Beauty standards have changed over the years and they have evolved significantly throughout history. Since the start of civilisation, beauty has been valued. Perception of beauty does vary by culture but the world is constantly changing to find what looks ‘best’. Just know, every single beauty and body type is beautiful.
Ancient Times Beauty Standards
Ancient times appreciated independence and beauty. Egyptians had long dark hair and accented eyes, the Greeks would have blond hair and symmetrical, some preferred the unibrow while they also had pronounced hips and wide thighs.
Middle Age and Renaissance Beauty Standards
This was a very interesting time period for beauty. In these times beauty was very much influenced by Christianity and the church approval which means the women used to make themselves look like the Mother Mary. A known trait was to have a wide and high head and many women achieved this by plucking their hairline. Pale skin remains to be a beauty standard. They used minimal makeup to achieve this and also a touch of pink lipstick to appear lighter also.
Victorian Era Beauty Standards
In Victorian times, pale skin was still a beauty standard. Heavy makeup were seen on prostitutes, if you were seen with makeup you would be looked down on so they would even use blue on their faces for a ‘translucent’ look to make it look like their veins, giving a more natural look and used lipsticks the same colour as their skin to not stand out and be noticed.
20th Century Beauty Standards
Beauty standards and trends started to change dramatically due to the fast development of media and advertising. The supermodel era in the 80s launched the image of the tall, thin athletic build. This century brings ambition to express quality of the sexes – hair gets shorter, waists become thinner. Women no longer defined by modesty or fertility but rather sexuality and seductiveness. This 20th century accelerated the way beauty trends are shifting. Plastic surgery also introduced!
21st Century (Present Day) Beauty Standards
With social media and television, the beauty stands of today are extremely high. Celebrities like The Kardasians and Angelina Jolie represent these standards with their contemporary styles and good looks. We look to achieve what we see everywhere around us. This isn’t always reality, so people turn to cosmetic surgery. There are trends that many of us follow and people are now showing who they really are by expressing themselves through beauty and clothing showing the world exactly who they are.
