Over the years, America has become a society that judges beauty primarily based on appearance. All day long, men and women are bombarded with grotesque images of malnourished models selling their own bodies; pretending that they are somehow beautiful. What does it mean to be beautiful? Can self-esteem be measured by body weight, clothing size or lipstick shade? “Some time ago, I came across an article in a beauty magazine in which a man said that there were no more ugly women in the world because makeup, weaves, false eyelashes, etc. other beauty treatments, had leveled the playing field and resulted in all women looking alike” ( Gale 1). At the same time, misinformed judgments have caused women to alter their physical appearance in order to become more beautiful rather than embrace their true beauty. To effectively measure beauty, one must remember that beauty cannot be determined by physical attributes, but is found in the personality and uniqueness of each individual. In determining what it means to possess beauty, one must keep in mind that the allure of the flesh will always leave people wanting something more. “Western women have become preoccupied with concepts of beauty, image, and appearance” (Shabaat 6). Society has led many people to believe that the primary characteristic of beauty is physical attractiveness, which has led to global acceptance of inaccurate interpretations of beauty. “I concluded that beautiful and perfect women are on the rise, as are women who feel ugly inside” (Gale 1). In order to free oneself from all the misleading examples of beauty, one must always remember that the person in the mirror is not what defines one's self-esteem. May...... middle of paper .... ...re attractiveness while embracing the personality and unique aspects of an individual. Any other solicitation of beauty demanding something more should be labeled as fraudulent and seen as nothing more than a means to demolish self-esteem. 303-329 AcademicOneFile. The Journal of Psychology, June 3, 2007. Web. September 8, 2011. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. “Beauty and women [opinion]”. Galeopposing.com. AcademicOneFile: Africa News Service, May 31, 2011. Web. September 8, 2011. Jakes, TD: “True Beauty.” AcademicSearchPremier. Essence. October 2009. The web. September 8, 2011.Shabaat, Hizb of ut-Tahrir: The myth of Western beauty. Khalfa Publications. February 22, 2003. Print.Webster, Miriam: Webster Dictionary: AcademicOneFile. Internet. September 8. 2011.