By IHE Scholar Beatriz Lopez Bonetti
Most agree that beauty has something to do with symmetry, order, and pattern. When we encounter a nature scene that exhibits these qualities — such as my homeland’s Angel Falls, the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in the world — we naturally find it beautiful and feel a sense of wonder and awe. We also find asymmetry in nature, such as in flowers, which we nevertheless consider beautiful. Without question, whether with perfect patterns or not, beauty can be found in nature, and the beauty of nature manifests its formal goodness as God’s creation.
The benefits of appreciating beauty have been proven in different contexts. For instance, the reward system in the brain is activated by the experience of beauty.1 Beauty appreciation boosts consumer self-esteem2 and can ameliorate depression and anxiety disorders.3 Exposure to natural beauty can lead to a more virtuous life, as it has been shown to increase behaviors such as generosity, empathy, trust, and service.4
Even though natural beauty is all around us, is more economical for both the company and the consumer, and is more beneficial for the human person overall, our consumer culture tends to place a higher value on unnatural beauty. Why? As Michele Schumacher of the University of Fribourg argues, art no longer imitates nature. Instead, nature is constrained to imitating art. In her recent book, Metaphysics and Gender5, Dr. Schumacher calls for recovering an anthropological vision rooted in the divine “art” of nature.
Many brands today are heavily invested in the aesthetics of their products, packaging, and brand endorsers. Moreover, digital image manipulation technology has led aesthetic ideals about the human body to become detached from reality. Today’s virtual world leads to feigned beauty, the promotion of cosmetic surgery, and increasing intolerance of physical “imperfection.” The ubiquity of heavily edited, airbrushed, and filtered images online leads to disturbingly widespread body dysmorphic disorders.6 Is this sort of unrealistic, unnatural beauty always needed to sell products and services? Are we considering the impact of this devaluation of natural beauty on consumer well-being? Are we certain that consumers really feel compelled by such unrealistic beauty in the first place?
Natural beauty campaigns, such as Dove’s “Real Beauty,” are certainly a step forward in challenging the unachievable beauty standards our culture has been pushing us towards. Yet, much more must be done in the areas of marketing and consumer behavior to restore our appreciation for natural beauty.
As a consumer researcher, I explore ways in which natural beauty can be used to influence consumer preferences. For example, consumers who find beauty in more natural representations of products might be more likely to buy “imperfect” produce from their supermarket and, thereby, help solve the problem of unattractive produce waste. These consumers might also prefer products with natural-looking packages over highly ornamented ones. Excessive investment in the aesthetics of product packaging can backfire with these consumers, who are likely to interpret it as an attempt to “dress up” a lower-quality product. Moreover, if marketers embrace natural beauty, consumers could be persuaded by more natural-looking advertising, endorsers, and influencers. Lastly, when consumers’ attention is shifted toward natural beauty, they may feel less pressure to use social media filters and become more inclined to embrace their God-given natures, bodies, and identities.
A much-needed realist perspective affirms the inherent goodness, beauty, and truth of things because, as creatures, they manifest something of God’s goodness. Understanding when and how people identify and appreciate such real, natural beauty and the downstream consequences for consumer behavior is a means to improving consumer well-being and contributing to the common good, since consumers are catalysts in transforming the lives of others.
