October 25, 2007
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Artificial Beauty
I got a idea for discussion from WhatSarahsaid via IM:
Katie: hey I have a suggestion for a topic for xangaDan: (11:46:00 AM): Go aheadKatie: (11:46:44 AM): Do artifical means of enhancing “beauty” actually effectively raise the confidence level of those who take that route?Katie: (11:47:00 AM): Why I say this is, I just got this hair piece; its not a permanant set of extensions rightKatie: (11:47:11 AM): but it looks really natural, and people are noticing me now and my confidence is through the roofDan: (11:46:49 AM): That is a good topicKatie: (11:47:29 AM): sure its fake, but it really wound up helping. girls do that all the time with hair, nails, eye lashes, etc.Katie: (11:47:56 AM): I mean I feel bad that I fell subject to it, but my hair was really short and it wound up really making me feel better. so -shrug- i was curious as to other people’s views.Do you think that artificial means of enhancing beauty actually raise the confidence of those who use them?
Comments (94)
Absolutely. Many people feel more confident when they even just color their hair or nails.
It depends on the person, and why they do it. If they do it because they already have very low self-confidence, it isn’t going to help…
It’s scientifically proven that it does, and its somewhat obvious. =)
I don’t know. I think in some aspects it does especially right away when he/she keeps getting compliments. But later on does that person still feel confidence in himself/herself? Or do they just thinking how they have to keep up the artificial look to look good?
I’ve never used hair extensions, had fake nails, or had fake eyelashes.And I’m sexy as hell!Kidding (partially). I’d rather get complimented on something that I was born with, not some plastic some company made.
of course.
but then, your self esteem shouldn’t be entirely reliant on that sort of thing. it’s just enhancement.
Making yourself look great seems to be great for self esteem, so long as you don’t obsess.-David
Yes. Getting artificial beauty enhances people’s confidence for a temporary period. It doesn’t last long after and people typically don’t feel as confident (or pretty) when that beauty is gone (for example, when the fake nails get taken off) and it’s expensive to keep up on all that beauty stuff. If beauty is what you’re looking for, go ahead and get some artificial enhancements. If confidence is what you lack, artificial beauty is not the route to go!
i think it is only temporary because the artificial means unless made surgically permanent are temporary. although for that time they do enhance confidence they do so falsly.
I dye my hair and for weeks after I have it done – I feel awesome. I’m naturally beautiful (bwahaha) but something about pampering myself just makes my (week(s))!
Sure..women wear make up,color there hair, men wear cologne, hair pieces, all kinds of fake stuff, I think it helps but if you don’t feel good about yourself nothing will help long term. That is why some people are addicted to plastic surgery.
Yes, it does help. A little “boost” in your looks is always good for confidence.
Just don’t take it to the extreme…
I can’t see it having neutral or siphoning effect on self-esteem. Although, beauty is skin deep; so is human vision. =)
Well in this case yes. It depends on why and how far they go to make it artificial looking
It’s a girl thing.
No, it really does. When you’re sick or tired and feel like crap the last thing you want is people to notice and say “oh, you look so tired…” Using cosmetics to not look like crap is one less thing to deal with. Women notice these things, guys never point out another’s receding hairline with a hint of pity.
For a bit. There’s a line however. Going as far as plastic surgery DEFINITELY crosses that line- wearing make up, padded bras, or fake nails is fine. I don’t really understand it though, as I’m sort of a tomboy. The only thing I wear is eyeliner. & I dye my hair pink.
I wouldn’t know. I don’t exactly try to improve my looks ever.
i think it can
yes i do. u should watch dr. 90210. fake boobs, face lifts, nose jobs, etc…. they all say after doing their surgery they feel better about themselves.
well, it did for me.
but it does actually depend on the person.
Yes, of course. If I’m out in public with makeup on and a nice outfit, I feel so much more confident than I would in a so-so outfit with no makeup. I suppose that even more drastic forms of “beauty enhancement” make one feel better, too. When we think we look good, we can take on the world. When one is depressed, at least for many women, they feel ugly.
Depends… but that’s never TRUE self-esteem, and it never lasts. What happens when you get old? (Unless you plan on dying young, it WILL happen to you, no matter how much surgery you have.) It’s good for a smile, but not really worth anything.
yes but temporarily and superficially — it’s not a long-term solution to real confidence problems, just a ‘quick fix’.
I feel more confident due to dyeing my hair blonde because its empowering to be able to control that aspect of my appearance. Also it may be a Southern thing, but the worse I feel, the dressier I get. So if I’m heading into a difficult situation, my makeup is like war paint.
I sure do see plenty of woman pracing around in their padded bras, so I’d have to say yes.
I have confidence in myself with or without make up, but I feel prettier with it on.
perseyownz- “guys never point out another’s receding hairline with a hint of pity.”Yes they do.
It always helps. If you can look at yourself and think you look better than usual, of course it is going to give you a boost. I prefer natural nails for myself, and I color my hair on occassion, mostly to cover the greys that are coming in .
Yes, but I also think it is temporary. True lasting self-confidence must come from inside a person.
You feel confident when people compliment how you look, and if people like something you’re doing, whether it’s natural or artificial, of coarse you’re going to feel better.
If you are naturally good looking, why would you want to enhance yourself? If it’s something that is horribly depressing the crap out of you then go for it.If you’ve had a horrible disaster that can’t be fixed such as a hairstylist cutting your hair terrible…then that is okay to me to fix.I find manicures and pedicures pointless because you have to keep paying money for them to fill in the spot where your nail has grown out. It also ruins your nails and makes them brittle and soft….taking forever to grow out.I like to highlight my hair because it reminds me of my hair color before I got pregnant since my haircolor changed several shades darker.I’d like a tummy tuck as well, also because of pregnancy, but it doesn’t mean I am going to get it. I’ve learned to accept it and my boyfriend loves me for who I am.
I actually really do believe that it will and that getting enhancements are fine. Some females may call you a few things because you’ve recieved these improvements, yet I honestly believe that if they tried these ways of helping their self image they would feel the same kind of boost as you do.
—embrace?
Yes – only if people notice these changes. Confidence I think goes hand in hand of how you think people perceive of you. If you get compliments about how your new nails make your hand look more femine, or the extra hair extensions complement the curves of your face, or that new boob job makes all the guys turn their heads and whistle at you – definitely a confident booster. Otherwise, if everyone’s giving you a weird look, most likely not!
if i have any make up i feel pretty but i dont feel me
so i seldom wear makeup
but yeah i just dont like to feel pretty cause i know its not me
but im weird so…
ha
You bettcha! The whole beauty thing has two parts: looking it, and feeling it. When you feel beautiful, you tend to be more confident, smile a bit more, flirt a little… If it takes hair extentions, false eyelashes, or even a boob job to accomplish that, then so be it, babe!
Absolutely! I prefer natural beauty, but I can see how it would definitely enhance confidence.
Uh.. I think I might have a comma addiction….
In many cases it does. In terms of confidence levels and just plain feel good about yourself levels, there isn’t much difference between hair extensions and lipstick. Even a guy with a good hair piece feels better about himself. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t wear it.
I think they can, to a point. Making a change to your appearance that makes you feel good and beautiful is going to give you a boost (in the same way I certainly know that if I look like crap, I feel like crap). Taken to the extreme, someone who’s had a life-long insecurity specific to, say, her boobs, might feel a lot better about herself after getting a boob job.However it doesn’t always work that way, and I think that can depend on whether the insecurity was tied to that specific body part, or if it’s more of a lingering malaise about their bodies.
Of course it can.
However, if a person becomes TOO dependent on their choice of beauty enhacement, their self-esteem can take a nose dive without it.
Well, it depends on the person. I would hope, however, that confidence comes from the inside rather than being dependent upon one’s external beauty, but hey, if they’ve got self-esteem issues, who am I to poke fun at them? ;-P
No. I think that pre-surgery the person thinks so, but post they find out it doesn’t.
if it is a deep seated insecurity, i think enhancements would never be enough
It depends on what’s done. I think wearing makeup or doing one’s hair nicely or wearing clothes that work well with a person’s figure all can raise confidence. I feel way more attractive when I’m wearing a nice outfit and I know my hair and makeup look good. Because I feel more attractive, I carry myself differently, which makes people respond to me differently. (Even though I’ve been hit on while wearing no makeup, clothes sweaty from travelling, and greasy hair. Why, I don’t know…)
Plastic surgery is different, though. I had it to reconstruct my nose after a tumor removal, and I frankly don’t understand why anyone who didn’t need it would put themselves through that. I don’t really think it’s worth the bother if it’s just to change a feature you don’t like. It might make a person more confident, but doing something that extreme isn’t worth it. It’s one thing if something happens to you to make you not look natural, or if you’re born with a disfigurement, but if you just look like an average person and want to change whatever feature it is, I don’t think it’s worth the hassle.
Maybe they should just wear paper bags over their heads.
That’s the whole point, isn’t it?
Sometimes. For instance, I used to feel better when I had makeup on. Now I feel like crap whether I have it on or not, so I just don’t bother anymore. I think I agree with what shortfused said.
Of course they do…or people wouldn’t use them.
I think so.
I think so. I mean, if the person likes trying different things, they’ll be very happy. But people with naturally low self-esteem probably won’t change much.
I actually felt better when I had short hair. Not because people noticed me, but because I thought that I looked better, and that made me more confident. I think it has more to do with yourself than it does for anyone else, since if you’re confident, you can pull off just about anything. That could just be me, though.
YES,
What ever Floats your Boat- Nah, what ever makes ya feel good !
obviously.
in my case, yes.
Yes. At least it is for me.. instead of fretting about the way i look every second.. i’m only fretting every 5 hours! heheh..
Absolutely. Enhancing one’s beauty increase their confidence. However, they should not relied on this only.
Everybody knows that you’re lying when you alter what you really look like in order to look like someone else. Chris Rock said it best.
100% yes. OK, this is divulging just a little too much, however…my mother got breast implants three or four years ago. No one that I know wanted her to get them, and I was quite disgusted with her, but she feels so much better about herself now. She is a married woman, and I am fairly certain that she feels better about herself because she can enjoy other men looking at her besides my dad. She also likes what she sees in the mirror. She told me even her surgeon liked them. WONDERFUL mom. The real issue here is that people put too much emphasis on how they look. Your self-worth should not come from your hair or your boobs. It should come from who you are, your morals and all that stuff. Being proud of who you are is attractive.
I don’t know. It seems artificial.
I think that for some people , sure it does. It makes them feel better about who they are by enhancing themselves. For others, it makes them feel less confident. They’re constantly worrying about how the enhancement looks, is it askew or smudged, and then they feel worse about themselves without the enhancement, like they can’t look beautiful without it. I think that that is a very bad way to live, so people should just be happy with the way they are, rather than worrying about what people would think if they saw them without makeup. But then again, what do I know? I’m just a kid.
Perhaps, but it must be a truly temporary boost. Imagine the enhanced confidence they might experience if they knew and believed in how beautiful they are because of who created them and why? That is a permanent change that doesn’t stagnate.
as a reply to all these: I have to say, I agree; I’d never get plastic surgury and I specifically didn’t get those glue in permanant extensions either; its just a pony tail piece that I remove before I shower or go to bed. it makes me feel really good about myself, and I am constantly working on doing it without exta means. I think its nice to have something up lifting, like many of the girls mentioned, once in a while like getting my nails done, etc.
I am not a woman, but there are women that go over the line.I always like the natural look on women, that is just me there.
Real self-esteem comes from within, and not from beauty enhancements.
Get non-practical plastic muscle implants then get beaten up by a 10 year old.
Katie has some of the most beautiful writings.I love her stuff. Everyone should go give her a read.
I think it helps a little. But i’d still rather be complimented on something I already had.
it’s silly but it certainly raises my confidence… i always feel more confident when my suit is pressed, my hair is silky, and my nails are shiny.
absolutely!
It is true that this kind of thing is temporary because it is not solving the underlying problem. I’m getting a lot from the comments that women like to dress themselves up and wear makeup when they feel like crap and it makes them feel better. But what about what’s making you feel like crap? Dating problems? Work issues? Depression? What about trying to solve the things that make you feel terrible instead of superficially trying to mask what’s really wrong?
It raises confidence, but makes them uglier. No offense, people.I don’t wear make-up and I think I’m pretty. You couldn’t lower my self-confidence if you tried.
Yes, That is why nip/tuck is a hit show.
Until someone comes by and pops it. Fake boobs are fake boobs.I will NEVER dye my hair blonde again.
I can’t say this fact has 100% accuracy, but I read somewhere that women who have breast augmentation surgeries are 7 times more likely to commit suicide…Probably it has something to do with the fact that they were already unhappy enough about themselves that they needed to change actual physical aspects of their bodies in order to feel “complete” or “pretty”…
yes, but not permanently. it just leads to more problems with confidence in the end.
Well, ahh, if you read the post, you’ll notice it worked for at least one person. So I think sometimes is a safe answer.Confidence, however, does not equal contentment. It’s a quick fix. If someone doesn’t think highly of themselves, a piece of artificial beauty won’t resolve anything that’s beyond skin deep.
I definitely feel better about myself when my nails are done – I didn’t used to do them, but I’m a nail biter, and they never looked pretty – I just couldn’t stop the bad habit. Now it doesn’t feel right if they’re not done. It’s a personal pampering thing, one small indugence I do for myself. I do them very modestly – not real long, no wild colors – I use my hands alot teaching music, and the kids do notice little things – it’s better if you feel and look confident. They taught us about dressing professionally and all that in teacher education classes – it does make a difference.
I hope so.
How interesting.. I was just talking to someone about the way women act when they get hair extensions …They are normal before and then they walk out of the salon with the whole “flip the hair cause I am all that and dessert too, dahling” ..Sheez~
I think its stupid. Its fake stuff. You dont need fake stuff to make you feel better about your self. You need to learn to like yourself just the way you are.
Absolutely. I love my artificial means
absolutely. That is why I put on makeup and a nice outfit when I go out.
I never really thought of it this way.But, yes. Just yes.
Pathetically,My confidence improved when I got fake nails.Yeah they were fake, but people noticed them for some odd reason.And next weekend I’m getting a perm.My natural hair is straight, but I love it curled, and so do other people.Another confidence booster.
I think it depends on the person and the reactions that person receives.
i’d say yes (most of the time). But it also gets so addicting so that when camping time or no bathroom or make-up time comes around….the girl (or guy) ends up looking like a total self-involved loser. that’s when plastic surgery enters the picture. permanent change and boosts. and more addiction. oh god, some ppl need it, but why can’t more ppl be satisfied with themselves?
Things like Breast Augmentation I don’t think really help. There’s some statistic about depression in women who do that.Though, someone very close to me has genetic problems with their hair and got a piece. They do it to look natural and not face stares when they go out into the public. And, my Oma went under chemo and her hair fell out- was it superficial for her to wear a wig because she doesn’t want to draw attention to her condition and get stared at when she went out in public? People with alopecia areata? where they can be bad or have bad patches? It is a beauty enhancement, because of the social stigma around not looking tat certain way. I wouldn’t frown upon corrective surgery or anything else but people take liberty in that they will feel better about themselves if their body looks different- not just if you look different you will feel better because people look at you like you’re abnormal or sick.
Yes.Isn’t it all about self-confidence? Isn’t that why I’m trying to lose my spare tyre? Isn’t that why some flat-chested women get boob jobs? Self-Confidence is important and that’s what makes people attractive.
If you are confident in yourself, people will notice. Your cosmetic changes in appearance make you feel better about yourself. This gives you better self-esteem. Most people don’t need the things they think make them more attractive to attract the attention of others.
Absolutely. Would we do it otherwise?
sometimes. depends on the enhancement
i love having my nails done… as for hair extenisions – i only tried them once and they looked horrible.
They must, or otherwise people wouldn’t get those things done.
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