Question: How is a person's appearance related to self-esteem? Should a rational person care much about his body – including height, weight, musculature, beauty, and so on? Is that second-handed somehow? How much effort should a person exert to make himself look the way he wants to look? Should a person's looks affect his self-esteem?

Tags: Beauty, Body Image, Food, Health, Self-Esteem

Question: Should you care whether other people find you attractive? I’ve heard some people say they don't care what other people think of their physical appearance: they only care about their own judgment. To care, they say, is second-handed. Is that right? It is wrong to be pleased when someone compliments you on your clothes or hair?

Tags: Aesthetics, Beauty, Communication, Fashion, Friendship, Independence, Relationships, Respect, Romance, Style, Work

Question: Isn't beauty in the eye of the beholder? In your November 13th, 2011 webcast discussion of aesthetic body modification, you rejected the idea that beauty is just a matter of personal taste or cultural norms. What's your view – and why?

Tags: Beauty, Body Modification

Summary: Many people dismiss personal style of dress as unimportant. Yet in fact, a person's style communicates far more to others than most people imagine. So what can a person do to cultivate his or her own personal style? How can a person implement that in his or her wardrobe?

Tags: Aesthetics, Beauty, Fashion, Style

Question: What kinds of aesthetic body modifications are moral or immoral? What differentiates piercing your ears from circumcision? Is tattooing moral? Does the amount of tattoos matter? What about stretching, piercing kids' ears, scarring, dying hair, plastic surgery, and so on? Where do you draw the line – and why?

Tags: Beauty, Body Modification