Ashton Chowning English 101 Summary/Response October 18, 2016
No One Can Define Your Beauty
Do men and women view beauty in different ways? In the essay “The Ugly Truth about Beauty,” Dave Barry answers this question. Barry discusses his views on why women have low self-esteem and why men have none to begin with. Barry’s essay explains the differences between men and women when personal appearance is involved; Barry incorrectly explains that men are okay with being average, that most women have low self-esteem, and that women wear makeup with the chance of looking like the makeup artist.
Barry believes that women are too focused on meeting social standards while men do not care how they appear to others. He states that most men think their appearance is around average normally they don't care about how they look to others or what others think about them. Barry also concludes that on the other hand, no matter what they are told by family and friends women tend to think of themselves as ugly. That they have low self-esteem due to media standards and growing up believing they have to look like a Barbie, society's twisted version of perfection. Barry commented, “Girls grow up playing with a doll proportioned such that, if it were human, it would be seven feet tall and weight 81 pounds… of which means 53 would be bosoms” (Barry par. 5). This is a social standard that women feel they need to meet. Barry holds to the view that in contrast, men would never compare themselves to others; they would never change their appearance to please the public. He believes that men do not seem to care what the social standards have to say, and they are comfortable with the way they look. Barry says there are many different ways men and women view themselves and women are much more uncomfortable with what they see.
Barry sarcastically points out that all men think of themselves as average looking. He says, “Being average does not bother them; average is fine, for men. This is why men never ask anybody how they look” (Barry par. 3). I grew up in a house with three brothers and three sisters were each one of them has asked how they look, more than once. I believe men do care about their appearance, maybe not as much as women, but they do care. I also believe that men do care about being average due to the fact that most men think they are “hot stuff,” even if they are not.
Another opinion that Barry writes about is that most women have very low self-esteem. He states, “If I had to express, in three words, what I believe most women think about their appearance, those words would be: “ ‘not good enough.’ ” No matter how attractive a woman may appear to be to others, when she looks at herself in the mirror, she thinks: woof” (Barry par. 4). This matter does come down to a personal opinion, but I do not agree that most women think they are not good enough. Yes, many women do have trouble with self-confidence and self-worth but many more women have fought to help these women. Girl empowerment is at an all-time high, teaching girls, teens, and adults that they are beautiful with or without someone telling them. There are multiple websites for girl empowerment like: sheheros.org, girlsforachange.org, thegirlsempowermentworkshop.org, and many more.
Barry goes on to point out that women will apply makeup to try to become like the model. He says, “All the women dutifully did this, even though it was obvious to any sane observer that, no matter how carefully they applied these products, they would never look remotely like Cindy Crawford, who is some kind of genetic mutation” (Barry par. 6). Women do not apply makeup to try to become the model. For a woman to use the same makeup techniques as another, simply means she likes the way it looks. I know when I apply my Kylie Jenner lipstick I am not going to magically turn into her. If a woman uses the same makeup look or style as another woman, she is not trying to become her, she simply likes the look of the makeup.
Dave Barry’s article “The Ugly Truth About Beauty” certainly gives a person a lot to think about when it comes to how men and women view their physical appearances.One has to wonder whether men and women actually have such a different views on beauty or if that is what society tells us so we believe it. It is clear that Dave Barry believes that men and women’s views are much different from each other. In the end, it is important that society lets men choose how they view themselves, that women have the right to be good enough, and that anyone can use any makeup preferences they want without them being accused of trying to become someone else.
Work Cited Barry, Dave. “The Ugly Truth About Beauty.” Delta College, Delta College, 2008, https://www.deltacollege.edu/emp/pwall/documents/theuglytruthaboutbeauty.pdf