Transformations of the Beautiful reexamines a problem that emerges during the mid-eighteenth century: the devaluation of the aesthetic category of the beautiful. In opposition to accounts that identify this problem with the rediscovery of the sublime, this dissertation emphasizes the crucial yet underexamined role that historicization played in the destabilization of beauty’s normative status in German aesthetic discourse. Additionally, I demonstrate that literary discourse became a key mode through which the beautiful’s problematic status was negotiated. Assembling literary texts from 1759-1817 that thematize beautiful objects or phenomena in terms of their historicity or instability, and transform them, I argue that these moments constitute discrete instances in which literature responds to the precarious position of beauty in modernity. With recourse to texts by Winckelmann, Schiller, Jean Paul, Ernst August Friedrich Klingemann and Eichendorff, I focus on the specific literary techniques employed by different genres—description, elegy, and narrative fiction—and how they reconfigure the relationship between the modern subject and the beautiful. In so doing I demonstrate how literary texts intervene in aesthetic discourse to reevaluate and generate alternative conceptions of the beautiful.

Neste trabalho proponho identificar no pensamento de Karl Philipp Moritz (1756- 1793) uma posição filosófica homogênea e coerente, cujas estruturas teóricas se encontram exemplificadas paradigmaticamente na teoria estética, a qual pelo menos em parte é também seu lugar seminal. A estética moritziana se apresenta a um só tempo como uma ampla reflexão sobre a totalidade e como uma teoria do valor intrínseco de qualquer individualidade, temas que nosso autor transfere para a reflexão sobre o homem. No fundo do seu pensamento estético e antropológico se encontra a questão: como pode um \"objeto\" (que seja uma obra de arte, o caráter ou o gosto de um povo ou de um indivíduo singular) ser pensado no seu valor autônomo? Uma questão que pressupõe a experiência de um fracasso, uma falta de sentido e, concomitantemente, o esforço constante por parte do homem de reproduzir este valor \"objetivo\" (uma tenção para o ideal da totalidade acabada), ao passo que a vida humana permanece essencialmente dominada pela limitação, destruição, dor e falimento. Aprendendo a ocupar-se de uma totalidade completa e acabada (o objeto artístico), a estética se torna o paradigma para a compreensão de outros domínios (humanidade, natureza, história) e um instrumento para a apreciação da vida como uma \"obra de arte\". / In this work I propose to find out in the thought of Karl Philipp Moritz (1756- 1793) a homogeneous and coherent philosophical position, whose theoretical structures are paradigmatically exemplified in his aesthetical theory, which at least in part constitutes their seminal place. In short, Moritz\'s aesthetics presents itself both as an ample reflexion on totality, and as a theory of the intrinsic value of any individuality, themes that he transposed to the reflexion on man. At the heart of his aesthetical and anthropological thought lies the question: how an \"object\" (a work of art, or the character or taste of a people, or of a singular individual) can be thought in its autonomous value? Question that presupposes the experience of a lack, a lost of sense, and at the same time the man\'s constant effort to reproduce this \"objective\" value (a tension for the ideal of a whole completed totality), while human life remains essentially dominated by limitation, destruction, grief and failure. By learning to deal with a whole and complete totality (the artistic object), aesthetics becomes a paradigm for the comprehension of further domains (humanity, nature, history), and an instrument of appreciation of life as a \"work of art\".

The emergence of modern art, and subsequently contemporary art, has brought with it a deep-rooted deliberation of the definition of beauty and its role in the realm of art. Unlike many representational artworks, contemporary art less often contains a beauty that is readily available on the surface of an artwork- an easy beauty. Instead, it often possesses a beauty that requires substantial reasoning and understanding- a difficult beauty. Just as the definition of beauty has and will continue to be culturally and historically changing, so must our methodological and pedagogical practices in regards to beauty and Aesthetics. As Art Educators, I feel it is our responsibility to help students process artworks that may contain these complexities (such as difficult beauty), in search of meaning and understanding. Through understanding is derived fluency in processing the artwork, which, in turn, leads to appreciation, and pleasure. The study conducted in this thesis investigated the relationship between beauty, ugliness, and meaning and explored the reasons behind judgments of beauty. It can be concluded, through the results, that beauty and meaning are closely related, and that meaning can have both positive and negative affects on judgments of beauty. Judgments of beauty are both cognitive and affective and appear to have social and cultural foundations, as well as a relationship to personal experience and meaning. Ultimately, strong personal meaning and experience, both positive and negative, outweighed physical, social, and cultural judgments of beauty. Meaning and experience greatly affect judgments of beauty. As educators, we can take the information gleaned from this study to enhance the ability of students to process artworks which contain complexities and may require understanding. As students become more able to recognize and process beauty in its many forms, the fluency in which they process such artworks will increase, thus promoting more positive aesthetic experiences. The children's book, Terrible the Beautiful Bear, contained in Chapter Six of this thesis, is an example of how to teach this concept to young children. Helping students become aware that beauty exists in curious and difficult places, and prompting them to search for meaning, gives students a greater capacity to take part in its pleasure.

This dissertation study explored women's labor in the beauty industries of the YouTube vlogosphere, specifically beauty video production on the ICON network, the beauty and lifestyle channel of YouTube entrepreneur Michelle Phan. Via a case study of ICON's YouTube creators and their video production, this dissertation explored female digital labor by interrogating gender, ethnicity, bodies, and power to address two interconnected elements situated particularly in the YouTube vlogosphere: beauty and entrepreneurship. The study's key research questions asked: In the transnational world of digital employment, what are the material and ideological complexities of beauty YouTubers' experiences? And how do YouTubers interpret their technical production, their beauty ideologies, their power, their authenticity, and the material outcomes of their production for themselves and others? Following an analysis of ICON as a company, interviews with its management and video creators, and its video products, the case study's findings reveal that while ICON recruits beauty creators to market on behalf of its retail partners, the creators see themselves as entrepreneurs who negotiate their own stances regarding their beauty ideals, user-generated content, (post)feminisms, and online authenticity.

<p>This thesis compares the two different version of public franchise bidding for awarding 3G licenses used in Sweden and the UK, respectively a beauty contest and an auction. The fact is that the Swedish beauty contest has failed to tackle many of the problems discussed in connection with public franchise bidding in an effective way. Sweden has first of all had problems with enforcing the ambitious coverage criteria. The UK has on the other hand succeeded in tackling the problems and raised governmental revenue of £22.5bn through the auction.</p><p>The conclusion is that this thesis confirms the existing literatures’ critique of the Swedish beauty contest. However, this thesis also provides a new perspective to the existing literature. The main conclusion is that the auction has locked the prices at a high level and externalised negative price and investments effects through the international operators’ behaviour onto consumers in other countries.</p>

<p><p>Most of the literature explores ethics through the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, but little is written on Virtue-Ethics; in the sense of an individualistic quest towards human values and virtues. This Report “innovates” in the sense that it explores the concept of aestheticism when applied to business practices.</p><p>Different metaphors about theatre, and music such as songs and jazz, serve to illustrate how businesses can add an aesthetic touch to the organisational life. Followers become supporters, and the leader does not control but inspire her audience.</p><p>The concept of aestheticism is further analysed in view of the current economic environment; hoping for a growing awareness on the need to shift towards a new style of leadership, that would imply greater sense of individual responsibility.</p></p>

This thesis compares the two different version of public franchise bidding for awarding 3G licenses used in Sweden and the UK, respectively a beauty contest and an auction. The fact is that the Swedish beauty contest has failed to tackle many of the problems discussed in connection with public franchise bidding in an effective way. Sweden has first of all had problems with enforcing the ambitious coverage criteria. The UK has on the other hand succeeded in tackling the problems and raised governmental revenue of £22.5bn through the auction. The conclusion is that this thesis confirms the existing literatures’ critique of the Swedish beauty contest. However, this thesis also provides a new perspective to the existing literature. The main conclusion is that the auction has locked the prices at a high level and externalised negative price and investments effects through the international operators’ behaviour onto consumers in other countries.

The rapid emergence of the middle class in England during the nineteenth century affected many aspects of Victorian society. New social ideals required alterations to what had previously been perceived as correct values, and this era has become infamous for its repression. The new middle classes were especially insecure as to what constituted appropriate behaviour, and so sought guidance from authority figures. Middle class women found this guidance in magazines such as publisher Samuel Beeton's monthly magazine, Myra's Journal of Dress and Fashion. Advice was provided in Myras editorial column, Spinnings in Town, written by Myra Browne. The counsel was given through clever advertorial plugs written into the monthly column. Social ideals were also communicated in illustrated advertisements via their imagery.<p>Advertisements for commercially manufactured soap were especially significant in recommending proper middle class behaviours and responsibilities. Victorian soap advertisements and recommendations not only sold the product to the consumer, they also created an idea of what constituted middle class behaviour and sold that to the willing and eager female consumers. Beauty was a main nonmaterial commodity sold via soap advertisements to the middle classes, and quickly became integral to the creation and maintenance of the middle class female identity. Despite their intentions, acceptance of the concepts of appropriate and actual deportment were not always consistent. Even the purveyors themselves could become susceptible to censure due to the whims of the marketplace, ill health, or awkward social compromises. Such was the case with the house that Beeton built.

This essay is an analysis of mythologies in the Swedish women´s magazine VeckoRevyn. The magazine’s own explicit purpose is to break down the unhealthy opinion of what beauty is in their industry today. By content and linguistic analysis the results of this study are interconnected to the beauty myth as it was established by Naomi Wolf in 1991. The goal is to pinpoint how VeckoRevyn’s question and answer columns construct relationships to their readers, and the mythologies that they maintain. The columns mostly focus on the readers’ physical appearance, and the beauty myth is clearly an inevitable influence. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the beauty myth is hard-wired into our society’s subconscious. VeckoRevyn is working to prevent this, and even though they have not fully succeeded, they are a part of bringing the phenomenon to the surface of society.

The rapid emergence of the middle class in England during the nineteenth century affected many aspects of Victorian society. New social ideals required alterations to what had previously been perceived as correct values, and this era has become infamous for its repression. The new middle classes were especially insecure as to what constituted appropriate behaviour, and so sought guidance from authority figures. Middle class women found this guidance in magazines such as publisher Samuel Beeton's monthly magazine, Myra's Journal of Dress and Fashion. Advice was provided in Myras editorial column, Spinnings in Town, written by Myra Browne. The counsel was given through clever advertorial plugs written into the monthly column. Social ideals were also communicated in illustrated advertisements via their imagery.<p>Advertisements for commercially manufactured soap were especially significant in recommending proper middle class behaviours and responsibilities. Victorian soap advertisements and recommendations not only sold the product to the consumer, they also created an idea of what constituted middle class behaviour and sold that to the willing and eager female consumers. Beauty was a main nonmaterial commodity sold via soap advertisements to the middle classes, and quickly became integral to the creation and maintenance of the middle class female identity. Despite their intentions, acceptance of the concepts of appropriate and actual deportment were not always consistent. Even the purveyors themselves could become susceptible to censure due to the whims of the marketplace, ill health, or awkward social compromises. Such was the case with the house that Beeton built.