Hentai's Perception of Beauty

If anyone here has seen the Dove ad "Evolution" you know that a lot of people complain over what photoshop does to our perception of beauty.
Excluding real life for now, since it's no fun, let's discuss what hentai does to our perception of beauty.

Hentai is perfection. It's limitless. You don't have to worry about the subject you are photoshopping since you can start from scratch to perfect your artwork. One might argue that it can destroy our perception of beauty, much like photoshop. But better, in my opinion.

I actually LIKE this distorted view on beauty. It gives people a standard to work harder at. Of course, you could argue that it completely screws over the more unattractive people.
However, it's like opportunity, they can use these perfect images as a slate for their own personal advancement. To make themselves more beautiful, if you will.

These distortions play a role in evolution, which I admire.
Rock on Photoshopped hentai images.

Discuss your opinion. Do you think the media is ruining our ideal of beauty? Are you unattractive? Does it piss you off? Is rabbit meat delicious?
I don't know.
Discuss!

You know, you would make a wonderful Discordian. You should join us.

Anyway, Hentai is...Hentai. It's not art, nor is it porn. It's not perfect, nor is it flawed. It's a medium to express ones own views, yet it's also a medium to have ones views shattered.

Besides, there are those shirts of "Hentai has set my standards too high for real women/men.", and those have a grain of truth too.

Beauty can be found anywhere, I happen to particularly enjoy the beauty in Hentai, there will always be something to aim for something that represents the ideal in terms of beauty, different in each individual's mind, it has been the case throughout the centuries, corsets anyone?

That being said hentai/anime beauty tends to be simple and for the most part flawless, so yeah if you're looking for an ideal then you'll find one in hentai. It has personally affected me in my relationships as people aren't all perfect beings to be worshiped and I abhor the thought of settling for second best.

Yet I would not have it any other way, would you have a beautiful image stripped from your mind so that you can rest a little easier with what you have? I would not, i'd rather know rapture than succumb to melancholy.

Well said.

Ain't that a bitch

Yes, of course Hentai has increased my standards of guys. I expect all my men now to have penises that are at least or longer than 7 inches oh it must be thick too. Also, they must not have any pimples on their faces either nor hair on their body - anywhere. Also they must be of an average build not too skinny but not too bulky either. His hair has to be kept in place and they must have nice eyes. They must be attractive. They also must be intelligent, fun to be around, make me laugh, have eyes for only me, and If any girl hits on him he must refuse.

[end of sarcasm]

But seriously, I don't like it. I don't like that I have to live up to this perfect bodied, perfect in-place hair, perfect smooth skin standard that lots of men have these days. It really has destroyed my confidence. I mean, I hate taking any pictures of myself and I can't even look at people in the eye because I feel as if they'd just call me ugly or I'd see the look of disgust in their eyes. Not being pretty is annoying as fuck. You would think, well if she isn't pretty at least she has a brain. But sometimes, we're not as blessed and we're just left unattractive and stupid. Stupid enough to believe we have to look like those blonde bimbos who are out clubbing with barely any clothes on. Or I don't know, I sound insanely jealous I guess. But obviously I'm going to be.

It's nice to have standards and all, but not many people could live up to them. If you have your dream girl down to her hair, features, body type, personality you'll end up alone forever. If you lets say go for the small type girl, whose short petite and has a brain you'll probably find her. But expecting someone to be perfect appearance wise and personality wise is just insane.

I don't have that standard to men, because it's dumb. I'd end up alone if I had a high standard. I know what to expect and what not to expect. Hentai doesn't influence that because Hentai isn't real. It's how we would like to live and how we would like girls/guys to act, but in reality most don't. Even in the media, they put girls out there as if they were born with that body or face. Most of them starved themselves and had surgery done. But most girls are looking at it wondering why we don't look like that. Men start thinking girls are supposed to look like that and we end up having girls dying because they aren't eating.

And seriously, it's horrible that people are working at perfection. Anyone who does knows it destroys them because they never will be perfect in their eyes. They will always find something wrong. Always. It makes a person feel worse that they can't live up to these imaginary standards. Everyone would have a bit more confidence if they didn't have to live up to barbie standards, in which some girl girls really need the confidence boost. There are really amazing women who guys don't glance at because they don't look a certain way.

I mean, it's good that women are looking more beautiful and if that makes them feel better then they should go for it, but do I feel like every women should feel that she has to live up to the same standards? No.
[end of long post everyone skips over]

Unless handled by the mature and knowledgeable of reality, this perception may do more bad than good. Like you said.
I agree for the most part. However, a person's desire to be perfect comes natural. You do not need to see posters or ads with fake people to desire perfection. You want to get as close to it as possible without harming yourself. If you can do that, you're using this image to your advantage.

You really believe it's good that we practically force young children to try and mimic certain aspect of attractive celebrities when even they don't look as good as photoshop makes them?

No one looks as good as most anime. It's not an attainable goal which is the real crime. When the highest standard is a 10, why create an 11 with art? I love anime, and I love anime girls but i hope for the love of GOD it doesn't influence anyone to want to be "perfect".

First of all, this is an awesome thread. I am very impressed that there is this level of intelligent discussion going on. I encourage everyone to really step up their posting to match the well thought out posts in this thread.

That being said I do think that anime and hentai present a very unrealistic view of women, and of sex in general. This is not a bad thing by any means, but you should not go into the real world expecting anything even remotely close to what exists in anime / hentai.

For example, I am a huge sucker for all of the tsundere girls in anime. Yet I have dated girls with those exact same qualities and it pisses me off to no end when they start acting like that. But oh how I love it in anime.

But I believe without a doubt that there is someone out there that will make you happy, no matter who you are.

It's beneficial to try to be your best. If perfection is your motivation, you may never stop advancing.

So, living your whole life aiming to be perfect but once you're in your lets say 60's/70's you noticed you wasted you life away at trying to aim at something that's not very realistic is good?

Yeah, I'd rather take the shortcut and know that I'm not perfect in any way and I'll try to enjoy life looking the way I do even if it's not as 'appealing' to some people.

-shrugs-

Makes more sense then stressing out over something I'll never achieve. I doubt you're perfect, do you want the rest of your life worrying that you'll never look like Brad Pitt, or trying your best to look like him but knowing you never will? What's the point in that, it's just adding more stress on for no reason!

This distorted view of beauty that art creates... is undesirable. I can't even imagine how many amazing men or women have missed out on their chance of love and happiness because they have this skewed concept of "perfection".

There will always be flaws in everything. Humans have flaws, and so does art. The flaws are what keep us from perfection, but nothing says that flaws can't be better than perfection itself. In a perfect world, a world without sin, a world without flaws, just imagine all of the things that wouldn't even exist that we enjoy now.

I got a bit off-topic, but it was just to say that flaws aren't necessarily as bad as we make them out to be.

I don't look for anime-like qualities in a woman, I look for human qualities. I look at personality, I like a woman with wit and intellect. I like a woman that at least takes decent care of herself. Utter perfection is not at all what I look for.

'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' im pretty sure everyone has heard this quote before.. it all comes down to someone's definition of beauty..
if they're happy with what they have then they hav nothing to strive for..
and statistics show.. i think.. that people actually like people who are average more because they'd think those 'super beauties' would be out of their league..
but this new revolution could provide something to do for all those vain people..
once again.. i hav no idea wat im saying

I often get jealous of other girls and often have a criticizing opinion about myself. I know I'm not flat out ugly, but I don't think I have desirable attributes either. It's sorta like a norm. Plus some extra weight.
Guys in my area have the opinion of 'if she doesn't wear makeup, she's lazy' :? I don't wear a dime of makeup just simply because I don't feel like I need it. Doesn't mean I'm lazy. I shower regularly and have several face moisturizers and take care of my skin so I don't need the makeup to cover up the blemishes and such... to me that's better then makeup x-x;

America probably is the worst when it comes to females and media and just striving to be that million dollar girl that only exists on paper. (photos and art alike)

Hentai I don't believe causes any more to this though. I mean - anime itself looks unrealistic and guys (I would hope) know that women don't really look like that.

But what gets me is that even on real girls that are super models. Their perfectly round breasts and stuff, that just doesn't exist. Guys, fyi girls breasts aren't perfectly round. The bra makes it appear that way, or if you see the breasts and they're perfectly round - they're fake.

~*~

On a guys end - anime guys are dreamy and just as perfect as anime girls are to guys. Though I realize it's fake. Fantasy.

Guys that I find attractive in anime I find detestable in real life.

Yeah, I get you on the make-up part Ziggy. My cousin tried putting it on me once and I thought I looked like a clown. <<;

Ever since then I prefer not to wear any. The only thing I use is sunscreen on my face which does brighten it up a bit but that's about it.

But yeah I've met guys who take anime/hentai standards into reality, it's sad really. =l

So you would consider yourself attractive?

Not at all.

Just because I don't wear make up it doesn't mean I'm fine with the way my face looks. I know I'm not pretty, make up isn't going to make me look any better XD!

Anyway. Yeah..

Hentai's Perception of Beauty - Distorted Security in The Unattainable!
Its like taking comfort in the knowledge that its an otherworldly beauty and charm that can never be obtained naturally. Just like enchanting legends and myths of beautiful fairies, sprites, succubi/incubi. It is men's and women's unspoken desire and wish to attain it. It's an ideal and it's not for me.

How shall I put this? Depending on where you are located geographically; standards, values and cultural-societal norms for beauty differs. What works in the western world may not be the desirable norm in others. Perceptions of beauty can be very idiosyncratic and so like what gunmaster said, I have to second his opinion based on the old adage that "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." We are all beautiful... especially in the eyes of our mothers "Even a bug is a gazelle in it's mother's eyes!

We should all take comfort in being comfortable in our own skin, and though while working towards a more beautiful physical outlook is applaudable, confidence is also a much appreciated extension of beauty, itself. ^^"

Truth, beauty, perfection – you may search for these things your entire life and will never achieve them, as you reach your goals they evolve, set new challenges for you to pursue. It is the path that matters not the attainment of some golden chalice. In this sense I don’t think there is any problem with people looking toward an ideal, in doing so they do not set out to harm others, but rather to procure happiness for themselves.

That being said, people should have the sense to know that real women are not like anime women, those interested solely in the aesthetic will find themselves unfulfilled. Anime characters are simpler than real people, it is easier to form an attachment with a character because once you have read the manga, seen the episodes, perhaps read up on the writer’s point of view on that particular character then he or she is complete. You know the good and the bad. In terms of humanity, it is impossible to truly understand someone else’s perception without experiencing it for yourself, it’s a case of guesswork and assumptions we all make about one another.

Anime characters are created to be perfect, exactly as they are, an ideal humanity will never realize. But then again humans are perfect in their complexity and imperfections that will never be mirrored in an anime…