Denying diversity: perceptions of beauty and social comparison processes among Latina, Black, and White women

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research,  July, 2002  by Maya A. Poran

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Beauty can be defined as being superficial--when dealing with peoples appearances And, internal when dealing with--the way people are. Honestly, when I think of beauty--I think of--how people look--and whether or not they are pleasant to look at. Hence, I think of the attractiveness of a person. I should add, I realistically realize that what might be beautiful to me, may not be for another since, as the cliche goes, "beauty is where you find it." (Latina participant, age 21)

what is on the "inside" and what is on the "outside." Your internal beauty has to do with your heart and soul, it's what kind of person you are. BEauty is how nice you are or how you treat others & yourself. Physical beauty is your appearance on the outside. It can be your eyes, hair, body figure, etc., Being beautiful varies from people to people what I consider beautiful someone else may not... (Latina participant, age 22)

... A lot of people may base their feelings just refering to the physical appearance. But this is not always true. People should consider the idea that beauty is not just physical appearance, but other things like personality, and soul. (Latina participant, age 20)

I believe that beauty comes both from inside and outside. A lot of people believe that beauty is just your physical appearance. I feel that the more beautiful and warm hearted people are on the inside, the more attractive & beautiful you appear to be. (Latina participant, age 18)

Something that a person has inside and outside. Outside beauty is what makes that person attractive to the next person. What makes a person beautiful is the uniquency that you have. It may your eyes, or hair, etc. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder..., because even if a person is beautiful outside their personality may not be which makes them ugly. (Black participant, age 21)

Aesthetically pleasing both on the inside as well as on the out. It is possible to not be pleasing on the outside but be beautiful because their inner beauty shines through. (Black participant, age 22)

a person who not only has the physical aspects of being beautiful, but also has the mental aspects of being beautiful...Beauty is not only on the outside. In order for a person to be beautiful on the outside then they must first be beautiful on the inside. (Black participant, age 22)

A lot of people believe that beauty is an external characteristic, but I feel it comes from within. It is true that people may be beautiful on the exterior but if they do not portray internal beauty they are not beautiful. (White participant, age 18)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are two different types of beauty: inner beauty & physical beauty. The majority of the world is interested in physical beauty. It is what attracts or repels people from you. It is difficult to say what beauty is exactly, because everone's opinion is different. In my personal opinion, physical beauty is nothing w/o inner beauty. (White participant, age 18)