Critical Thinking Exercise
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Date
Manufacturing Beauty
Cindy Jackson Sense of her Social Self, Self-Concept, Self-Esteem and Self-Presentation
Cindy Jackson reveals all her credentials as a cosmetic advisor, an act that displays her sense of social self regarding her role and identity. She openly reveals that she has had several cosmetic surgeries, indicating that she qualifies to be a cosmetic advisor to her clients. The inside information that she has regarding plastic surgery is critical to any patient who plans to have it. Jackson is an ultimate insider to provide such information to patients. Self-concept refers to how someone thinks about or perceives themselves. Jackson has self-concept because she believes that she can improve her physical appearance; however, she desires. Therefore when she felt that there were some impurities on her body, she underwent multiple surgeries to make herself look the way she desired. Because she was not satisfied with the way she looked, most people perceive her as someone with low self-esteem (Qiu, 2018). This is because she had an unsatisfied and negative perception of her appearance, and that is why she underwent surgery.
It is clear on her website that she felt that she was not attractive enough, and she underwent surgery to turn herself into a young-looking girl. Low self-esteem is considered a sign of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. The disorder affects the mental activity of an individual, making him or her focus on problems in his or her physical appearance. Self-presentation refers to how individuals present themselves to manipulate how others perceive them (Qiu, 2018). Jackson reveals that plastic surgery is aimed at revolutionizing and changing a person’s appearance to look attractive in the eyes of other people. While focusing on the positive aspects of cosmetic surgery, most people view her as a confident person.
Physical Attractiveness Stereotype of Interpersonal Attraction Drawn from Cindy Jackson Case
According to stereotypes, individuals who are physically attractive are deemed to have the personality of an attractive person. Most people tend to think that people who are thought to be attractive have positive characters such as kindness, outgoing, happy, and success. Studies have indicated that there is a positive correlation between a person’s attractiveness and social skills and self-confidence. Jackson has stated in various interviews that most men find her attractive than ever before. She said when she was young, men did not give her enough attention, but now they do, and she believes that the more attractive a person is, the more other people see him or her attractive (CindyAdmin, 2018). The attractiveness fosters a more interpersonal relationship of that person with other people. She stereotyped successful people because she thought that they had an advantage for them to achieve success. Therefore she believes that interpersonal attraction with prominent people leads to success. This was why she desired to undergo multiple cosmetic surgeries to acquire the attractiveness she desired.
Influence of Mass Media on Cindy Jackson
When the story of Jackson’s cosmetic surgery became, popular mass medial started having an influence on her life. Starting at that point, she was flooded with concerns, praises, and questions about the experience. She is the woman who made cosmetic surgery popular, and she had people on both sides such that some criticized her while others sort advice from her. Mass media has made Jackson a celebrity. Her story has been expanded in magazines, newspapers, television, and social networks. The Barbie Dolls were introduced in the market in 1959, and they were promoted all across the country (CindyAdmin, 2018). The dolls were exposed to children, especially girls who grew up with the aspiration to have that attractive figure.
They were a part of the inspiration for girls to look attractive like them. Young girls thought that clothes looked good on the Barbie Doll because of her figure. The influence that Barbie had on girls is similar to what social media has done to Jackson. She used to see Barbie on the media and always aspired to look like her. When she became old enough, she underwent 52 surgeries in a span of 23 years as she worked hard to look like Barbie. Beauty pageants also played a huge role in social media (CindyAdmin, 2018). Most of the contestants had a thin body which was seemed attractive, but the truth is they had an eating disorder. Therefore the mass media can be attributed to the decisions that Jackson took.
The Meaning of “Manufacturing Beauty”
According to the business definition, manufacturing is the process of producing something of value. Beauty is described as being gorgeous or pretty. In Jackson’s case, beauty is being fabricated when the word manufacturing is used. This is because conventionally, beauty cannot be made. It is supposed to be naturally occurring. Beauty occurs through a combination of genes from both parents. Therefore manufacturing beauty as used in the case makes beauty unnatural such that it can be manipulated several times to achieve the desired felling. That is the reason why a person like Jackson has taken multiple surgeries to ensure that she achieves her desire for physical attractiveness (CindyAdmin, 2018). Therefore the phrase implies that beauty does not have to take a natural cause; it can be made by man.
References
CindyAdmin. (2018). Cindy Jackson biography. Cosmetic surgery anti-aging pioneer. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.cindyjackson.com/about-cindy-jackson/
Qiu, X. (2018). Self-esteem, motivation, and self-enhancement presentation on WeChat.