Week 7

Physical Self:  The Beautiful Me

Physical Self refers to the body, the marvelous container, complex and finely tuned machine with which we interface with our environment and fellow beings. The Physical Self is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the person that can be directly observed and examined.

The physical self is defined by the physical characteristics that are visible. These characteristics are the defining traits and features of the body. Sex, height, weight, complexion, hair, and facial features are among the common, physical features identified when one is asked to describe another person. One’s gender is first mentioned, whether one is a male or female, then he or she is described to be either tall, short, or average in terms of height. A person can either be thin, fat, or average and light, dark, fair, or anything in between in terms of complexion. One can have brown, black, or blonde hair which can either be long, short, straight, curly, frizzy or he or she may even be bald. One’s nose can either be flat or pointed; one’s eyes can be almond-shaped, hooded, deep-set, round, downturned, or chinky. The physical aspect of the self does not include characteristics that are internal to the self-such as kindness, generosity, loyalty, obedience, and other similar qualities.

People nowadays are too conscious of how they look. How they see themselves in the mirror, how people will look at them and what will people say about them. The concept of ourselves and the perception of people around us will always have a big effect on how we deal in a situation, cultural or not.

Physical Beauty in its own right

When is a person considered beautiful? What is the socially accepted standard of beauty? Usually, only the physical features such as the face and body figure are considered as the basis of beauty. The cultural implications of beauty are prominent in every culture and have a strong influence on the way men and women are perceived. Across the world, different cultural perceptions uphold an ideal of beauty that is linked to sexual appeal and social status. The purpose of beauty is the feeling and consequences of being beautiful. In ancient cultures, according to Julian Robinson, "the enhancement and beautifying of the human form by various means appeared to be an inborn human trait, an essential part of our genetic makeup and an expression of our psyche."

People have endured some sort of process to beautify themselves, and in each culture, the process varies. A person’s attractiveness depends on many features. We can value a person at different levels with respect to his or her looks. Judgments can be made at each level. A person may have good looks, but nevertheless, be a faithless friend or a very poor dresser. A person may be fat and ugly but extremely charming, with a pleasant attitude and a great personality. This is how we evaluate a person’s appearance in everyday life. These distinctive evaluations clearly appreciate the levels as independent dimensions. By this, we could already say that evaluating someone’s beauty is difficult because we need to see the person as a whole and not just criticize him/her because of the way of his/her dress or because of his/her skin color. Beauty is Beauty.

We are living in a world where the material and immaterial selves are both represented. How is that possible? Thanks to advances in technology, we now have both a physical world and our virtual reality. How do you view yourself in both worlds? 

Society transforms us in numerous ways. The current embedded idea of what is attractive, beautiful, or handsome is an unrealistic image, which is genetically impossible for us to emulate. This unrealistic image is continually driven into our minds by the media through ads, movies, and TV shows. The media is a very powerful tool in reinforcing cultural beliefs and values. 

Factors that Shape the Physical Self

A.  Biological Blueprint

Body structures, height, weight, skin color, hair color, and other physical characteristics do not just develop at random: These are triggered by genetic transformation and biological development through heredity:

Heredity - has been defined as “the transmission of traits from parents to offspring. The traits are made up of specific information embedded within one’s gene, which is the basic unit of heredity. It is not surprising that we have inherited our physical traits from both our parents. When you look at the mirror, who do you think you resemble more, your father or your mother? If for example, you look more like your father than your mother, it doesn’t mean that you did not inherit any traits from your mother and vice versa. This can be attributed to the concepts of genotype and phenotype.

• Genotype refers to the specific information embedded within our genes; not all genotypes translate to an observed physical characteristic. 

• Phenotype, on the other hand, is the physical expression of a particular trait. Genotype can only be determined through blood testing but one’s phenotype can be directly observed.

B.  Environmental Conditioning 

While our genetic information determines the extent of our physical features, it is not the only factor that influences our physical self. As we grow up, we are exposed to environmental influences that shape our physical self, including those from our social networks, societal expectations, and cultural practices. Family,  being our first social group, forms a crucial foundation of our development, including that of our physical self. Aside from factors of heredity, our family is also primarily responsible for how we take care of our bodies. Our nutrition and sustenance were initially established by what was cooked in the home.

As we grow older, we become exposed to a larger social group and thus, new practices and standards. We become more conscious of our physical appearance as time goes on; we begin to take note of our height, weight, facial features, and other physical characteristics, in comparison to our peers. We start being conscious of our appearances, especially during the period of adolescence. As a result, we begin engaging in acts that would make us attractive and acceptable to others.

One aspect of beauty is body type. Contemporary media has portrayed thin bodies as the ideal body type for women and muscular bodies for men. Thus, adolescents indulge in activities that would enable them to achieve these ideal body types. For some, having a healthy lifestyle, eating the right food, and engaging in exercise are the steps in achieving the ideal body. However, some adolescents may resort to unhealthy habits just to achieve the ideal body type. It is important to remember that physical beauty is only skin-deep; that what matters is feeling good about oneself and embracing a healthy perception of one’s physical worth.

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” - - Buddha

The Self as Impacted by the Body

The nature of beauty is one of the most enduring and controversial themes in western philosophy. Beauty, traditionally, was among the ultimate values along with goodness, truth, and justice. It was a primary theme among ancient Greek, Hellenistic, and medieval philosophers; it was central to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century thought. By the beginning of the twentieth century, beauty was in decline as a subject of philosophical inquiry. However, there were signs of revived interest by the early 2000s. The two most-debated views about beauty are: Beauty is objective, Beauty is subjective. What do you think?

People nowadays are too conscious of how they look. How they see themselves in the mirror, how people will look at them and what will people say about them. The concept of ourselves and the perception of people around us will always have a big effect on how we deal in a situation, cultural or not.

The Physical Self Refers to the Body.

Both physical extremities and internal organs work together for the body to perform many of its functions such as breathing, walking, eating, and sleeping, among others. The body’s ability to perform its functions gradually changes through an individual’s aging. In general, the body performs least during infancy and old age. Physical efficiency generally peaks in early adulthood between the ages of twenty and thirty, and then slowly declines into middle age. Physical development and growth during childhood continue at a slow rate compared to the rapid rate of growth in babyhood.

Adolescence Period

 Adolescence begins with the onset of puberty. The stage is characterized by rapid physical changes that include the maturation of the reproductive system. Each individual goes through a succession of developmental stages throughout his or her life span. The current embedded idea of what is attractive, beautiful, or handsome is an unrealistic image, which is genetically impossible for us to emulate. This unrealistic image is continually driven into our minds by the media through ads, movies, and TV shows. The media is a very powerful tool in reinforcing cultural beliefs and values. Although it is not fully responsible for determining the standards for physical attractiveness, it makes escaping the barrage of images and attitudes almost impossible to escape.

A positive view of “self” involves understanding that healthy, attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes, and that physical appearance says very little about our character or value as a person. We have to strive to know ourselves beyond our preconceived ideas of who we are.

 What is Body Image?

Body image is both internal (personal) and external (society)and this includes: 

• How we perceive our bodies visually.

• How we feel about our physical appearance

• How we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies

• Our sense of how other people view our bodies

How we look has possibly never held as much societal importance or reflected so significantly on our perceived self-worth. The media, in particular, has increasingly become a platform that reinforces cultural beliefs and projects strong views on how we should look, that we as individuals often unknowingly or knowingly validate and perpetuate. The more we look at perfect images of others and then look to find those same idealized characteristics in ourselves and don’t find them, the worse we feel about ourselves.

It’s a cycle that breeds discontent.

With such strong societal scrutiny, it’s easy to see how the focus on how we look can slide into the dark side – negative body image. How developing mindfulness can nourish the best of who we are?  The greater our discontent with how we measure up when compared to the societal or media-supported norms, the more negative our body image. The greater the risk for extreme weight or body control behaviors occurs. We’re talking about: Extreme dieting /Extreme exercise compulsion / Eating disorders /Extreme or unnecessary plastic surgery / Using steroids for muscle building.

But Beauty is Culture Bound

In different countries, not all feel the same way about the concept of beauty. In fact, cultures around the world have different ideas of what is beautiful. 

Africa – they do not celebrate thinness the way other countries do. Famously the country of Mauritania has come to be known as one that idolizes overweight women. This is most often seen as a sign of wealth and fertility

Brazil – women ant to appear fit and toned, and things like waxing, sculpting massages, and manicures are everyday treatment, not only reserved for the spa

Asia & Africa – skin lightening has risen in popularity.

In order to understand their inherent beauty norms, we should study today’s trends and tastes, and their functions and meanings in our lives. In this broader context ‘a beautiful appearance’ refers to a beauty that is man-made. It is artistic in two respects: (1) it is clearly achieved by ‘cultural’ means and reflects our present culture, and,(2) it expresses someone’s personal choice and intentions. Its result is an intentional structuring from an artistic point of view: in short, artistic beauty.

The Impact of Culture on Body Image and Self-Esteem

• Self-esteem is all about how much you feel you are worth — and how much you feel other people value you. It is how you value and respect yourself as a person. Self-esteem affects how you take care of

  

  yourself, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

• Body image is how you view your physical self — It refers to how individuals perceive, think, and feel about their body and physical appearance.

• Appearance refers to everything about a person that others can observe, such as height, weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle. Through appearances, an individual can show others the kind of person he or she is (DeLamater & Myers, 2012).

Body image and self-esteem directly influence one another. When you have a healthy body image, you feel comfortable about your body and know how to care for it. Body image is an increasingly important topic in this day and age. Today’s society displays immense pressures to be thin, fit, and beautiful. Images of waif-like models are splashed across television and theater screens and in magazines, sending a message that success, happiness, and belonging only come with unattainable beauty. The constant measures of thinness and beauty lead people to scrutinize their own appearance as well as those around them, usually resulting in viewing their own bodies harsher than reality. How people view themselves, or their body image, can vastly affect their self-esteem, or overall feeling of worth. According to Jung and Lee (2006), the lower or more negative one’s body image, the lower his or her self-esteem. In addition, the more optimistically one feels about his or her appearance, the more optimistically he or she will feel about him or herself overall.

An interesting component of body image is that studies show peoples’ image of their body is not a reflection of their actual weight, but instead how they perceive their body as a whole It is this perception of appearance that leads to their body image, and subsequently, their self-esteem. In addition, there is often incongruence between one’s perceptions of his or her body and his or her ideal figure. The greater the incongruence, the more likely a person is to have lower self-esteem.

Body Image and the Adolescents

Body image can affect both the adolescent’s physical and social well-being. Adolescents worry about different parts of their bodies. Adolescent boys and girls tend to experience negative self-image because they are in a stage of development that is probably confusing to them.  The age at which puberty begins has implications for the way adolescents feel about themselves and the way others treat them (Feldman, 2010). Body image is related to self-esteem, which is a person’s overall evaluation of his or her own worth. 

The way adolescents react to their physical appearance depends in part on sociocultural factors. The emphasis that peers, parents, or the media put on ideal body types, which is slim or thin, leads girls to experience body dissatisfaction (Grabe, Ward, and Hyde, 2008). For both boys and girls, bullying and peer pressure are associated with greater body dissatisfaction (Webb & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2014).

Television, advertising, music, and movies are full of women who are thin, thus constructing the notion that the ideal body shape is slim. Some girls and young women try to compare themselves to models and actresses in advertisements. The result is that they try to change their physical appearance either through cosmetic surgery, dieting, or excessive exercise.

Girls who have higher body dissatisfaction are likely to experience depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders (Demello, 2014). For example, anorexia is an eating disorder in which the person refuses to eat for fear of gaining weight, resulting in severe starvation and death. It mostly afflicts females between the ages of 12 and 40, although men may also develop it. Another disorder is bulimia nervosa, in which the person induces purging after bringing in large quantities of food (Feldman, 2010).

For example, anorexia is an eating disorder in which the person refuses to eat for fear of gaining weight, resulting in severe starvation and death. It mostly afflicts females between the ages of 12 and 40, although men may also develop it. Another one is bulimia nervosa, where the person induces purging after bringing in large quantities of food.

Self-Esteem

The term self-esteem was coined by William James in 1800. He presented self-esteem as the number of successes a person achieves in the domains of life that are important to him or her, divided by the number of failures that occurred in those areas (The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, 2002). In the 1960s, behavioral scientists defined self-esteem in terms of an attitude concerning one’s worth as a person (Rosenberg, 1965).

Today, self-esteem is about how you value yourself and how you feel others value you. Self-esteem is important because it can affect your mental health as well as how you behave.

If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way you are, even if you do not fit the popular notion of “beautiful” or “handsome”. This healthy attitude allows you to explore some other aspects of growing up, such as developing good friendships, becoming more independent from your parents, and challenging yourself physically and mentally.

Developing these parts of yourself can help boost your self-esteem.

Are you Beautiful?

Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. ~ Khalil Gibran

There are many subjective forms of beauty, but none of those definitions reach the core truth of what beauty really is and why it should matter to us. If you want to look at the subjective versions, you could say that anything is “beautiful,” even ugliness. Let’s stick to something that exists as a universal truth about beauty. Beauty and love go hand in hand. One begets the other. Love begets beauty, and true beauty inspires love. The two together have the potential to create an upward spiral of joy and consciousness. The two things together can bring forth a deep sense of peace. A sense that all is right in the world.

The Importance of Beauty

“Do not judge a book by its cover”. You may have heard many people say this; you may have said this yourself. However, though it is a wise thought from the conscious mind, your subconscious mind will contradict you, and you will still find yourself judging people based on their looks on your initial encounters.

Physical beauty is extremely important. You must also understand that you need to know the correct definition of physical beauty so that your self-esteem will not suffer. The dictionary’s definition of beauty is, “the degree to which a person’s physical traits are considered pleasing or beautiful.” Take note that the definition did not indicate “who” determines what type of physical traits is attractive and unattractive. Why? Because even though physical beauty is extremely important, the good news is that physical beauty standards differ from one person to another.

A self-image problem happens when your looks do not match your beauty standards. For example, if you believe that being thin is sexy and attractive, yet you are not thin then you might believe you are unattractive even though there are others who find you attractive. The problem here is with your own beauty standards and not with your looks. To have a positive self-image and higher self-esteem, you must fix your false beliefs about physical attractiveness first.

There is nothing wrong with enhancing one’s physical self. What is problematic is when a person focuses too much on physical beauty and disregards everything else.

Below are some tips on how to take care of your body:

1. Healthy Food -You need to eat the right amount and combination of food to ensure your health and sustenance. Following a healthy diet results in healthy skin, your ideal weight, and better stamina.

2. Embracing a healthy lifestyle. Avoid drinking, smoking, and doing other unhealthy habits to reduce the risk of illness and diseases and to make your immune system stronger. Physical activities such as walking, running, going to the gym, and engaging in sports also contribute to a healthier body.

3. Maintain proper hygiene. Taking care of your body by consistently following a hygiene regimen can also help you feel good about yourself. You can do this by regularly brushing your teeth and proper

4. Be confident. Self-confidence is your best make-up and results in optimal physical well-being. Be secure in yourself, embrace a positive outlook toward various situations and problems, and love and accept who you

Whether beauty is biologically programmed or culturally constructed, it remains important in all societies. Admittedly, attractive people have a lot of advantages in life. For one, people who are perceived to be attractive favor those who are not in many social situations.

True Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Different cultures have different definitions and perceptions of beauty. People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The fact that many Filipinas have won international beauty contests shows that Filipinas are among the women who are perceived to be the most beautiful in the world.  People tend to judge others based on physical appearance. However, physical appearance alone is not enough to know a person’s true character. It is important to see into a person’s inner thoughts and feelings - one’s inner self. Above all things physical, it is more important to be beautiful on the inside.

Sadly, many women slough off enhancing beauty as self-indulgent or, worse, feel like they are not worthy of beauty in their life. If this is you, please listen up. The only way you will experience beauty in life is by giving it to yourself. Beauty exists everywhere and when you consciously connect with it, you will feel that there is abundance coming to you and that YOU can provide it for yourself.

And yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is important here is that you enjoy things, people, and places that are beautiful to you.

What are the different forms of beauty?

 We immediately recognize true beauty because it uplifts and inspires us. We know instinctively that this is a manifestation of God. 

• Physical beauty always begins with non-physical beauty first.

• Non-physical beauty is that which can’t be measured, but it can certainly be felt. It emanates from within. Non-physical beauty manifests through things like kindness, love, appreciation, harmony, joy, and peace. These things are all evidence that creative, divine love is being received and manifesting within that individual.

Once the inner beauty is felt, it will always seek to manifest outwardly in the physical. Maybe it is as simple as a smile. Or maybe it manifests as an act of kindness. Perhaps it demonstrates itself through some artistic creation. Or perhaps it is as simple as saying, “I love you.”

When we stop resisting our creator’s ever-present love, we will naturally seek to express that love by creating beauty all around us in the physical world.