It is a bold generalization to claim that one’s income has an affect on their outlook of beauty; as it seems that belief of what is beauty is a personal opinion that is either random or can be influenced depending on the person and the “object of desire”. On the other hand, Michael Pollan has made this correlation (between income and beauty). Pollan inferred that most people view flowers as beautiful based on where they come from and therefore their financial situation. In the book, “The Botany of Desire”, there is a chapter on tulips in which Pollan discusses the value of beauty. Pollan refers to anthropologist Jack Goody’s theory that flowers are universally seen as beautiful except in Africa. He goes on to say that African’s are more concerned with survival, where as flowers are more of a luxury (page 66-67). This idea is based on the fact that it is rare for Africans to domesticate flowers, as well as the fact that “flower imagery seldom shows up in African art or religion” (page 66). Furthermore, it can be speculated that due to the fact that Africa is an extremely poor continent, the people do not have time to appreciate a universally accepted beauty such as the flower. Therefore, based on this idea, it can be said that a person with a lower income is denied certain visions of beauty, where as those with a higher incomes are granted with a wider range of accepted beauty due to the fact that they have more opportunities to experience luxuries.
Despite this plausible theory, I do not fully agree with Pollan’s claim. In my opinion, different levels of income produce different familiarities and therefore different ideas of beauty. In this case, that which is recognizable is beautiful, and is separate from a financial basis; though income may cause beauty to be found in far more simple or inconspicuous places. For example, if one has lots of money, one can afford a diamond necklace, which one may feel is the most beautiful thing in the world. However, if one has less of an income, it may produce one to be more creative, and have to make their own jewelry. Perhaps to them, the self made necklace is much more beautiful. Still, this is all relative and only a theory, as the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
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The ideas about the human relationship with beauty that Pollan discussed were left open to contemplation, since he seemed aware that these subjects are very controversial, whether on this earth or in his own mind. I found the cultural correlation with income and the beauty of flowers to be very intriguing. The comment he mentioned about how economically troubled countries take notice of subjects of survival (the fruit) before the flower may be true, but this does not necessarily infer that lower-income countries have a smaller visual spectrum of beauty than well-developed societies. The vision of the flower does not constitute the meaning of beauty. In fact, contrary to this paraphrase, it may be possible that money intercepts our beauty radar. We may be able to buy diamond necklaces, but we might not be able to see the beauty in the organic process of a train of termites chomping on a dead tree to make room for growth.
Different incomes may allow us to buy different types of typically beautiful products in a culture, but in my opinion, income I feel most of the time has little impact on being able to visualize or perceive beauty. I do agree that sometimes, lower income may allow us to be more resourceful. However, I could not say that something that is more creative is definitely more beautiful. Maybe in your and my eyes they are, but who is it to say what is beautiful? I found it intriguing what Pollan said on page 66 that "mountains were ugly until a few centuries ago; forests were the 'hideous' haunts of Satan until the Romantics rehabilitated them." Beauty definitely is in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes in the eye of the society or religious grouping, which in my opinion, is terrifying. To conceive that we are possibly being influenced everyday by an inhuman cloud to tell us what is beautiful, or what is right or wrong, etc is terrorizing to think about. But for now, I hope to focus on relieving myself from being induced by money to sell me beauty.
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