In the Latin dictionary for ugliness stand terms "turpitudo" with synonyms deformity, ugliness, foulness, obscenity, unsightliness, humiliation"; some of them are with very different connotations as you can see; other terms describing the same word are "deformitas", "foeditas" with meaning disfigurement, unshapeliness, degradation, hideousness, horror. In Greek language the sharpest expression for ugliness is ασχημία (ashimia), in Persian [ veqaht ] obscenity, زشتی [ zashti ] disproportion.
I
want to write about one very important, but little discussed topic; which is
even avoided in society today, but in the same time pieces of it are spread
daily. About ugliness as a concept. Think inside yourself, what do you see as
ugly? What is the most common sense for perceiving something as ugly or not
beautiful? I specially use this word in its sharp, extreme connotation, to have an echo in your mind. Moreover not everything, which is “not
beautiful” can be called “ugly”. I start developing my thoughts with the levels
of perceiving the world around and reality. I accept existing of three general
levels of our reality, where our energy is spread: 1. physical level (material
body, features, organs); 2. Emotional level (Soul, heart, psychology, reactions,
temperaments); 3. spiritual level (Mind, higher connection, intuition, Third
eye sensation, mass consciousness).
~
Physical level ~
Physical
level and what we call “matter” is related by inner connections to the physical
world –and that from our human perception means only –the world that we can
observe with our senses. Having in mind that our senses are far more imperfect
compared to many animals, we can sense the physical “matter” by seeing (with
eyes), hearing (with ears), smelling (with nose), tasting (tongue), touching
(with fingers and hands). That are all usually accepted methods of perceiving
reality around. I`ll concentrate now on how we can understand “ugliness” by
this senses. Ugliness is rarely used term, but widely spread in society, on a
subconscious level. Even we don’t admit, many things in daily life we can see –
feel as ugly. Ugliness on this level is a form of distorted, crooked matter,
which seems unusual to us and even could make us afraid. This crooked matter”
has affect of “distorted mirror” image and can be object or subject.
Related to both we see this object – subject with crooked features, which are
going out of the frame of “socially spread and accepted image” for specially
this object-subject. That means –if you see a person with little bigger nose
than normally (or than your own nose), you may not accept him as “ugly” as
there are also many examples of such people; but if you see person with two
noses on his face, or with unusual or big pimple on his nose –you`ll perceive
him as “ugly”. That means also, if we
never met or see one particular object before –we cant recognize it as any kind
– ugly or beautiful, exactly because we are not familiar with its “normal
state” and features. For example if we see an alien of any kind, we cant
perceive him the way we view humans, so we wont have exact idea what to expect
to be “ugly”, moreover our standards of ugliness differ from aliens ones.
Related
to people ugliness has quite social stamp and value, which is related to mass
consciousness and the way everyone sees something. It was transformed to a
norm; as we live in a group as humans, in circle of family –school,
institutions, work, society – we are always affected by this norm. If a hermit
came from the desert, who never lived in between this society, he will have
different perceptions for “ugliness” and “beauty”, because his mind was growing
out of the society.
Now
we see “ugly” object or subject, who has some specific qualities. First it
should possess asymmetry; then it should be unusual by look (out of the normal
visual standards for this general object); third it should be unusual and
“crooked” by social acceptance – out of the social norms; These are the most evident
cases of “ugliness” on a physical level. Asymmetry – when you see an animal or
human with more than normal parts of the body – or with additional parts –like
two heads; three eyes, two mouths; (even we don’t see such examples in real, we
have them in subconscious level and reveal them in fairy tales and fantasy
movies or in dreams). I concentrate on the most visible example –human body and
face. On a physical level asymmetry for human face could be – someone without
one eye; someone without ears, someone without leg, and so on…even someone
without hair can be seen as “ugly” in some eras when this was accepted as
unusual and “strange” f. e. woman.
Second
criteria – unusual by look –its related to some extend to: cleanness and
purity; in all eras regardless of the
beauty standards, everything clean is looked as “beautiful” and all dirty
–belongs to ugliness. So ugly is something unclean by look – you can see a
woman with dirty clothes, or covered with mud, or with garbage, or with spots
of blood on her dress – this can be regarded as “ugly”. Unclean face is also
very close to be “ugly”, when you add to it asymmetry or bad look. So ugliness
in most cases don’t belong to “sadness” or what we feel pity, but rather
something that make us afraid or shocked. When we feel pity for unclean
homeless woman, we wont assign her as “ugly”, exactly because of our inner
compassion. Out of that cases, ugliness – as unusual or crooked ,out of the
social norms, have movable frames. That means its not strictly related. Why is
it so? Because every social group has different norms, every continent, place,
country, city, area has different developed standards for “beautiful” and ugly.
Moreover every single individual has his own private standards and views for
“beauty”, depending on his background, family, society where he was born, family
relations, emotions, preferences, past lives experiences...So each single human
is a made of complex qualities, characteristics and features, that can create
for him unique sense for perceiving “beauty” and understanding “ugliness”. This
is the private, intimate criteria for beauty- that shows us why some opinions
and tastes are so much different in different parts of the world.
Now
I want to concentrate on very favorite for most people topic – ugliness (and
respectively beauty) in humans face –more specially woman`s face. We can
appoint here hundreds of different opinions and views to what most beautiful”
woman face should look like; as well as most “ugly” which is very not pleasant
topic. Here the direction of my thoughts will change from beauty –to ugliness;
as beauty has more admirers in world; So the first general criteria for
beautiful women is her symmetric face; that’s very wide spread social opinion,
which can be seen only through having a norm for “symmetry linked to general
model of human face. (if we see cat as sweet and lovely, we cant compare
criteria for beauty” for the cat and a human being, as they belong to different
species.) Symmetric face has good (exact) proportions of eyes, nose, cheeks,
lips, hair. For example if one of women eye was in closer distance to the
forehead or to nose –this wont be regarded as beautiful. The same we can see
ugliness in anything which is out of symmetry for face – too narrow forehead, little
eyes and big nose, big eyes and big mouth, and so on. Here there is also factor
of personal unique sense of beauty, but we wont go in details to it. The second
criteria for beautiful face is flawless skin and nice shining complexion.
Regardless of the era, country, place, all people love flawless skin in woman
face. It`s simply linked to understanding of cleanness and purity. The same as
we like clean clothes, nice body proportions, nice face proportions, we are
attracted by clean and shining skin. That`s how most of women give much money
and crazy efforts to look beautiful” even in older age, and the best sign of it
is skin. Related to the concept of ugliness – all things in opposite direction
of beautiful, will be considered as part of ugliness”: wrinkles on face,
wrinkles, lines on forehead, under eyes, dark circles under eyes, uneven
complexion, red eyes, sometimes many freckles, pimples on skin, and so on. In
this respect cosmetic industry is very wealthy, as it gives good illusion to
women that they can “keep their beauty” forever. On the market there are tones
of products for flawless skin – creams, concealers, foundation makeup,
powders…And you would drown inside this sea of cosmetics, if you cant swim.
So
this is about women face general criteria. From here there are thousands and
millions different views on perfect “beauty” (not on perfect “ugliness”);
People from Asia – Japan China Korea
Of
course this is kind of psychology effect and its not possessed by everyone. Even
less people in number have this attraction –compared to the big number –and
they are more romantic, dreamer, adventurous by nature, or people dissatisfied
from their reality and life. (and they were not so many, but as the world
changes, their number is growing).
I
return again to the concept of ugliness”. As we revealed ugliness is tied and
connected with understanding of “beauty”, seeing as its opposite side. Yin and
Yang; Beauty should be shining, attractive, pure, clean, flawless, full of
light, soft, symmetric, smooth, gentle. On the contrary – ugliness will be dull,
unclean, dirty, unattractive, asymmetric, sharp, unsmooth, noticeable, without
light, flawed;
In
the same way we can observe the other parts of “physical level perceiving of
ugliness (and beauty); We turned attention mostly to sense of eye sight,
because its most obvious and promoted sense. We are always still affected by
what we see, and many times all other senses stay in the back side. But if we
are blind for example, what will be our sense of beauty? Then we ll be forced
to use our ears, touch, taste, smell.
One
of the best senses for attraction is smell. That’s the way of another million
dollars industry here –perfumes and scents. When we feel nice aroma scent we
are easily attracted by it, and easily it makes links in our mind. That`s how
smell of baked sweets, ginger, cinnamon and chocolate is linked with “Christmas
fest”, smell of bread with home…our mind is very well attached with smells from
nature, so we pick the special ones for us and memorize them. Smell of “beauty”
is smell of cleanness, of creating memorizing essences, that can evoke our deep
emotions; its smell of gardens, flowers, tree, ocean, rain, fruits…That`s how
many amazing perfume compositions are created. Opposite of that –smell of
ugliness is connected with bad smell, stink, garbage, uncleanness, sweat, bad
body odor; smell of ugliness here can be consider as smell of the outcast of
society, usually homeless, poor people, living in miserable conditions, sick,
psychologically ill people, who cant take care of their physical body. They
belong to “ugliness”. I wont observe other senses in details, as that was not
my aim, just I `ll point out, with hear, taste and touch –ugliness is mostly
linked to concept of unknown, unusual, fearful, unclean, asymmetric,
disgusting. The more sharp is the feeling we perceive this object, the more we
consider it as “ugly”.
From another point, on a physical level, everything can be seen
as “ugly” depending on humans own perception, inner acceptance, inner
principle, Inner views, inner love, ethics and aesthetics. All things cover
with the rough material can be “ugly”. Only the inside energy makes them
actually beautiful. That’s why beauty is so by “feeling” (Third eye chakra,
Sahasrara) and ugly is “ugly” by seeing (physical senses, fears…)
Moreover
there can be ugliness by both seeing and sense. We can see one prostitute as
“beautiful” in some cases, but we sense her regressive, damaged and unclean
energy, so she become “ugly”. Another way to distinguish beautiful and ugly –is
by way of Purity. Anything which is impure is not beautiful – high levels of
impurity reveal Ugliness , as it equals to dirtiness. Ugly cant be accepted
only by “viewing” the ugly object. So by both beauty and ugliness there are
senses.
[ nina Lea-nura * ]
1129 -9-
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