Zaragoza National High School
Brgy. San Rafael, Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija
Module 2 Unpacking the Self
Topic 1 The Physical Self
Overview
In this chapter, you will learn how the physical body affects on how
we think about ourselves.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Explore the different aspects of self and identity through physical attributes;
2. Identify the different definition of beauty in different cultures; and
3. Examine the role of physical self in one’s self-concept
What Philosophers Think About Beauty
• There are two most debated views about beauty are:
• Beauty is objective
vs.
• Beauty is subjective
•
- DAVID HUME
“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind
which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. One
person may even perceive deformity, where another is sensible of beauty; and
every individual ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment, without pretending to
regulate those of others.”
- Hume, 1757
- IMMANUEK KANT
“The judgement of taste is therefore not a judgement of cognition, and
is consequently not logical but aesthetical, by which we understand that whose
determining ground can be no other than subjective.”
- Kant, 1790
- FRANCIS HUTCHESON
“The perception of beauty does depend on the external sense of sight;
however, the internal sense of beauty operates as an internal or reflex
sense. The same is the case with hearing: hearing the music does not
necessarily give the perception of harmony as it is distinct from hearing.”
How Cultural Traditions Shape Body Image
• Culture has a significant impact on how a person feels about himself or herself,
as well as is or her body image.
• Cultural traditions can either be positive or a negative influence on body
image and on self-esteem.
• Body image is generally defined as how one thinks and feels toward one’s
body.
• When “culture” is experienced as a personally meaningful activity, it is difficult
for a person to resist the conscious and unconscious way that culture influences
a person’s life.
• The Philippines is undoubtedly influenced by Western Culture, particularly
American Culture; a culture that generally tends to hyper-focus on dieting
and body appearances. Digitally retouched photos are the norm, and this
mentality can negatively influence a person’s body image.
The Concept of Beauty Across Cultures
• For the Pa Dong tribe, who live along the Thai/Burmese
border, beauty is a long, long neck.
• This effect is produced by circling the neck with brass rings,
starting at the age of 6, and gradually adding more and more.
The only time they are removed is on the girl’s wedding
night.
•
• Foot binding was the custom of applying tight binding to the
feet of young girls to modify the shape of their feet.
• It was practiced in China from the Song Dynasty (10th-
century) until the early 20th century, and bound feet were
considered a status symbol as well as a mark of beauty.
• Feet altered by binding were called lotus feet.
• Tattoos are common around the world. For Maori people in
New Zealand, the tattoos are placed on their lips and chins.
• The ultimate beauty is to have full blue lips.
• For Mursi Tribe of Ethiopia, lip plates are a unique tradition,
that of inserting lip plates into their lower lip.
• In these tribes, it is still a norm to wear fairly large wooden or
clay pottery discs or plates that are inserted in a girl’s lower lip.
• There reason for having these plates is brides’ wealth, to
ward off slave traders, and beauty.
• Women wear these to show strength and fertility, in this
tribe a woman wearing this shows the epitome of validation
and self-esteem of a woman.
• Scars are considered something to hide in the west, but for
Karo girls in southern Ethiopia it will help them get a
husband.
• As young girls, the skin on their stomach is cut to create scars,
and when they have enough they are considered ready
for marriage.
• A tooth filing ceremony (filing and sharpening of teeth) is one of
the ceremonies that a Balinese must undergo.
• The ceremony helps people rid themselves of the invisible
forces of evil.
- teeth are the symbol of lust, greed, anger,
insobriety, confusion and jealousy.
Filing the teeth therefore renders someone both more physically and more
spiritually beautiful, as well as symbolizing the rite of passage for an adolescent into
adulthood.
• In many other cultures, big is most definitely beautiful.
• In many African countries, such as Mauritania and Nigeria, a
skinny woman would be pitied.
• In fact, women are fed as much as possible to make them
more beautiful.
• Women are encouraged to gain as much weight as possible
from childhood in order to be considered attractive.
• Having a fat wife is desirable and is a sign of wealth and
prestige in the country where food is in short supply.
• As statistics show that one in five women in Seoul have
had plastic surgery and nearly fifty percent of women as well
as fifteen percent of men have undergone some form of
cosmetic procedure.
• it is no surprise that South Korea is considered the "plastic
surgery capital of the world".
• Among the most popular procedures are double eyelid surgery,
v-line jaw reduction, epicanthoplasty (eye widening surgery),
rhinoplasty (nose jobs) and forehead augmentations.
• There are many reasons as to why plastic surgery has become
so commonplace in Korea, but one of the main reasons is pure
competition.
• Indigenous groups throughout the Philippine islands have been
practicing the art of tattooing for centuries.
• They believed tattoos possessed spiritual powers and
magical qualities which gave them strength and
protection.
• They were also used to distinguish or reward a warrior
after a successful headhunt expedition and marked their social
status within their community.
• Women were also tattooed; to enhance their beauty, for
fertility and to serve as means of clothing.
The relationship between Body Image and Self-esteem
• The term self-esteem was coined by William James in 1800.
• James presented self-esteem as the number of successes a person achieves in
the domains of life that are important to him or her, divided by the number of
failures that occurred in those areas.
• In 1960’s, behavioral scientists defined self-esteem in terms of an attitude
concerning one’s worth of as a person (Rosenberg, 1965).
• Self-esteem is about how you value yourself and how you feel others
value you.
• Self-esteem is important because it can affect your mental health as well as how
you behave.
• For many people, especially teenagers, body image is closely linked to self-
esteem.
• If you have positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way
you are, even you don’t fit the popular notion of “beautiful” or “handsome”.
References
• Alata, EJ. P. (2018). Understanding the Self. REX Bookstore. Manila.
