True Beauty

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Recommended: Introduction about beauty standards

Many people will say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however if you look back through history it is apparent that beauty is in the eye of society. Just like fashion, the image of a “beautiful woman” has varied with culture and time. What was considered attractive in Elizabethan Europe was pale, blonde, and curvy whereas today in America it’s tan, blonde, and thin. Women have put themselves through misery attempting to change their bodies and their features to match what society is calling beautiful. Today they cover themselves with makeup, diet to extremes, and go through cosmetic surgery, all of which can actually be harmful to the body.

The first cosmetics were used for religious purposes. Primitive men used make-up to disguise themselves so that evil spirits could not find them, however as time went on the cosmetics began to be used for looks as well. The Egyptians developed eye shadow, eye liner and perfumes that were used as displays of wealth. Fragrant ointments and mascara were used in India to attract men. In Ancient Greece women dyed and curled their hair to look like the goddesses’ (Angeloglou 34). But cosmetics were primarily used by the rich and didn’t come into general use until the reign of Elizabeth I in England. The queen used cosmetics extravagantly and women immediately went along with it, plucking their eyebrows, dyeing their hair and covering their faces with make-up (Angeloglou 48).

During the late Victorian period many people began to look down upon cosmetics and the use of them actually became “sinful.” Then, in 1904, Harriet Hubbard Ayer wrote a booklet for the Pond’s Extract Company entitled “Beauty, a Woman’s Birthright: How Every Women May Look Her Best.” It served as an insp...

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"Teens and Cosmetic Surgery." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 26 Nov. 2004. Web. 9 Jan. 2011. .

"Update: Eating Disorders." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 21 Dec. 2007. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. .

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