Beauty is often described as the aesthetic quality of certain objects, which makes these objects pleasant to see. These objects can include natural landscapes, sunsets, beautiful humans and artistic works of art. Beauty, along with aesthetic art, is perhaps the most important area of aesthetics, among the various branches of psychology.
In the broadest sense, beauty is defined by a person’s own assessment of her or his personal worth or value. There are many different approaches to the definition of beauty. Many philosophers have attempted to define beauty depending upon the natural beauty of objects. According to some philosophers beauty is a conscious quality or an objective quality of an object. Others believe that beauty is subjective, an essential characteristic of a person that cannot be objectively measured.
In psychology, beauty can also be defined according to the way in which it affects a person. An individual’s personal standards of beauty may vary from cultural norms. Individuals who belong to a particular group may have a different approach to beauty than another individual. Some people may find beauty in a face, body or hair texture, while others may look for beauty in an object. Different people have different levels of beauty, for example, while some people find a beautiful body nude more appealing than a beautiful car, others will choose a dirty house to live in because of their perception of beauty. In addition, people have different reactions to the sight of scars, disfigurements or ugly deformities.
In many cases, beauty is considered to be the standard of excellence in a person or in a group. For example, a Victoria’s Secret model would be considered beautiful by many, yet a British soldier of the First World War would consider the same model to be ugly. This example illustrates the concept of beauty as something relative. This can also be seen with respect to disabilities, which can be a source of beauty and which can also be considered unsightly.
Beauty of faces varies according to the lightness of the skin tone and the iris. People who have dark skins do not appear as beautiful as those with lighter skin tones because the dark skin tone disguises imperfections or blushes. People with light skin tones often appear as beautiful because of their light skin tone. Similarly, individuals with yellowish complexions tend to appear ugly, but individuals with pale skin tones can appear as beautiful.
According to several Greek philosophers, the only thing that is beautiful is the pure form of a human body. According to this school of thought, beauty encompasses everything that a human being might desire to have, including a beautiful face. Therefore, Greek women who use cosmetics on a regular basis can claim to have a beautiful face, even if they do not have the most beautiful skin tone. However, Greek women who do not use cosmetics can still claim to have beautiful faces because they can choose natural beauty products for their skin that will accentuate their natural beauty and give them a radiant look that other people would not notice.
