I've decided to take a different track on my project. I was thinking about power structures that effect me personally, and among the many I came up with was how people percieve/how I perceive my body - the physical ideals by which we judge ourselves and others -- even if it is subconscious.People are more likely to think you're moral and give you the benefit of the doubt if you are more "beautiful". People are less suspicious if they are better looking. People who are more "attractive" tend to get better jobs.
Our percetptions of beauty affect how we relate others, but also our notions of self-worth, reflected in eating disorders and body agumentation, or even those one or two minutes spent poking your body in front of the mirror. I think make-up plays a roll in this as well. Relating back to us being more likeable if we are better looking.
Scientifically, beauty is linked to symmetry (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080818-body-symmetry.html). So I've been trying to create asymmetrical poems about beauty and self-worth:
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0Bwb4AYF6ohvwMzkwYTRiMzQtYjczOS00MjZkLThjMzEtZmJmYTJlOTMxNDM0&hl=en
Please let me know if this link works. Oh, and the J and K lables are out of order :/ sorry. It won't stay that way.
I think there's something to be said for the confluence of the scientific and the vernacular. I know I don't usually think like that, so it's a little startling despite how much of it falls in the realm of science nowadays. It injects a coldness and sterility into something so personal and socially relevant, which I think reflects upon our modern perception. I can see how this could be taken further later on down the road.
ReplyDeleteIt occurs to me how different the perception of beauty has been in the past. Which kind of makes how far we take this concept, to scientific studies, life-altering changes or problems, or assigning spurious qualities, sound absurd. What does beauty mean? We forget that there is a human in there, trading for a representation. What does it say about humanity?
Interesting. I recently hit that same thing. I was talking about going and checking out the career fair and someone asked me if i was going to cut my hair and shave my beard. I said of course not. And then they looked at me like I wasn't ever going to get a job. I responded by saying that I don't want to have a job where everyone is forced to conform. I said that this is who I am right now and if they don't want that then they don't want me. Our society in the US is based heavily on looks. Like everything you said. We have all of these "beautiful" people in hollywood that flaunt their idea of perfection. So many people accept that and push it on others. There are tons of children being spoon fed "hollywood beauty" and each new generation we dig it in more and more. Many lives are ruined and many are elevated when maybe they shouldn't be. This is a great idea you have and you have to find a way to impact the populace because this is what people need to hear.
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