Reference no: EM132803706

To what extent is "beauty" determined by biological functions, and to what extent is it determined by sociological functions?

• There are a number of peer-reviewed studies that point to biological factors - such as face and body symmetry, waist-to-hip ratios, and physical characteristics associated with youth and fertility - as part of the "cultural universals" of beauty.

• But these characteristics alone don't tell the whole story of beauty. The images on this page are from an article titled, "What the Ideal Woman Looks Like in 11 Countries Around the World." These women may all have symmetrical faces or the other characteristics mentioned above, but these photos clearly demonstrate that the definition "beauty" varies from culture to culture. When meanings or definitions change over time, or vary from place to place, there's a high likelihood that we're dealing with a socially constructed concept. It's also worth noting that discussions of beauty are often gendered; we're much more likely to describe women and girls as beautiful than men and boys. Also, the beauty standards that we apply to one gender are often very different than the standards for other genders; the social construction of beauty prescribes different expectations for people based on their gender. (This is also true for different races, social classes, religions, and many other consequential categories of difference.)

• For this paper, you will need to use your sociological imagination and other critical thinking skills to evaluate women's beauty standards in America and Mauritania (NW Africa) and analyze the cultural similarities and differences between the two nations.

Question 1: Describe the physical beauty norms for American women, including activities and behaviors undertaken in pursuit of the physical ideal

Question 2: Describe the physical beauty norms for Mauritanian women, including activities and behaviors undertaken in pursuit of the physical ideal

Question 3: Identify aspects of American and Mauritanian societies that contribute to the social construction of beauty in each country, including type of society, culture, values, social construction of reality, and socialization

Question 4: Compare and contrast these cultural aspects: In what ways is the social construction of beauty for American women similar to the social constructions for Mauritanian women; in what ways are they different?