Beauty as a Social Construct – between Personal Choice and Media Norms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15291/ai.4852Keywords:
dimensions of beauty, media literacy, beauty norms, mediaAbstract
This paper presents the results of a qualitative study investigating how people of different genders and ages perceive the phenomenon of beauty. The study was conducted on a sample of eight participants. The data was collected in semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The results point to three core dimensions of the participants’ subjective constructions of beauty: inner beauty, physical beauty and beauty as an expression of health. Although the participants recognised the complexity of the concept of beauty, they often pointed out that in social discourse it is reduced to physical appearance, which is mostly associated with youth. This association implies a perception of age and beauty as mutually exclusive categories. While participants described the acceptance of beauty norms imposed by the media as a matter of personal choice, they also recognised that such norms contribute to the creation of stereotypes and discriminatory social practices. Despite its continued relevance on both personal and societal level, the pursuit of a normalised appearance is interpreted as a socially conditioned, almost automatic behaviour. The results confirm that beauty is primarily a social construct that is a subject to changing interpretations and norms. In conclusion, the study emphasises the need for a critical approach to media content, particularly by means of teaching media literacy in formal educational contexts.
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