Past and Current Concepts Of Beauty
January 27, 2010 by Patti Jovovich
Filed under Makeup
Beauty has been desired by women throughout the ages. Beauty is the thing that attracts men. Beauty opens doors that are closed to the ‘ugly’. Eve of the Old Testament was the beautiful temptress. Delilah and Cleopatra each used their beauty to wield power over men.
Although, women have always wanted to be beautiful, ideas about good looks have changed over time. In Victorian England it was considered a thing of beauty to have milky white skin that would be considered too pale by today’s standards. Girls preserved their paleness by staying out of the sun and limiting the time they went outside. Only the working class who toiled in all weathers had ‘ruddy’ skin which today might be described as a tan.
It is no longer paleness that is considered beautiful. Rather, the opposite has become true with the suntan being a requisite for modern beauty. The sun tan lotion industry is booming as sun bathing is is now an important element of a woman’s beauty regime. If the sun fails then there is always the tanning salon where the same effect can be achieved.
As the European ideal of beauty spread to the New World, it spelled disaster to women of colour who were never able to match up to that ideal. After the abolishment of slavery, black ladies (and men) did everything they could to lighten their skins to look more acceptable and appealing. Is wasn’t until the 1970’s when the concept of ‘black beauty’ was born in the United States that African-American women began to feel more comfortable with their dark complexions.
Today things have changed drastically. Anyone regardless of race can be considered attractive. Indeed, some of the modern beauty icons are black women including Tyra Banks, Halle Berry and Michelle Obama. Beauty relies much more on a clear complexion and youthful skin. There are certain standards that must be reached to possess Hollywood style beauty. These include pefectly white teeth, perfect but understated makeup and a wardrobe to befit.
A female can have the most amazing looking face in the world but if she is heavy then she is not considered beautiful. Since the days of corseted dresses women have sought to be slim or appear smaller than they are in order to achieve optimum looks. Corsets were tied so tight that in some cased damaged the woman’s structure permanently. Today, weight loss pills and weight loss programs have taken over where the corset left off.
A multi-million dollar weight loss industry has been spurned by women’s desires to be smaller and more attractive. Also fashions have also evolved to reflect the smaller beauty ideal. In the 1960’s it was the mini skirt to show of toned legs and thighs. Today it is the belly top with a woman’s midriff exposed to show her flat and toned abdomen.
Age seems to have everything to do with the modern concept of beauty. In order to be gorgeous you must look younger. This is one of the hardest things to keep up with for the beauty conscious individual. There are literally thousands of anti-aging skin care products that claim to help women restore their lost beauty through rejuvenation of young looking skin. Most simply don’t work while others are marginally more effective. For ladies for whom being beautiful is everything, there is always the cosmetic surgery option.
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