To start off task two, we decided to undergo some initial research into beauty via a survey. We asked for their opinions on what they thought beauty meant, what they found beautiful and what they found unattractive and repulsive. Of the responses we have received, here are 5 responses for each category. The responses are mixed between male and female for each question, with the two age ranges 18-29 and 30-44.
When you hear the word beauty, what does it mean to you?
- In its literal sense it’s describing something that’s aesthetically pleasing. Emotionally I’d say it means something makes me smile whenever I see it. I’m forever in awe of it. I gravitate towards it.
- Something that evokes strong emotions of awe. It’s a word that describes the almost undescribable.
- Something natural that is aesthetically pleasing to one or more person.
- It means pure truth.
- It’s subjective everyone has a different version of what they class as beauty
What do you think is beautiful?
- Handsome people, exciting natural scenery. Wild animals, well-written music.
- Everything above us is beautiful, the sky, clouds and stars. Certain songs and sounds like rain or a crackling fire. I think it’s beautiful when someone is really passionate about something, to see their eyes light up when they talk about it.
- From the allure of nature, sitting under the stars or a picturesque view of the countryside, to even the majestic flair of an elite sportsman/woman that does the unexpected with precision and grace, beauty is caught in the moment and knows no boundaries. Music with emotion is beautiful to hear, also poetry that sums up an event or emotion without caution and allows the listener a clear view into the thought process at that exact time.
- Absolute truth, raw emotion and seeing something/someone absolutely bare and honest.
- Completely silent times with nature, wonderful minded people and passion.
What do the words repulsive/unattractiveness/inelegance mean to you?
- Upsetting stimulus to the major senses, ie, nose, eyes, ears.
- It has several meanings but opposite to beauty and attract; repulsive always reminds me of poison. It can be used to describe someone with malevolent intentions or something that literally makes me feel worse. I make an effort to avoid it.
- Something I try not to see often. I try to find beauty in repulsion.
- Something that I couldn’t use. I’ll never use it to describe a person
- The absence of beauty in one person’s subjective opinion.
What do you think is repulsive?
- Pollution, human rights abuse. Screaming.
- I think it’s a lot easier to be repulsed by something than it is to see the beauty in it. I find certain smells to be repulsive. A persons behaviour. Some food looks repulsive to me, either in its quantity or combinations. Various insects.
- It could be something such as someone with poor manners -eating with mouths open. Or to me corporatism is Repulsive, watching the rich get richer at the expense of the world’s most vulnerable people. Hearing people are treated with total lack of respect.
- To see a bad situation in which you can do nothing to improve.
- Lack of empathy. Lack of basic human emotions which make us a higher species.
Aidan Reilly YEAR 3 