Definitely.

Some certainly are, but I would paint with a very broad brush by answering "yes" or "no."

I don't think society is any more obsessed with appearance than it always has.

My society.
Obsessed, yes, but rightfully so.

Gotta be 'yes', considering how many of us judge others exclusively by how they look, and against the false standard of airbrushed, overly made up, starving and steroid using celebs who are photographed through a fuzzy lens. Go to the local mall and have a look around sometime...THAT's what human beings REALLY look like!

I find it hard to believe that a significant number of people actually believe that people in magazines genuinely look near perfect all the time, without any assistance.
I would think that most people already know that the mall contains normal, everyday people.
I can't bring myself to underestimate the general public's intelligence that much.

^^^ "Rightfully so"?

Yes, I think it's good to care enough about apperance to the point where you go out of your way to make things presentable and asthetically pleasing.

The general public is really terribly stupid and easily led. Advertisers have been taking advantage of this fact for AGES. Most people do indeed mistakenly assume that the celebs and big shots actually wake up it the morning looking as they do on TV, etc. This is why so many people in our society feel so lousy about themselves. Just ask the guy who buys a car because he saw it in a magazine with a big-boobed, leggy blonde in it, and he sub-consciously hopes that she comes with the car!

^^ Fair enough, but when it's at the expense of other values such as personality etc... That isn't a good thing anymore.

Yes. When people get anorexia from trying to follow the example of supermodels that weigh 45 kgs, you know something is wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong with spending a little time trying to look presentable, it is when people start to get sick from not eating properly that the line needs to be drawn. Obviously, people shouldn't follow the examples of celebrity supermodels, because they stay stick-thin for a career and have practice at it. Young girls that try to look like them are just kidding themselves, because it doesn't work like that. You can't just decide you want to be like a supermodel and then expect to look good by not eating and starving yourself. I think that it is also ridiculous at how people judge others by appearance. Obviously that is more a stereotyping problem, but it also happens due to appearance, too.

Yes! Very much so! That's why poor girls cut hem selves because of their wight! That's why some woman do boob jobs and other plastic surgeries. I don't see why people choose no! According to the documentary I watched... Appearance is part of "the mating game" as if we were animals! So even biology proofed that...

Oh yes, and that Toddlers and Tiaras pictures only serves to prove it. Yes, for those of you who don't know, Toddlers and Tiaras is a reality show about toddlers in beauty pageants. Their parents made them get spray tans and wear craploads of makeup.

Like each society seems to have it's own definition of beauty and many are attracted to the opposite gender, not by personality, but by appearance. How many songs are there out there about a man being 'in love' with a woman for her feminine assets and only that? 'Who booty is it' by Johnn Hart, 'Dance' by Big Sean and what not.

I think society needs to focus more on personality and less on appearance.

Physical appearance , believe it or not, indicates much of what's going on inside of a person's mind. If someone is obese, has scars/bruises, is missing teeth, that tells you that this person cares little for themselves.
If someone is in shape, neat, and clean, that tells you that this person has an understanding of how to conduct themselves in a successful society .
However, Hollywood style appearances is a different story. I like to think of Hollywood style fashion as the "end game" for people who make appearances their life. Just as someone who dedicates themselves to science might understand deep concepts of reality and mathematics, someone who dedicates their life to fashion might understand the underlying concepts of obsessive Hollywood-based fashion.

If someone is obese, has scars/bruises, is missing teeth, that tells you that this person cares little for themselves.
Nope.

Some people can't help their weight. I have a disease called Celiac's. Because I didn't know, it led to me being obese when I was younger. It wasn't that I didn't exorcise, or eat healthy, it was that i was constantly (unknowingly) putting food by body couldn't digest inside of it. Some people have thyroid problems. Some people are just naturally bigger. Some people look obese, but are actually extremely healthy.

I have a missing tooth (soon to be two). My lower jaw stopped growing when I was about ten or eleven, but my teeth are normal, adult sized teeth. There literally isn't any room for them in my jaw, and keeping them there was causing health problems. I had one tooth pulled (and will be getting another one) to make room in my jaw.

Aaaand I have scars. I have scars from self-harm, but I also have scars from actually doing things. I have a scar on my foot from I stepped on a fishing hook at a beach when I was little. I have a scar on my thumb from a soldering project. I have a scar on my arm from when I bumped my arm pulling cookies out of the stove. I have a scar on a different arm from my days helping rescue animals.

I get bruises all the time. But that's because my skin is extremely pale and I'm just a person who bruises easily. I've gotten bruises from sleeping in the same position too long at night.

Tl;dr Most of those things don't mean jack about how a person feels about themselves.

Not necessarily; I have many scars and I do care about myself. Just because a person has scars doesn't mean they've been slashing their own skin. Mine are from glass. My mom's are from a car accident. I know a girl who had shingles (sp?) virus and has scars. I read about a girl who was burnt head to toe, she did not light herself on fire, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and has scars all over to prove it. And self harm in itself doesn't necessarily mean you don't care about yourself (I'm no cutter) but I would guess that in some cases it means you care too much about your appearance and what others think of you, not that you don't care at all.

Some obese people are born overweight. Some are just kids who's parents don't feed them well. Others have very slow metabolisms and gain weight easily. Others simply biologically have a harder time losing weight. Or a combination of a few. Some people try so hard to lose weight but just can't seem to do so. It's not that they don't care about themselves, maybe some don't but not others. And just because a person is overweight does not mean they are unhealthy, they could be visiting a doctor regularly to make sure their health stays in check despite their weight.

Bruises could be from domestic violence or a simple bumping of a knee against furniture. They can also come from sports like soccer where they might have received an accidental kick to the knee. They aren't necessarily hurting themselves and probably do care about themselves.

As for missing teeth; I've had many teeth pulled because I did care about the health of my teeth. If I kept them there my mouth would've been over crowded with teeth, as I have a small mouth. Sometimes missing teeth indicates the opposite of neglect. And in the case of elementary schoolers it usually indicates loosing teeth.

Being clean and tidy looking doesn't mean you are a better person. My hair is kind of messy and I don't care to match my cloths but I know how to behave in the presence of people. The tidiest person can be the most immature. You're cloths don't influence your actions.

As for cleanliness, a person who hasn't showered isn't necessarily neglecting themselves or hygiene. I had a friend who's water was shut off because the bills didn't get paid. She wasn't neglecting herself she just didn't have a choice. Financial burdens can keep a person from being clean. So can time. I admit last week was so busy for me I literally had no time to shower--between filling out FASFA's, finishing out of class group work, and keeping my grandmother company when she came to visit--I had to wait 3 days before I got a chance to take a real soap and shampoo shower. I wasn't trying to neglect myself I was trying not to neglect my duties.

But I do agree Hollywood is like the end game. Hollywood models throwing up to stay thin or getting plastic surgery is extreme. And I can see where you're coming from there. Appearance maintaining is a hobby and a career for some. But throwing up and starving ones self to stay stick thin? Isn't that neglecting ones self?