The Price Of Beauty

Written by Alix WalkercloseAuthor: Alix Walker Name: Alix Walker
Email: acw299@nyu.edu
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About: Alix lives in New York City and is currently finishing her undergraduate studies at New York University majoring in economics and environmental studies. In addition to Parcbench, Alix also writes for the Politicizer and has been featured on the Free Republic, both conservative grass-roots websites.See Authors Posts (6) on July 14, 2009

All cultures have a different opinion of what is beautiful.  It is a question that has caused conflict and taboo between cultures as long as there has been interaction.  Jessica Simpson, who is no stranger to the pressure of staying attractive to the media and setting style trends through her music, acting and reality TV shows, will be setting out around the world to film new Docu-series (or fancy name for a reality TV series), The Price of Beauty.  The show will be based on society’s outlook of women’s bodies.  Jessica will study the local fashions, dietary fads and beauty regimes and even participate in some of the extreme practices she discovers.

What is there to find in the quest of true beauty?

Some cultures use body piercings and body art to display religious identity or symbol of marital possession.   What may be a symbol of coming of age or achievement may look unappealing to another culture.  But what is similar between cultures is the need to alter their appearance to try to make themselves beautiful.

Maybe Jessica will have better luck with this reality TV show than she did with her first show that she stared in with ex-husband, Nick Lachey on MTV Newly Weds.  Who can forget her famous question, “Is chicken of the sea chicken or tuna?”  The media had a field day with dumb blond jokes about her from then on.  After that, she has had a world of experience in the spotlight, having to watch her image and dealing with the scrutiny of rumors from the media.

Western culture has always been obsessed with reading beauty magazines and tabloids in an attempt to catch the latest trends and beauty tips.  “Beauty Budget Rehab, save big, stay gorgeous” is a headline on the July 2009 issue of In Style magazine- a magazine that almost every woman in America has heard of and probably had a peek in once or twice (a hint that maybe beauty products are recession proof because, looking good is an important part of your image. It is true that, looking good on the outside makes you feel good on the inside).

Jessica has certainly been a focal point for the media in the past by using her as an image of glamour or even sometimes as a negative.  In her new show she will be attempting to understand what people find beautiful without influence from the tabloids and discover why they find this beautiful.

Maybe in her new show she will be turning the tides on the media for giving her a hard time for putting on weight.  Instead of making an effort to change her image to what the media wants her to be by obsessively exercising and dieting she wants to show her audience that it’s okay to be who really you are.