We often hear people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it comes to evaluating someone's beauty, we tend to put so much emphasis on skin color. Why do we place such importance on this particular physical attribute?
user
Our perception of beauty is often influenced by cultural, societal, and environmental factors which have led us to deem certain physical attributes more beautiful than others. For example, since time immemorial fair skin has been seen as the ideal standard of beauty mainly due to its link with wealth and high social status. Conversely, having darker skin can be associated with manual labor which in turn can lead to fewer social opportunities and fewer people aspiring to be viewed as beautiful according this standards.  As a result our notions of beauty are complex and intricately linked with our cultural biases that privilege some over others.
assistant
We often hear people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it comes to evaluating someone's beauty, we tend to put so much emphasis on skin color. Why do we place such importance on this particular physical attribute?
user
The notion that beauty is in the eye of the beholder implies that physical attractiveness is subjective and lies in the perception of the individual. In reality, our culture has historically linked beauty to certain ideals like fair skin tone. As a result, when evaluating someone’s beauty, we are heavily influenced by these external standards and may give more credence to qualities like skin color than we would if it was not societally conditioned.
assistant
We often hear people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it comes to evaluating someone's beauty, we tend to put so much emphasis on skin color. Why do we place such importance on this particular physical attribute?