The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by Oscar Wilde which expresses the desire for eternal beauty and youth, which is a representation of today's society and its fixation on appearance. Although the story was published in 1890, the ideas are still perceived in today's society. The main concepts considered are of vanity, selfishness and the value of beauty and youth. .
The first concept imaged is of superficiality, to do with physical appearance. Dorian's physical beauty is what he cares most about and because of this, vanity is his main fault. Once a sense of the greatness of his own beauty has been inspired in him, by a character named Lord Henry, all of Dorian's actions are motivated by vanity. This novel displays superficial concepts that have since become common in today's shallow society. The physical attractiveness that is standardised mostly by media is what a lot of people see the need to strive for and many become very superficial in that it becomes all they care about. Those that do quite often take large measures to achieve the beauty or youthfulness they see as 'perfect', with harmful dieting such as fasting, exercising constantly and cosmetic surgery. There is diagnosis of 'Dorian Gray syndrome', which is a marvel characterised by pride in one's own appearance along with difficulties coping with aging. Sufferers of Dorian Gray syndrome may be heavy users of cosmetic medical surgery and products in an attempt to preserve their youth. This is an example of how The Picture of Dorian Gray represents modern day obsessions with beauty and how vain people can become when the realisation of their own physical attractiveness becomes aware to them. .
Another concept and reflection of today's modern society seen by Dorian Gray is the devotion to self-bettering and selfishness. Even Dorian's efforts at altruism are driven by a wish to improve his soul and not just for the better of others; this selfishness is mutual with contemporary times.