Conformity of Normality

The ever changing constant

When is something accepted as the norm? For how long does a norm remain constant? What as a matter a fact is normality. It is classified as the state in which everything is typical, constant. The generally accepted. The mean, in other words. But Think how cans this be so, in a society where the desired norms are so abnormal.

If lets say you take the concept of beauty. Western Beauty. Over just a few hundred years it has changed dramatically, from the pale skin, tight upper lip no ankles approach of our for fathers to our blonde hair, skinny, tanned an far to revealing image. How did this image of female beauty change so dramatically over just a few generations? Of course every genration has there own ideal of beauty, cultures also have ever changing views on the matter. But how did we get this western concept of the sun kissed blonde. What we see nowadays is a gross hyperbole of the perceived beauty. Our cultures view sent out then repackaged and sold back to us in creams and serums with the promise of the utopian beauty just a cople of hundred pounds away.  So lets get some perspective of what different cultures view as the conventional norm. ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ as it were. In India a light golden complexion is the desired image, whilst in other countries woman desperately try to tan their skin in what ever way possible.

Nigeria sees the bigger woman as the prefferd chose as this shows she comes from a prosperous family. And where does this image come from the fertile image of Mother Nature perhaps?

To come back to my original point the norm is far from normal, how many people do you know with perfect smile, nice hair, teeth and a radiant glow? Many? Dose our image of the norm reflect the general poupulas? Culture to culture, decade to decade the perceived utopian norms whatever they may be are always changing. So how are we expected to conform to the norm, when the norm, the constant never does indeed remain constant? The norm is where you are and when.

BD