We first discover our own beauty, then discover and appreciate the beauty of others, then appreciate and praise each other, and finally reach agreement and integration. This is what Mr. Fei advocated: "Each has its own beauty, beauty, beauty and * * *, and the world is one."
Interview experts:
Wang Jianmin: Doctoral supervisor, professor, anthropologist and ethnologist of Minzu University of China.
Gao: Peking University doctoral supervisor, professor, anthropologist and folklorist.
In recent years, there are more and more beauty contests with various names, and people pay more attention to beauty contests, which has attracted the attention of scholars. Here are two scholars talking about beauty, female beauty and Phoenix TV's "Miss China" beauty pageant from the perspective of social culture.
These two professors have been paying attention to beauty pageants for some time. From Miss World and Miss China to various talent shows in different parts of China, they have profound views on beauty pageants from an academic perspective.
Beauty and mind
Professor Wang: In the Middle Ages, the body was considered evil. Later, Descartes opposed the body and spirit. In western philosophy of mind and body, there is another sexual factor. "Spirit" is sometimes equated with men's rational and cultural fields, while "body" is equated with women's emotional and natural fields. The former is obviously copied to be higher than the latter.
In modern times, cultural practitioners use their bodies to establish their identities, express and distinguish themselves from other social groups through body language, and physical beauty and spiritual beauty begin to be harmonious and unified. Such changes are also reflected in more people's pursuit of aesthetics, obeying the changes of human aesthetics, and more people's happiness can be satisfied and liberated.
Professor Gao: Appreciating the body in the modern sense means liberating the body from religious symbols. The comprehensive standard of aesthetics is actually the expression of human progress. However, in China, the beauty pageant has been suppressed by the government intentionally or unintentionally, at least it doesn't support publicity.
The controversy over beauty pageants in recent years is justified. Because the aesthetics of orientals are different from those of westerners, the aesthetic standards of one group are symbolic violence to another. If western aesthetic standards are imposed on China people, Western beauty pageants will become the mainstream, which is likely to be detrimental to China's aesthetic development, so we will make a voice of resistance.
The power of beauty
Professor Gao: We should distinguish between two aspects of beauty pageant, namely media and real life. Beauty pageants do not only happen in the media, but should be treated correctly. In fact, people in real life will have more opportunities instead of despairing about people who may be considered not very beautiful in beauty contests.
Professor Wang: The beauty pageant itself is a double-edged sword. For example, it can not only establish male authority, but also break male hegemony, which can not only highlight national identity, but also break through national boundaries.
Some people think that beauty pageant is the product of a patriarchal society, and women are judged as the appreciation of men. The power generated by the criticism of various beauty contests is also promoting the development of aesthetics in all walks of life and promoting the dialogue between men and women.
Modern beauty pageants not only require external beauty, but also emphasize wisdom and courage. For example, Phoenix TV's "Miss China" beauty pageant process is a very good trend, which creates a fashion and trend, provides a platform for people to show their multiple identities and encourages people to pursue happiness.
Professor Gao: Yes, it also adds a lot of life meaning to the leisure time of modern life. In order to gain social recognition, we began to do some leisure activities, in order to bridge the gap between individuals and others, through the social reproduction mechanism of beauty pageant, to gain more people's recognition outside the personal intuitive world and small circle. This is actually a way of social existence, and beauty pageant is an operational behavior of benign social development.
Beauty is the strength of China people.
Professor Wang: The selection of "Miss China" on Phoenix TV is a beauty contest for Chinese women all over the world. This process is actually an exploration of the nationality of the Chinese nation, and it is also an exploration of the meaning of "Greater China". In the "Miss China" competition, many related projects are reflecting things that affect group centripetal force and national cohesion besides material life. Many overseas players are likely to enter the competition with the mentality of seeking roots and ancestors. At the same time, this competition has also built a platform for Chinese people around the world to show and reproduce their sense of cultural belonging.
Beauty and * * *, a world.
Professor Gao: Actually, from everyone's personal experience, people, as individuals, hate each other. There are ambiguities and prejudices among groups, and they often gain recognition by belittling others. This is a natural inferiority complex. Beauty pageant helps the society appreciate other people's different cultural types, changes people's disgust mentality into appreciation mentality, and improves the relationship between different groups, which is the progress of human nature at the micro level.
Professor Wang: These two different aesthetic views will form a dialogue and realize a sense of beauty.
Two professors' knowledge: the cosmology of harmony between life and nature in China's traditional culture is manifested in cultural tolerance and enjoyment. The concept of "beauty is beautiful, beauty is beautiful, beauty and * * *, and the world is one" between multiculturalism is actually the combination of China's traditional cultural wisdom and cultural relativism, and it is the expression of human's good wishes.