what makes a woman beautiful?

That's very nice of you to think like that. To change those point of view would be very difficult I think. Have you ever seen a magazine with a fat woman on the cover? Have you ever seen make ups advertisement with fat women as their model? Every woman is expected to be thin and so on, sometimes even by their own husband or family. It's sickening I know, but all women also want to be beautiful outside.

Hi there lauranthalasa!

I agree with you. The media has conditioned the mind of the people about what should be classified as beautiful or sexy and what should not.

For me, I think that still, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. People have different preferences and it's hard to really classify one as beautiful and expect that everyone else will think the same too.

Personally, I think that beauty can be determined as a whole and not through seeking perfection. For example, I think that beautiful eyes can't be determined by its color, the length of eyelashes but through the fact that that person's eyes seems to always match her smile. Like she can show joy even just through her eyes.

I think that how a person feels about his or herself, through self-confidence and great personality helps in affecting how other people see him or her.

The standards of beauty change constantly. For many years now the Tall - Thin woman has held the lead position in the minds of Western society. This woman has symmetrical features, long legs, is generally over 5'8", and under 110 lbs. Men still like some womanly features so Bust and Hips are still in, however, the traditional hourglass figure is no longer the norm of "beauty" in the media.

FYI: The traditional hourglass held an approximately 10-12 inch difference in the measurement of Bust - Waist - Hips. So the measurement might look like this 36 - 27 - 37 and still be within the norm.

The media shows us women who are not the norm. They are in the position they are in first because they were born with natural beauty to begin with (Halle, Beyonce, Brooke Shields, Kate Hudson) or the money to buy their way into our living rooms (Paris Hilton). They spend much of their day working to maintain their "beauty". They have personal trainers, delivered meals, chefs, exlusive gym memberships, make-up artists on call, stylists, and personal shoppers, and access to other means. It is their job to maintain their "look" this is how they earn a living. For those women who are posed on covers and inside of magazines, they are airbrused to perfection.

We, the women who don't have the advantage of all the above well we have to make due. We are born the way we are born perfections and imperfections both. Most of us will never be able have the time or money that our media created cultural icons have and thus most of us will always be striving for their "look". There is nothing wrong with striving to improve ourselves through healthy diet and exercise regimes, these extend our lives and improve the quality of our lives. There is obviously something wrong with going over the edge.

In the past thirty or so years there have been several new disorders defined around this issue. There are even clinics and areas of medicine now specifically designed to treat these; Anorexia, Body Dismorphia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating. While women are the primarily affected men are not unaffected. Eating disorders can start as early as 12-years old in young girls, boys seem to be affected a bit later in their lives.

Finally there is Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD) while not it new has found a new outlet with the rise in availability of plastic surgery.

So we are imperfect based on current standards of beauty. Unfortunate that our imperfection has led to such extremes. The media is a powerful voice in our social consciousness today. It is hard to escape it. It is difficult to believe we are good and perfect in our own right when if we are not the perfect size 6 the clothing we need is in the basement or hidden behind housewares. It is difficult to get a handle on the idea that we have no flaws when everywhere we look there is no single role model that looks like us and even those who are of our heritage look more like others.

So the media indeed has a powerful voice. Different is not easily lived with in the world of today. Assimilation is the desire, acceptance by ones peers is the driver. The powerful drive to be beautiful by whatever standard and whatever means often overwhelms the need for individuality and personal definition.

It is a sad and frightening world for young women and men today. Yes, even for some of us older ones.

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I agree but women are created equal as men are i find the simplicity on women to be the most appealing though..

People say Confidence makes a woman sexy, I agree, a woman with confindence and, a good attitude, shine. And when they have that sometimes you can see through things such as physical features.

It's a shame the media has consistently been shallow in representing women. It doesn't bother me personally but it makes me sad when girls as young as 7 feel like they are too fat and don't look nice in clothes. They have a warped sense of what is beautiful these days. It is about time that diversity and personality were celebrated.

Well, I would think that what makes a girl real beautiful is that she would have beautiful makeup, including blue eye lashes/shadow. Also the red kissible and shiny lipstick. I would say that her clothing does not matter at all. My match would be a tall and slim light blonde girl. As long as she is real strong and active. And that she always exercises. Meaning having a strong, healthy, and beautiful. And that importantly also she has great honesty and personality. I bet that beautiful girl would be real special to me. I wonder what you all think.

for me, a beautiful woman is all about whats inside. i prefer the bigger woman, not the skiny ones. personallity is key for me, she's gotta make me laugh and laugh at my jokes. be able to get through anything and still be smiling.

I agree. The media is runing the chance for women to see the good in themselves. I hate to admit it.. but I feel terrible every time I look in the mirror. I'll admit... my body isnt perfect.. by any means. Now. Im not starving or anything like that. I am dieting right. I just understand what women go through. I wish the media would focus more on how people are on the inside.. not the clothes that they wear or how skinny they are. it's hard living in todays world.