Beauty, Beauty, Family, and Family, and HouseholdHousehold

Kinship Relations and the Cultural Kinship Relations and the Cultural Differences of BeautyDifferences of Beauty

Review of Love Arranged Marriages

Emphasis of bringing 2 families together (wealth)

The norm until about 800 years ago

Still the norm in many cultures

Tristan and Isolde “Love and Marriage…”

Related to love is beauty

Cultural Concepts of Beauty

How do we define beauty? Not universal – cultural, individual

Differences in “most desirable” mate Kayan Lahwi (Padaung), tribal

culture, Thailand

Cultural explanations (theories)?

More slender necks seen as desirable

Resemblance to a dragon, important figure in Kayan folklore

Protected women from becoming slaves – made them less attractive to rival villages

Cultural Concepts of Beauty

How do we define beauty? Not universal – cultural,

individual

Differences in “most desirable” mate China – round, “moon-shaped”

face traditionally seen as beautiful

Pale, fair skin

This is changing as China becomes more “western”

Cultural Concepts of Beauty

How do we define beauty? Not universal – cultural,

individual

Differences in “most desirable” mate Western Society

Historically, “plump” was the most desirable form of body type

Showed your wealth

This has changed in the last 50-100 years

Beauty Among the Nacirema

Gender bias What is gender again?

“Gender is a social, not a natural, phenomenon, which is learned. Gender roles are the patterns of behavior in which women and men engage, based on the cultural expectations associated with their gender.”

Agree or disagree with:

“Men place more emphasis on physical attractiveness, while women place more emphasis on personality characteristics.”

What does the media tell us?

Top 3 Selling Women’s Magazines

1. 2. 3.

Top 3 Selling Men’s Magazines

1. 2. 3.

Beauty Among the Nacirema

Gender bias What is gender again?

“Gender is a social, not a natural, phenomenon, which is learned. Gender roles are the patterns of behavior in which women and men engage, based on the cultural expectations associated with their gender.”

Agree or disagree with:

“Men place more emphasis on physical attractiveness, while women place more emphasis on personality characteristics.”

What does the media tell us?

Women in American society are told to be concerned about their appearance. Men are also told to be concerned about a woman’s appearance

Globalization of Love Love marriage (based on beauty and physical

attractiveness) is spreading Media Message

Missionization

Changes in infrastructure - > changes in society

Changing family structure

Family Structure Western Society – Neolocal

Husband and wife create their own residence

4% of cultures worldwide

Family Structure Patrilocal – husband and wife move in with

husband’s family Common in cultures where men coordinate their work

(agriculture)

67% of cultures worldwide

Family Structure Matrilocal – husband and wife move in with

wife’s family Common in cultures where men have to travel long

distances for long periods of time (wars)

15% of cultures worldwide

Family Structure Ambilocal – move in with either husband’s or

wife’s family (7% worldwide)

Avunculocal – move in with husband’s mother’s brother (5% worldwide) Matrilineal societies, but still keeps males in the

same household

Natalocal – both husband and wife stay with their own families (2% worldwide)

Family Forms What do the households of a culture look like?

Nuclear family (think 50’s family)

Extended family (multiple nuclear)

Polygamous

Family Forms What can this tell us about a culture?

Integrated with the environment, subsistence, family form, etc.

Core cultural values