172. A imagem no espelho

[Music] I gave the good vintages to the self-consciousness, a podcast that speaks of inner life for you to understand better. I am Regina Gianetti and my job is to help you live well with yourself. I take an online course with classes when I live recorded, by finding your center, in which I teach the practices I do, the philosophy of life and the attitudes I adopt to live with self-consciousness and balance. I also retire from the present, with experiences for you to connect with your center, to visualize positive changes to your life and to obtain the tools to put them into practice. In the description of this episode, there are links with more information about these works. And if you like what is going to happen here, share it with your group of messages. What is good for you can make much more people. [Music] Episode 172 "The image in the mirror". [Music] How is your relationship with the image you see every day in the mirror? When you look at this image of your face in the mirror, comes the thought that something can improve, comes the idea of ​​doing a beautification as we do with our digital image in a social network, reduce a little here, increase there, give a little bit of glue, maybe change the shape of some trace of your face. It may be that you have already done some beautification and are in harmony with the mirror for now. But this adjustment has a time of validity. The face changes. At some point, maybe you intend to do another. I am here asking these questions because today, these improved filters from our image on social networks give us an idea of ​​how our face could be. These filters are based on a standard of beauty for feminine and masculine faces that is on the edge of the part, on social networks, on the streets, on the stages, TV programs, series, films, fashion troupes. It is almost inevitable to compare us with this unique and present standard of beauty that is there, of striking traces, smooth skin and perfect symmetry that the culture of our times presents as beauty. And it is such a great offer and promise of aesthetic procedures to bring us closer to this standard that we feel tempted, when not pressured, to do them too. Let's talk about it, about what beauty is for us, what causes the care we have for us and what really makes us feel good with ourselves. [Music] To start the conversation, why do we care about beauty? Philosophy gives us a clue. One of the classic ideas of philosophy is that the human being has the need for beauty, as well as the good and the true. Beauty, good and truth are universal values that guide our existence, thought and action. Important philosophers of all times spoke of this. Plato and Aristotle, Saint Augustine and Thomas de Aquino and Manuel Kant. There are differences in the way these philosophers define the universal values of good and truth. But their views on beauty are more concordant. For everyone, beauty is the expression of an order, of a superior harmony, whether of the intellect, of the universe or of God. Beauty is the expression of an ideal of symmetry, of balance, of spiritual perfection. It connects the human being with a higher plan, of ideas, of feelings, of existence itself. That's why we talk, for example, about beauty attitude, about beauty friendship, about beautiful feeling, about beautiful life example. You see, what is implicit there is the recognition that these things we are calling beautiful are expressions of a superior order, of a perfect harmony. Beauty, as a universal value, derives from aesthetic beauty, which we appreciate through the senses. The beauty of a flower, of a bird, of an art work, of a melody, a poem, a landscape, of an architectural construction, of an object, a smile, of a person. To appreciate what is aesthetically beautiful, to be proud of what is beautiful, are ways of experiencing beauty as value. And unlike beauty as value, which is absolute, aesthetic beauty is relative. What is aesthetically beautiful for one can not be for another. The perception of beauty varies according to the culture and taste of people. Someone can find a beautiful piece of clothes and someone else can find ugly or ungrateful. The subjectivity interferes in the perception of beauty. Whether it is our personal taste, we wish that beauty be part of us. We also want to be beautiful. At a deep level, being in some way beautiful brings us closer to our ideal of harmony and elevation, brings us closer to what is sublime, is divine. So much so that when a person is very beautiful, we say that she is a goddess, a god. It is natural, then, that we want to be beautiful, and not only of an exterior beauty, but also interior, in our attitudes, thoughts, feelings. Beauty as value is an aspiration of our soul. Because beauty is a value for the human being, what we have of beauty attracts attention and the admiration of the other. And this makes beauty desirable also for our ego. The ego is that part of us that needs to receive attention, approval, validation, in the last analysis, love. And if beauty can bring this, the ego's tendency is to invest in it. The ego will take the body to paint in the academy, will dress it with beautiful clothes, will use a cut or a hair color that values its features, will use beauty products, make up, will make aesthetic procedures. Even more so today, that there are so many technologies to serve beauty. Plastic surgery, Botox, Protesis, appetizers, lighters, lasers, bio-stimulators of collagen, fillings, fillings of traction for the face, all a arsenal of beauty resources. You know since when humanity makes aesthetic procedures? At least, since 3,000 years before Christ. There are records of this time that show that the Egyptians had already done surgeries for the reconstruction of deformed noses. They had already used Western prostheses, wig and hair dyeing, based on plants and minerals. If you know that in India, in Greece and in Rome, 500 years before Christ, there were skin scabs to treat deformities, injuries and burns. But that was very rare. Before the invention of anesthesia, what was only going to happen in the 19th century, surgeries were a surprise that only occurred in case of extreme need. And still, for those who had a lot of money and courage to enter the knife in cold blood. In addition, those who wanted to be beautiful had to be content with the creative, cosmetic science of their time. Hair dye, for example, has already been made with ingredients like chumbo powder, chouffre and animal fat. It should not be very pleasant. Only from the 1920s, and then, with the use of general anesthesia, the surgery for aesthetic purposes unleashed like all the others. At first, with that same process, repair injuries and deformities. Then, to the few, also to correct aesthetic deviations, such as a very tall or very big nostril, a nail polish, Bano's ears, I did a plastic surgery on the ears, at the age of 7. From the 1960s, facial lifting techniques emerged in order to eliminate wrinkles and the flexibility of the face. The aesthetic surgery leaves it to be only a repairer to be also a rejuvenator. We have advanced more than two decades, 1980, when non-surgery interventions appeared with botox applications, the fillings and the fillings. It is the age of aesthetic dermatology that not only rejuvenates, but also prolongs the younger aspect of the face. Let's give one more jump to 2010. This year, Instagram emerged, initially as an exclusive application for iPhone, which in turn began to bring an improved front camera. The proposal for these innovations was that people could take pictures of themselves and share them instantly with friends. The idea of making public the moments of their own life was appreciated and realized. We entered the era of Instagram Face, of the self-portraits we make seeing how the portrait will come out and therefore being able to control how this portrait will come out. We have filters to edit our image and we can produce a improved version, in the beauty of the face. At least in the selfies of social media, we are more beautiful. And then we arrived to the days of today. The aesthetic procedures are prodigious by our appearance. They rejuvenate us for decades, they put the face in the shape of the perfect symmetry. They smoothen the skin, inflame the lips, highlight the massages of the face, change the shape of the eyes, of the forehead, of the jaw. The edited version of the digital photos can now be printed in the flesh. There are several academic studies that show a relationship between what people do with their digital image on social media and what they are doing or what they want to do with their faces. To exemplify, I found an article published in the "Psychology Today" magazine in March 2024, signed by Dr. Tara Well, who is a psychology professor at the University of Columbia. Making a handle on several of these studies, she tells how technology has become an unexpected architect of beauty standards. As technology redefines our self-image through the filters we apply to our digital photos. The filters of beauty are shaping the way we see ourselves and others, and pushing, as never before, the search for aesthetic procedures. This is happening with people of all ages, as Dr. Well reports. For those more mature, the "stopin" was the use of video calls in the context of work that exploded during the pandemic and continues to be very frequent. Confronted with the reality of its image in the video, many tried to press the button to retouch my appearance. And once you see the smoothest face and the uniform skin in the video, you will find what shows the mirror of the bathroom, and suddenly you start to think of taking a chance to approach more of the images. I admit that I use the zoom image retoucher. Just a little bit, go. Level 2, tap. Give a subtle update on my tequila sketches. Tequila is my little dog. Like every dog, she has the fallen sketches. What on her is very cute. But in me, I don't think anything cute. I also admit that I flirt with the idea of a soft lifting in the lower part of the face. A time like this, who knows. Well, for those who have a mature skin, don't be surprised to see plastic surgeries on YouTube. But that people with less than 30 years do the same, even with a good stock of collagen on their faces, that draws attention. [music] As it is noteworthy, the younger ones are the great users of social media beautification filters, and especially women. In a research done with young people from various countries in 2020, it turns out that 80% of them had used filters to beautify their appearance at the age of 13. And that 94% of all young people felt pressured to look more beautiful or perfect in photos. Note well, the research is from 2020. From there to here, how many new influencers of aesthetic beauty have already appeared in TikTok? Thousands. And with that, people are looking for aesthetic procedures increasingly early. In Brazil, according to opinion box research, among those who did some aesthetic procedure, men included there, 54% did this procedure before the age of 30. Another data, this one from the site The Guardian, in the whole world, 24% of Botox users are between 18 and 34 years old. For the younger ones, the applications of botulinic toxin are in smaller concentrations, which is being called baby Botox. Lowering a little more the range. In Brazil, almost 150% increased the number of aesthetic surgeries made in teenagers, from 13 to 18 years old. The most sought after are rhinoplasty and the silicone implant in mothers. The rise of the Brazilian society of plastic surgery. Meanwhile, in TikTok, girls from the age of 9 follow beauty influencers' profiles and begin to ask parents to buy facial skincare products for them. Now, Dr. Tara Well draws attention to the negative effects of Instagram Face in self-esteem and in the mental health of people, especially teenagers who are in a delicate phase of building identity. The phase, in itself, is full of insecurities with regard to appearance. And these insecurities become even greater when there is a pattern of appearance so pure and unique as of today. I remember well my adolescence temples, which, sadly, was this relationship with the ideal of beauty. In my school, the girls wanted to have a smooth hair and bangs. Saturday was the day of making "tolca" in the "Casadas Amigas". To wrap the wet hair well stretched around the head, fill it with staples and stay up to date with that, until the hair dries. When you took out the "tolca", it was very smooth. I, who was a little boy, didn't participate in these rituals of beauty. But my hair was slightly on the side and my bangs didn't stay straight at all. When I woke up in the morning to go to school, I needed to wet that "rebel" bangs, I was painting exhaustedly. I didn't even go out in the wind to get rid of them. My mother said that I was staying with the hard neck, which was to not spray the bangs. I'm laughing at this today, but at the time it was a fight with my hair. I wanted to be like my friends. And I'm imagining how it is to be a teenager today. Well, a summary up to here. In addition to technology, which evolved a lot in recent times, the most important changes in the aesthetic world are behavior. People are looking for more and more young procedures. Procedures that are not just for the correction of aesthetic desires or rejuvenation, but now all re-signified for the purpose of facial harmonization and a harmonization that is traversed by the filters of beauty on social networks. For women, voluminous lips, soft faces, delicate nose, eyes with huge eyelashes, without pores, without lines of expression, smooth and perfect. For men, a square chin, a salient jaw, maybe a sculpted beard, hair covering the whole head. And there are resources to go well beyond that. For example, changing the color of the eyes' iris. This can be done with an implant of a silicone iris in the desired color, which is placed under the corner. This procedure was created for people who were born without iris, or for the repair of injuries in the eyes. It is a delicate surgery that can have several effects, infection, eye pressure increase, glaucoma, but despite the risks, it is also being used for aesthetic purposes. There is still the pigmentation of the iris. It is a procedure similar to tattooing, which deposits ink on the eye. And on the contrary, it is also being done, the de-pigmentation of the iris with laser, which destroys the eye's melanin and leaves it with a lighter color. There are risks to the vision of these techniques, too, that people are doing the same. In my research for this episode, I took the knowledge of other interventions, which, up to where I know, are uncommon on this side of the world, but are on the menu of plastic surgery in South Korea. That is why it is highly aesthetic to have a rounded head. And those who do not have it can put a silicone prosthesis on the back of the skull or on the forehead. The rounded forehead surgery, by the way, has good acceptance of young people. And many are doing the surgical lifting of the corners of the mouth, to keep a discreet, permanent smile. South Koreans take facial harmonization very seriously and do surgeries that remodel the whole face, eyes, nose, mouth, the shape of the face, facial bones are pierced as a stone. That is because we are not talking about body transformation. Until the statue of the person is raised surgical. If you search for videos of plastic surgeries in Korea, you will see impressive transformations. The face is the most personal attribute to us. It is what distinguishes us from other people. Each face with its strokes, its shape, its color and texture of skin, its unique combination of characteristics gives us an identity. The face is also a means of expression of who we are, what we feel, what we think. The facial expressions covered in the face that, in itself, is unique, make us an absolutely singular being. Now, a question for us philosophers. To what extent the standard of beauty that is there and the movement of facial harmonization, or will it be facial homogenization? To what extent this moves with our sense of identity? This is one of the questions that the Brazilian researcher Camila Cintra does. She is a specialist in culture and behavior, and wrote a monograph about the phenomenon Instagram made. She asks, "Are we not getting too similar faces?" And in this case, we would not be opening the hand of the little that still remains of our own and singular in a society that is already taken by the same. This movement of facial harmonization would not interfere in the identity, since we are talking about face. Camila comes on an interesting side in the use of image filters, which is to give us the possibilities of experiencing our face and body with different appearances, to realize in different ways. What at first is simulating, it is creative, it even has an artistic potential. On the other hand, digital filters create better versions of ourselves, showing a face that we still do not have, but which we could have. This generates a feeling of insufficiency in relation to the image itself, says Camila. And then we go in search of many aesthetic resources to eliminate this feeling of insufficiency. And the more technology advances, the more we charge to use these resources in our favor. The feeling of insufficiency, of being who, the standard, or the ideal for ourselves, this can become a constant. If it is so, says Camila, we can exaggerate the procedures that will produce results even before aesthetics, or make people feel artificial. So, those procedures that would be to harmonize will bring us disarmony, both physical and psychological, of being with ourselves. There is an interesting issue for us to rethink our own notions of aesthetics and beauty and establish our limit, she says. Despite the procedures and tricks being more and more at the reach of everyone, the culture that builds them is far from being liberating and more and more close to control and perfectionism. I think it is natural and healthy for us to want to feel beautiful, jovial, to feel good with ourselves. What was to value who we are, to value our singularity, I think and why not? A treatment to revigorate the skin, to remove some stains, to rejuvenate some years, to correct a aesthetic view, to realize our natural beauty, I was reading. But when dissatisfaction with the image in the mirror is very big, when it bothers us the difference between the real image and the ideal image, they are not actually the best characteristics that will pacify us. It is a deeper procedure. It is not external but internal. It is a work to learn to like who we are, the way we are. Even because everything that is external is subject to the implacable law of impermanence. The body changes, the appearance changes, patterns of beauty also change. Even the nature that is aesthetically beautiful in us loses sight of it. Because also the aesthetic beauty is impermanent. Perhaps it is so that we cultivate more beauty as value, that which applies to attitudes, to feelings, to ideas, the type of beauty that is not of appearance but of our essence. May you be well. A hug.