I found this reading very interesting and usefull in many ways. I thought that the whole notion of symmetrical balance and the way that concept shapes Yoruba society, brings up some issues of our own culture on how do we perceive beauty, but more importantly, how we express and value it.
In the reading we were given a definition of what Yoruba society considered beauty is, they think is the overall personality of the individual, which is made up of stance (stance being the inner quality of the individual), posture as well as appearance..
This strong bound of the elements of beauty can be seen as a more complementary way of looking at it, because it encompasses the physical aspect as well as the individual personal characteristics. Beauty is also seen in terms of moderation, where there is a perfect balance between the goods and the bads of the individual. If this two aspects are in balance, there the individual is seen as perfect and thus, attractive.
There is also a direct relationship between friendliness and approachability of the body. This relationship suggests that a friendly and attractive person will have an approachable body.
The importance given symmetry, perfection and balance is applied to body language which is an important part of the daily communication. The members of Yoruba community have to be able to interpretate and express their ideas using their body language only. This means that they have to be much more perceptive in order to understand what is not being said in words but it is still there, and that is something that societies obsessed with information lack. The ability of interpretation, observation and having creativity to find own ways of expression broadens your mind and makes your senses work together with your brain. If we were able to do this, we will become more perceptive and attentive to what is going around us.
Gabriela Juncosa
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