Princess for a Day

  
You’re walking down the aisle, your arm locked in with your father’s arm and all your family, friends and loved ones are present with smiles and warming contemplations. As you walk down, at the alter is your husband to be, the love of your life. What a pleasant image to create in a woman’s head. Many women dream with having the perfect wedding, at least I know I am one of those women. 

Weddings take time, planning, organization, and money. There are many sources were women can get influenced for their perception of their own weddings. Influences can be, but are not limited to, from magazines, the Internet, and weddings that were attended.

Dreaming of an ideal wedding goes back to when you were just a child. I remember being young at my parents wedding through the Catholic Church. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and ever since I have always dreamed on a wedding like that.  The culture and society in which a woman lives in has a lot to do with the way a wedding will turn out to be.

How do you see your wedding? What will the design of your dress be? Church? Reception? Guests? We all have an image but until the time comes its all under a dream. ~ Brenda

Most women, if not all, dream of that perfect wedding – from the reception down to their wedding dress. They will make it their priority to make every single detail perfect and it made me wonder the things these women go through to make it perfect. And because of this ritual, so many reality shows were created specifically catering to brides and their special day. Shows such as “Say Yes to the Dress”, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway”, “Four Weddings”, etc. But one show that really stood out there even though it’s been canceled was “Bridalplasty”, which aired from 2010 to 2011 on E! Network. The show basically followed engaged women competing for the wedding of their dreams and their dream plastic surgery procedure. It just makes me wonder how many women are willing to go through so much just to make that day special. ~ Ashley

Source: E! Entertainment

Every girl has dreamt of being a princess, even if it is just for one day. One of the most extravagant practices in the United States is a wedding. Bridal is definitely trending. In the United States, the average cost for a wedding is $20,000. Once engaged, a woman starts having flashbacks of all the dreams and memories she has had leading up to this day. Poring over bridal magazines, specialized websites, and even thousands of pinterest boards, women plan their wedding day accounting for every detail. I know as a little girl I have always dreamt of what my wedding would be like, but with more television shows, magazines, blogs, pinterest, etc.… my vision changes as I see new, cool, innovative ideas. One thing I know for sure is that I want to have that feeling of being a princess even if it is just for one day. ~ Chelsea

Most women started fantasizing about their “big day” since they were little girls are actually dressed up as princesses.  Some women knew they had found THE dress even before they were in a relationship.  In my opinion, the dress is the first thing women think about, everything else comes after.  Planning a wedding takes a lot of work and time, sometimes it even takes years.   Nowadays, couples are more likely to pay for the wedding themselves rather than splitting it up with their parents.  Couples are more financially stable and have solid careers going for them.  The article states that despite the increase in divorce rates, couples still continue to get married, however I disagree with that.  It seems as though couples now choose to move in with each other and then they do not feel the need for a change into marriage.  I find it so interesting how times have changed, but I, for one, will always be an old fashioned gal with the dream of my big day and I happen to be lucky enough to have Pinterest to guide me through the process.  ~ Sandy

India Examines Color of Beauty

In many parts of the world, people are judged by their skin color. Generally, we often see more light-skinned actresses or models in the media than we do dark-skinned. Personally, I think the world is evolving and now we see a lot more actresses who have a dark complexion on TV or in magazines. Every culture and every society has a particular view on what is beautiful and what is attractive. Sometimes it’s frustrating to see these people, especially women who try to alter they’re appearance by either using creams to enhance lightness or by going to tanning salons to get a darker complexion. It’s that standard of beauty that everyone wants to live up to that causes this to happen and instead of embracing what they’re born with and being comfortable in their own skin they follow these trends. As cliché as it sounds reading this article made me think of the phrase, “Beauty is only skin deep.” Beauty itself shouldn’t mainly be a physical thing, but it should be based on a person’s character. ~ Ashley

Women everywhere want to be considered beautiful; and all over the world there are different interpretations of beauty. In India, a woman who is more fair is considered the most beautiful. Throughout the country, represented on magazines, advertisements, and billboards, light-skinned women are dominating, and being portrayed as the ideal body type. Women have gone as far as to buy skin lighteners, to help enhance their beauty. It is interesting to see what women in other countries believe to be beautiful. Here, in sunny California, the land of the rich and famous, the interpretation of beauty, is Botox, extensions, thinness, and a spray tan. In America, women in advertisements, magazines, and billboards are depicted as being thin and dark skinned with a golden-bronze glow. Ironic really, that the Indian culture believes in fair skin beauty, while the American culture believes in the complete opposite of dark skin beauty. It seems as though our culture defines what is beautiful when in actuality, beauty should be determined by the individual. ~Chelsea 

Skin tone groups each individual person into a certain category.  Throughout the history of various countries, we have seen how light-skinned people have been viewed as wealthy since they did not have to be working outdoors (working class).  It is no different in India.  Women who are lighter-skinned are tied to the lighter-skinned Central Asian tribes who were the first to arrive in India and therefore are considered wealthier.  It is painful to see how women all around the world alter their appearance in order to fit society’s expectations of beauty.  There is an increasing sale of lightening creams in India, which bring in more than $100 million each year.  Personally, I have always felt that Indian women are one of the most beautiful.  I find their skin tone to be exotic and unique.  Although tanned skin is “in” here in America, I am quite fair-skinned and the exception to that rule.  I cannot get tanned; instead I instantly turn red causing me to have hundreds of different shades on my body (slight exaggeration).  I do use a lightening cream on my face and neck to even out my skin tone and get rid of acne scars but not to alter my skin tone.  I find beauty in light-skinned women and in dark-skinned women.   Women in India are also now starting to appreciate both instead of just wishing to be light-skinned, which I think is great.  The diversity of color is what makes the world beautiful; therefore we should not want to alter that beauty.  ~ Sandy

Sources:  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPURC0Jr7CL0Z0BExRcZwN-GLQcY2nHsv1ch0giG9BOl3sPas1_bQdXg_2Cy7E6EVqykA9x0PsrrHfBz7GtHOU7I5Cdf-6jhTxB2Yc0YkMIjeZeZhaKrUodrL3El4DMFhlc0vlsmdChyphenhyphenGM/s1600/Lakshmi_Menon_Indian_Vogue.jpg

http://becausepinay.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/dove5.jpg

The only beautiful in this world is the unique differences among all human being. Society has created an ideal image of how beautiful is supposed to be portrayed. It is interesting to see that over the years, there are different color skin tones walking down the runways, seen on advertisements, etc. Not just different skin tones but also different ethnicities. There is never going to be an agreement of what beautiful in reality is. In every culture or part of the world, beauty is seen differently. Beauty has become this physical appearance rather than personality or inner beauty. I really admire and love how dove issued their beauty campaign to show people that there is a more than just physical appearance to beauty. ~Brenda  

       Sources: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/everyone-is-beautiful/images/17909778/title/dont-know-youre-beautiful-photo 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dove+campaign+for+real+beauty+self+esteem&oq=dove+&gs_l=youtube.3.0.35i39j0l9.971.1782.0.2767.5.5.0.0.0.0.96.353.5.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.Fwg6CqmrOpw    

Is Thin In? Kalabari Culture and the Meaning of Fatness

Unfortunately society has taken physical appearance to a whole other level. The current ideal image aspires an aesthetic of thinness. Women want to be youthful, slim, athletic, and have a well-toned physique.There are cultures that differ from America’s society. The Kalabari in Nigeria, Africa does not think this way at all. It is actually the complete opposite. The ideal adult Kalabari female figure is “substantial and thick or plumpy.” This would be what they would call being “up to a woman.”

  

Interesting to know that there are different cultures that think differently about physique. Based off the surroundings and the community, this is how the “ideal” image is derived. For example, in Africa, an “ideal” American woman would not fit in this culture. The awareness of AIDS is high in demand in the country; therefore a thin woman would be stereotyped as being affected by AIDS.

It is hard to live in a society were you feel pressured to look a certain way, or to have carrots for a snack instead of chocolate cupcakes. 

We should love and appreciate ourselves no matter how we look. ~ Brenda

Skinny vs. Fat : An African Woman on the Politics of Feminine Beauty
Image Source: http://www.nairaland.com/806789/traditional-eastern-ijaw-attire-pictures

Is thin in? That is the age-old question every American girl asks herself. Today in America, most women desire thinness and are constantly thinking of new ways to become thinner. While most women equate thinness with happiness, there are some cultures around the word that do not believe in the idea of slimness.  The Kalabari tribe from Nigeria believes plumpness and curviness to be a sign of beauty. They believe that well-developed breasts and buttocks allow for a better fit of their traditional dress, wrappers. Wrappers are the main piece of clothing among the tribe, with both men and women wearing them. Understanding the body ideals of another culture, allows for a worldlier outlook on thinness. Maybe thin is in? But who’s to say fatness and plumpness are out? I think that being comfortable in your own skin, being healthy, and being able to rock any outfit you put on suppresses any ideal of being thin.  ~ Chelsea

Source: http://www.nairaland.com/806789/traditional-eastern-ijaw-attire-pictures/2

We, as women, are constantly pressured my society and the media to be thin because it is what is considered to be “beautiful” in our society.  However, although thin may be “in” in America, it is not the norm for other cultures around the world.  The Kalabari, an ethnic group from Nigeria, considered fatness or plumpness as a sign of beauty when it comes to the Kalabari women.  In the Kalabari culture, plumpness implies that a woman is fertile and it shows her reproductive capacity.  As a matter of fact, Kalabari women are even required to live in a “fattening hut” a couple months before marriage in order to get fat and plump for their man and are then sent back to the fattening hut after the birth of their firstborn.  Women are practically forced into gaining weight and although it is great that this culture appreciates bigger women, I do not agree with the idea of them shunning women for being thin not to mention how unhealthy it is for these women to pack on so much weight in such a short amount of time.  No person should have to change their body to fit the norm. Just like our culture shuns people for being bigger than a size 2, other women should not be shunned for being a size 2.  Every woman’s body is unique and all cultures need to learn to appreciate that.  There is no ideal universal body; beauty comes in different shapes, sizes, and colors and that’s what makes each of us who we are. . ~ Sandy 

Source:  http://timsymag.com/index.php/files/thumb/60/0

It’s interesting to know that every culture is unique and diverse. Each one has its own set of standards on what is considered beautiful. Just like the Kalabari tribe in Nigeria, another remote tribe in Uganda (known as the Hima tribe) believes that a full figure is considered attractive. For these Ugandans, having a plump wife is a “status symbol” and “a source of pride for men”. The Hima tribe values their women as they value their cattle, “the fatter, the better”. It is traditional for an upcoming bride to enter a “fattening hut” for over a course of a few months until she becomes fat. The word “fat” itself has a positive connotation to these Ugandans whereas in America it’s offensive. It’s funny how the American standard of beauty is the polar opposite of the Hima tribe’s. ~ Ashley

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