In society today, things that people identify as beautiful seemed to have narrowed down. The media is a big influence on what society views as beautiful. Society sees beauty in the photoshopped model that is plastered on the billboard on the highway. Times have changed, which has also caused our values and our definition of beauty to change. Armstrong stated “To regard beauty as a luxury adornment or a social signifier was to miss the true potential of the experience.” Beauty doesn’t involve luxuries or your social standing, that is what I believe people are misunderstanding. There can be a beauty in everything, as Armstrong states, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” Everyone has their own stance on beauty. Somebody who loves cars would see a shiny luxury vehicle as beautiful, not just because they have an expensive car and show it off, but because they appreciate every little part about the car. That is what beauty is. Being able to appreciate the appearance of the final product and the parts and pieces of the product. It works the same with a significant other as well. You see their appearance as beautiful, but you also appreciate the little things they do for you. Once society can learn to appreciate those little things, then we will have a real understanding of beauty.
Nick, your comment about cars: “Being able to appreciate the appearance of the final product and the parts and pieces of the product. It works the same with a significant other as well,” makes me think of order, effort, and care as potential values someone would consider beautiful. Quality.
If you did want to write about cars and beauty, I would recommend exploring how society goes about selling cars. What does commercial society consider beautiful in car versus what do you consider beautiful in a car? How does your ideas about what’s beautiful in a car connect with Anderson’s ideas about beauty and what motivates people toward beauty?
The point is to try to narrow your paper’s scope as much as you can so that your argument can follow a smooth trajectory.
1/3 (late) (but better late than never!)