Beauty and Ugly

15/9/2015 VARUN SINGH

#14 , 3B

Beauty by definition is the quality of being pleasing, especially to look at, or someone or something that gives great pleasure, especially when looking at it.

An "ideal beauty" is an entity which is admired, or possesses features widely attributed to beauty in a particular culture, for perfection.

Unlike other Germanic languages, the word beauty is with Latin origin as in present Romance languages. The word derives from the Vulgar Latin bellitatem (nominative bellitas) "state of being handsome" from Latin bellus "pretty, handsome, charming," in classical Latin used especially of women and children, or insultingly of men. The newly introduced Latin term replace the replaced the Old English wlite, a concrete meaning "a beautiful woman", that was first recorded in the late 14c.

Looking at examples throughout history ,

In Ancient Egypt the beautiful face and female body shape were honoured. Special attention they took on clothes, hairstyle and accessories as personal hygiene was of utmost importance to the Egyptians. Since , the climate was really hot , purification was a really huge part of their everyday lives.

Egyptians invented the makeup. Egyptian were bathing with oils of pleasant smell, wearing light clothes, almost transparent and using cosmetics of natural products. They used natural products, made of almond, lettuce, lily, cumin, to deodorize their skin, daubing it with oils of lime and cedar. To make the skin softer they used honey. They started using soap around 1500 BC, made up of fats of animals, vegetables and salt. Egyptian women also used to dye their hair with henna and wigs on their short hair. They used a lipstick, an extract of a red paint that was mixture of iodine, bromine and paints of plants.

Everyone wore makeup in this civilization including men. The upper class wore jewellery which symbolized luck and protection. Men hated all kinds of body hair and thus , shaved off their and legs.

In ancient Greece, the Greeks had similar ideas as the Egyptians but they brought out new ideas and trends. Their hairstyles varied. They wore jewellery and hairpins to decorate. They desired wavy like hair so they wet it in the sun and used vinegar. Greeks considered pale skin to be beautiful and therefore, used chalk for the same. The used to color their cheeks and lips red so that their pale skin would stick out more.

The Middle Ages and the Romantic Period were very similar ,

The women compared light skin with symbolised richness because they could stay out of the sun. They plucked their hairline which gave them a rounded forehead and then tried to bleach their hair to make it lighter. They preferred red lips like the Greeks and decorated their hair with jewels , ribbons and clips and they also loved to braid their hair. Their outfits were very elegant and much related to their religion.

The Victorian Era was very similar to the Middle Ages but more advanced. Make up was considered naughty and against religion. They wanted light skin and use of natural tone colors for their eyes and lips. Women believed it was beautiful to fold up your hair and show off one’s neck and face and to have curly locks. They wore feminine clothing like dresses , petticots and corsets. Men wore neutral colored shirts , neck ties and everyday clothes.

During the 20s , fashion had changed drastically from the Victorian Era, women now showed their legs and arms in flabber dresses and wwore clothes with padding to look broader. Women use new methods of makeup like lipstick and mascara and also use tweezers. Men part their hair to one side and wore skimmers and suits along with an English travelling cap.

Standards of beauty have changed over time, based on changing cultural values. Historically, paintings show a wide range of different standards for beauty. However, humans who are relatively young, with smooth skin, well-proportioned bodies, and regular features, have traditionally been considered the most beautiful throughout history.

Ugliness is a property of a person or thing that is unpleasant to look upon and results in a highly unfavorable evaluation. To be ugly is to be aesthetically unattractive, repulsive, or offensive.

It may also be used to define something that is morally revolting , objectionable or simply unpleasant.