Estetyzacja ciała – wzorce piękna i urody w perspektywie ewolucyjnej

Consumer society has undergone various transformations in terms of group and social behaviors. Body estheticization is undoubtedly one of the essential phenomena involved. It depends on the improvement of the bodilyfeatures in order to increase its esthetic values, i.e. transformation of the body into a work of art. Body estheticization is characterized by complex factors such as: reliance on the established patterns of beauty promoted by media. The article assumes that beauty may be perceived not only from the socio-cultural perspective but also as an evolutionary phenomenon. In the light of the course of evolution, people has developed a mechanism of sexual selection which facilitatedthe choice of the right candidate on the basis of the essential parameters including:existence, survival and reproductive success. Among other mechanisms, the external appearance, beauty, body and its predispositions have become symbols of beneficial genes, used alsoas a particular kind of information for representatives of the opposite sex. The article discusses the evolutionary foundation of beauty and beauty standards, in particular: the cult of youth, beautiful body and its predispositions, which constitute a connection between evolutionary psychology, socio-biology and body estheticization.