is, it only bothers me on me. I don't think it makes other people less pretty unless it is very bad. Oh I could go on and on about this but we really are victims of our culture. Look at the Tongans as an example. Chubbier the better for them.
One thing I know for sure though. You are beautiful and you should not spend too much time thinking otherwise. You have always been a Gazelle!
Suebee | May 5, 2010 at 10:06 PM
I love what you have written and now I want to also people watch and see what my thoughts really are.
There is one thing that I know stands out to me on beauty. I love seeing someone who is dressed modestly in a flattering way. I feel like they show their beauty from the inside in a way that can't be shown when too much is showing. The confidence that comes with dressing modestly in a time of great immodesty is beautiful to me. Confidence and pride in who you are shows to me. Kindness also shows.
A lady, in the wonderful Newport Ward that you will be going to, said in Relief Society, "The face you have until you are 40 is the one you were born with, the face you have from 40 on is the one you earned. Will your face be full of happiness or sadness, anger and bitterness or kindness?" Sometimes I worry about that in my own face. I hope mine reflects love and kindness, but all to often I see angry or tired eyes in the mirror.