Culture defines the definition of beauty. Our culture sets the tone to what we find attractive and people follow this. If they don’t then they are usually viewed as strange and don’t fit in. In American culture we get our ideas of beauty from influencers. Other country’s standards of beauty come from their cultures and what their parents and community tell them. If they’re supposed to do certain things as a rite of passage they do, and if not, they are viewed as outcasts. In China this resulted in footbinding, in many African and Muslim countries this resulted in female genital cutting, and in the United States this has been shown through cosmetic surgery.

To start off, in China the definition of beauty stems heavily from tradition and culture that parents and society relay to the young. They grow up knowing this and do not know differently. Footbinding fit this tradition and was expected for young women, usually at age six. Like most trends only the wealthiest could afford it. The poor had to work in the fields, and the middle class would usually only bind one child’s feet in hopes that they’d marry well (See 2005). When a girl bound her feet successfully it was attractive and showed the woman would make a good wife. In the story about footbinding the child who resisted was said would be an awful wife that complained. The other prized child was valuable to the family because she could marry well and improve their social standing (See 2005). However, what the families didn’t tell the children was the practice can be dangerous because of infection. The families ignored this because they wanted their children to marry well and to fit in. On the other hand, if this practice were to be outlawed abruptly, I don’t think many people would listen because this tradition stems from culture which takes a while to change. Finally, the theoretical perspective of the author was the interpretive theory because through See’s story telling she is trying to get us to understand how their culture views the tradition and what it meant to her and her family.

Secondly, in Muslim and African countries the definition of beauty comes from implications of their tradition and culture. In the Muslim country’s women have female genital circumcision performed during their 7-month pregnancy rituals. The procedure is non-invasive and involves the pricking of the clitoral area. This tradition symbolizes the socialization of the child, inheriting desirable traits, and cleanliness (Newland 2006). That’s normal in their culture and they think that’s what the vagina should look like. Additionally, in African countries they have similar ideas and believe that FGC symbolizes the separation from masculinity while giving them power (Ahamdu 2007). It’s defined as beauty because of their tradition and they believe it’s normal. In either country if they tried to outlaw these practices it wouldn’t work because they are tradition and they don’t see the practice as harmful, which it’s usually not. Contrastingly, like Newland’s article mentioned when the Westerners did try it wasn’t enforced and some of the procedures became more invasive, while being confusing for teens (Newland 2006). Lastly, Newland’s article took an interpretative approach to explaining what the procedure meant in their culture, while Ahmadu’s article focused more on the feminist theory and how westerners view on feminism in their country has created confusion and ignorance about African culture.  

Thirdly, in the U.S. and the U.K. the definition of beauty comes from the media and males, which shapes our culture. Women look towards influencers for fashion trends and beauty tips and try to follow them. When women do this sometimes it’s for their own enjoyment, but as Heather Leach puts it there is usually an underlying idea of doing it to be attractive to men (Leach 2009). They see women on Instagram with thigh gaps and eat less to look like that or work out only parts of their body to get a bigger butt and small waist. That’s why cosmetic surgery is taking hold. Women listen to men for how they should look and get it in their head. Rather, most women don’t look like that and that’s really just how children look (Leach 2009). I think it’s funny that most Western women are quick to judge other cultures when we’re doing strange things to our bodies to fit in but are the most easily influenced when it comes to beauty. If this practice were to be outlawed, I don’t think it would be a big deal and we’d move onto the next trend. The take that Leach had on her film was more epidemiological in the sense that she wants to educate young women that most women don’t look like the perfect woman they keep seeing. She also looks at this issue with the feminist theory to try to understand why these women are being so easily influenced.

To conclude, culture defines our definition of feminine beauty. In China, Muslim and African countries they follow tradition and traditional meaning to fit in. In the U.S. and the U.K. their culture is more shaped by men and influencers, while the rest of them try to imitate this. These ideas have resulted in footbinding, female genital cutting, and plastic surgery. Most of these ideas come down to fitting in and trying to look a certain way to be considered beautiful.

1. See, Lisa. “Footbinding.” Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Random House, 2005.

2. Newland, Lynda. “Female Circumcision: Muslim Identities and Zero Tolerance in Rural West Java.” University of South Pacific, Fiji, Elsevier Ltd., 2006.

3. Ahmadu, Fuambai. “Challenging Myths of Sexual Dysfunction in Circumcised Women.” Ain’t I a Woman Too?, Rutgers University, 2006.

4. Leach, Heather, director. The Perfect Vagina. Vimeo, 9 Aug. 2019, vimeo.com/groups/145051/videos/4704237.