Beauty in Space and Time: The Changing Construction of Beauty among Ghanaian Youth

Type Working Paper
Title Beauty in Space and Time: The Changing Construction of Beauty among Ghanaian Youth
Author(s)
URL http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Georgina-Yaa-Oduro-wpap​er-beau3.pdf
Abstract
Beauty is a relative concept. It is also socio-culturally constructed. What may be defined as beautiful in one context or culture may be perceived as disgusting in another. However in a globalised era where what happens in one context or country easily gets relayed to another country, to what extent has the cultural definition of Ghanaian or African beauty been upheld by young people in Ghana? This paper explores the construction of beauty by two groups of Ghanaian youth: those in a peri-urban setting who still hold on to traditional Ghanaian notions of beauty and those located in a cosmopolitan context who have been deeply affected by Western construction of beauty with an emphasis on slenderness and bodies decorated with beauty enhancement products. The paper draws on social constructionist theory. It employs a multiple methods design made up of in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and writeups by young people to unearth their construction of beauty. The paper concludes that contexts matter in the definition and expression of beauty. Additionally, the strong impact of globalisation through media projections cannot be under estimated in constructions and representations of beauty in this twenty-first century.

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