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• 1 2020-11-17T13:07:32-08:00 Beauty 53 Western and intersectional influences on definitions of beauty plain 2020-12-11T13:34:16-08:00 I recognized "beauty" as a theme throughout Montez's "The Arts of Beauty; or, Secrets of a Lady's Toilet" for its heavy focus on achieving set beauty standards and its inclusion of detailed approaches to meeting these goals. Beauty is constantly fluctuating and evolving, and it is determined by culture and time. The ideals and set requirements of beauty vary and are subjective for every person. Montez highlights beauty goals and step-by-step descriptions for both women and men, illustrating the diversity surrounding the definition of beauty and the emphasis on the importance of it to each person. Beauty is not simple or obvious, and Montez discusses taste with regards to attraction and success in reaching her set goals. Intersectionality connects greatly with concepts of beauty; discussions surrounding the perpetuation of the socially constructed beauty standards and norms are worth further exploration. 
  
  

  “It is a most difficult task to fix upon any general and satisfactory standard of female beauty, since forms and qualities the most opposite and contradictory are looked upon by different nations, and by different individuals, as the perfection of beauty” (Montez, 19).

  
  
  

  
  Within my exploration of "beauty" as a theme, further questioning of how Western standards of beauty define themselves and are possibly redefined in this text progressively arose. Definitions and ideals of beauty differ by location, by country and by smaller communities, but Western preferences and expectations have greatly influenced others. Additionally, surrounding the concepts of intersectionality and positionality, I was interested in exploring their roles within definitions of beauty. Just as beauty varies across locations, people's personal beliefs, practices, and preferences contribute to their ideas of what is beautiful, and those are important to recognize and take into consideration as well when analyzing this text and "beauty" overall.
• 1 2020-12-11T13:27:51-08:00 Montez Beauty 8 plain 1036689 2020-12-11T14:01:10-08:00

  I recognized "beauty" as a theme throughout Montez's "The Arts of Beauty; ow, Secrets of a Lady's Toilet" for its heavy focus on achieving set beauty standards and its inclusion of detailed approaches to meeting these goals. Beauty is constantly fluctuating and evolving, and it is determined by culture and time. The ideals and set requirements of beauty vary and are subjective for every person. Montez highlights beauty goals and step-by-step descriptions for both women and men, illustrating the diversity surrounding the definition of beauty and the emphasis on the importance of it to each person. Beauty is no simple or obvious, and Montez discusses taste with regards to attraction and success in reaching her set goals. Intersectionality connects greatly with concepts of beauty; discussions surrounding the perpetuation of the socially constructed beauty standards and norms are worth further exploration.  

  "It is a most difficult task to fix upon any general and satisfactory standard of female beauty, since forms and qualities the most opposite and contradictory are looked upon by different nations, and by different individuals, as the perfection of beauty" (Montez, 19).

  
  

  Within my exploration of "beauty" as a theme, further questioning of how Western standards of beauty define themselves and are possibly redefined in this text progressively arose. Definitions and ideals of beauty differ by location, by country and by smaller communities, but Western preferences and expectations have greatly influenced others. Additionally, surrounding the concepts of intersectionality and positionality, I was interested in exploring their roles within definitions of beauty. Just as beauty varies across locations, people's personal beliefs, practices, and preferences contribute to their ideas of what is beautiful, and those are important to recognize and take into consideration as well when analyzing this text and "beauty" overall.