Bianca Brucato
November 20, 2014
Professor Young
English 1100
“The
pros and cons of constructed beauty”
Can beauty
be constructed? According to Cameron
Russell and Aimee Mullins, beauty can be constructed. In the “Looks aren’t everything.
Believe me, I’m a model,” Ted Talk,
Cameron Russell talks about the negative effects of constructed beauty. Russell says how many young girls and women
try to construct themselves to fit a certain criteria society puts on them.
They have this idea in order to be beautiful; they have to be skinny, white,
and tall. This causes them to go on extreme diets, change their hair and makeup,
and get surgeries to fit the so-called “norms” of society. However, in the “ My
12 pairs of legs” Ted Talk, Aimee
Mullins talks about the positive effects of constructed beauty. Mullins
believes that constructed beauty has its benefits, such as allowing those with
disabilities to become architects of their own body. Although constructed beauty
is seen negatively due to the pressures society puts on many women to be so
called “beautiful,” constructed beauty also has many positive effects that
transform people’s culturally conditioned perception of beauty.
In “Looks aren’t everything. Believe me I’m a
model,” Russell says society’s perception of beauty is being abnormally skinny,
white, and tall. The perception society puts on beauty causes those who are not
this, to feel insecure and unhappy with themselves. For example Russell states, “53% of 13 year
old girls in America are unhappy with their bodies, this grows to 78% by the
time the are 17” (Russell 7:26). Many young girls are so unhappy with the way
they look; they start to alter themselves to try to please themselves and
society. This can lead to unhealthy decisions such as, excessive dieting,
dieting pills, eating disorders, and plastic surgery. For example, one of my
close friends recently got a nose job because of her insecurity issues. She
thought if she altered herself with surgery, she would finally feel happy and
beautiful. In the same way my friend felt insecure about her nose, Russell, a
famous supermodel, discusses in her Ted
Talk how even she feels insecure from the pressures society puts on being
“beautiful.” Her insecurities stem from the constant worry of how she looks and is perceived by society. The pressures society
puts on young girls and women to fit in with the “norms” of society causes them
to feel insecure and unhappy with themselves. 
To expand
on this topic, Russell talks about how constructed beauty discriminates against
those who do not fit the criteria society puts on beauty. Those who are not abnormally skinny, white,
and tall are often treated differently than those who fit these criteria.
Russell discusses how she became a model by winning the “ genetic lottery.” This opens up a lot of opportunities and
benefits for her. For example, when
Russell was younger she was pulled over for running a red light. All she had to
say was “ I am sorry officer” and she got out of it because of the way she
looked. It is unfair that society allows people, who fit the criteria of being
beautiful to have advantages over those who do not. On the other hand, people who
do not fit the criteria of being “beautiful” according to society, are paying a
cost because of the way they look. The way people look, even though it is
superficial, has a huge impact on his or her lives. Russell states, “ Image is
powerful, image is superficial” (Russell 1:42). Society discriminates against
those who do not fit into the so-called “norms” of society. 
Although it
has been said constructed beauty has many negative effects on society, in “My
12 pairs of legs” Ted Talk, Aimee
Mullins discusses the positive aspects of constructed beauty. Constructed beauty can allow people with
disabilities, such as Mullins feel confident and beautiful. Mullins states, “Innovators
of prosthetics allow people that are disabled to become architects of their own
body” (Mullins 8:46). For example,
Mullins got to experience many things that society believes an amputee could
not accomplish. She has walked runways, appeared on covers of magazines, and
stared in movies. Mullin’s prosthetic legs give her the opportunity to overcome
deficiency and the label society has on those who are disabled. Constructed
beauty allows people with disabilities to feel confident and beautiful in a
society, that is trained to think otherwise.
Furthermore,
the construction of Mullins prosthetic legs allows others to look at amputees
and people with disabilities in a new way. Those who were once fearful or
curious were invited to look and explore. For example, Mullins allowed school
students to come in a classroom, and freely and explore her different
prosthetic legs. The students compared her prosthetic legs to animal-like and
superhero forms. Mullins, an amputee,
was transformed into something that goes beyond societies expectations of
people with disabilities. Mullins states, “I went from being a women that these
kids would have been trained to see as disabled to somebody that had the potential
that their bodies didn’t have yet” (Mullins 2:01). Mullin’s prosthetic legs
allow society to be open and explore amputees and people with disabilities,
rather than to fear them.
Constructed beauty has many positive and negative effects on
society. In Cameron Russell’s Ted Talk,
Russell talks about the negative effects of constructed beauty, due to the
pressures society puts on women. These
pressures cause many women to try to alter themselves, in order to fit the
so-called “norms” of society. This can lead to many negative effects, such as
excessive dieting, dieting pills, and plastic surgeries. In Aimee Mullin’s Ted Talk, Mullins talks about the
positive effects constructed beauty has on society. Mullins talks about how the
constructed beauty allows people with disabilities to feel confident and
beautiful. Constructed beauty also allows those with disabilities to break free
of the label society puts on being “disabled.” Although constructed beauty is
seen negatively due to the pressures society puts on many women to be so called
“beautiful,” constructed beauty also has many positive effects, such as
transforming society’s culturally conditioned view on beauty.
Works
Cited
Russell,
Cameron. “Looks aren’t everything. Believe me I’m a model.” YouTube. YouTube, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Nov.
2014.
Mullins,
Aimee. ‘’My 12 pairs of legs.” YouTube. YouTube, 11 Jan. 2014.
Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
