What Heather said: words from the Beauty Demands project lead
Here are some blogs written by Heather (our project lead):
On the Birmingham University website she wrote The Demands of the Beauty Ideal: What is required of us?
'Beauty is big business – particularly at this time of year – but it’s also an area of increasing public concern. With an ever-expanding array of technological tweaks and fixes on offer, the beauty and diet industries have become the subject of significant concerns over the safety of people who choose to undergo these procedures.
More than this, we worry – to greater or lesser degrees – about the extent to which we should engage with such practices. Do we need to wear make-up to work? What is required of us in terms of hair dying and body hair removal? Will youth-mimicking procedures such as Botox become par for the course in future? And what should we be telling our children?'
To read the full peice: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/perspective/beauty-ideal-widdows.aspx
On the Imperfect Cognitions blog (on delusional beliefs and distorted memories, confabulatory explanations and implicit biases) she wrote Beauty and Imperfect Congnitions
'The power of the imagined self over decision-making makes claims of being fully informed questionable. For example, being fully informed requires knowing and being able to assess the risks and benefits. However, arguably those who engage in at least some kinds of beauty practices do so not only despite the risks, but often ignoring or playing down the risks. This claim is not that information is not given – it is – but rather about how it is understood. I suggest that the power of the imagined self – the end point of the ideal – is so powerful it distorts the risks and therefore makes them harder to assess.'
To read the full peice: http://imperfectcognitions.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/beauty-and-imperfect-cognitions.html
On the Birmingham University website she wrote The Demands of the Beauty Ideal: What is required of us?
'Beauty is big business – particularly at this time of year – but it’s also an area of increasing public concern. With an ever-expanding array of technological tweaks and fixes on offer, the beauty and diet industries have become the subject of significant concerns over the safety of people who choose to undergo these procedures.
More than this, we worry – to greater or lesser degrees – about the extent to which we should engage with such practices. Do we need to wear make-up to work? What is required of us in terms of hair dying and body hair removal? Will youth-mimicking procedures such as Botox become par for the course in future? And what should we be telling our children?'
To read the full peice: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/perspective/beauty-ideal-widdows.aspx
On the Imperfect Cognitions blog (on delusional beliefs and distorted memories, confabulatory explanations and implicit biases) she wrote Beauty and Imperfect Congnitions
'The power of the imagined self over decision-making makes claims of being fully informed questionable. For example, being fully informed requires knowing and being able to assess the risks and benefits. However, arguably those who engage in at least some kinds of beauty practices do so not only despite the risks, but often ignoring or playing down the risks. This claim is not that information is not given – it is – but rather about how it is understood. I suggest that the power of the imagined self – the end point of the ideal – is so powerful it distorts the risks and therefore makes them harder to assess.'
To read the full peice: http://imperfectcognitions.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/beauty-and-imperfect-cognitions.html
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