Thanks to Mishthi Shah for contributing this article.
Every era in history has brought about vast changes in culture and tradition across the world. Beauty standards are no exception, and people have often changed their style in order to stay fashionable. What is considered “out” in one time period can become the most popular style in another, and standards of beauty evolve as the definition of “beautiful” changes. What follows is a journey through time, presenting the various ideals of beauty through the ages.
24th Century BCE
The origin of the Western standard of beauty was in Greece and Rome, 4,400 years ago. At this time the concept of beauty was based on mathematics—the harmonious proportion of all facial elements. The Greeks and Romans also believed that although physical beauty was valuable, it was more important to have a beautiful heart. Thus, beauty was seen as almost a talent, and as a personal quality similar to honesty or bravery. Of course, parents during this time were still concerned about their child’s physical beauty, and they sometimes slept alongside statues of Apollo or Aphrodite, the Greek gods of beauty, in order to conceive beautiful children. Nevertheless, it was widely agreed that good health, beauty, and wealth only mattered if they were achieved through honest means.
13th to 15th Century CE
Beauty standards for women in the Middle Ages were spelled out most notably in the poems of Chaucer and in the legends of King Arthur. Blonde hair and gray eyes were especially prized during this period, and women who lacked naturally blonde hair were encouraged to use dyes imported from the East. During the Renaissance era, feminine beauty started to depend more on the kind of aura the woman exuded—a mysterious, delicate, maternal air was considered the most desirable.
16th Century CE
Ideals of beauty changed yet again in the 16th century, when European women wanted to look like Queen Elizabeth I. To imitate the powerful queen’s look, they plucked their eyebrows, dyed their hair, and wore layers of makeup. Beauty products were either bought from stores or concocted at home, and the active ingredients in some of these products were so harmful they lead to permanent facial damage. Beauty standards also became connected to social hierarchy—women with pale skin were considered more beautiful, as tanned skin was affiliated with poor women living in the countryside and working in the fields. It was also better to have more plump, child-like features to show youth and wealth, as being plump signified someone was well fed and therefore wealthy.
19th Century CE
According to beauty standards in the Victorian period (1831–1900) a woman should be pale, thin, and delicate to the point of frailness. In the mid-19th century artist Dante Gabriel Rosetti popularized an alternative type of beauty that was a far cry from this ideal. His most famous paintings depicted women with thick red or brunette hair, bee-stung lips, and strong shoulders. Because these women seemed strong and independent, many viewers saw them as erotic or even debauched. By the turn of the 20th century, women with full faces and voluptuous, healthy bodies were considered the most desirable. The most striking example of this type of beauty was the popular actress Lillian Russell, who had long hair, glowing fair skin, and rosy dimpled cheeks, giving her the appearance of a doll.
The Modern Age
As women won the right to vote and to work, beauty standards changed yet again. Strength became an important factor in physical beauty, corsets and harmful cosmetic products were abandoned, and women all over America adopted short, bobbed hair. The 1920s brought about the cute and charming “flapper” look: small mouth, round face, and a short wavy hairdo. Styles continued to change, and by the 1950s actress Marilyn Monroe, with blonde hair and a curvaceous figure, had become the face of American beauty. Women across the country got their hair bleached and bought the same shade of bright red lipstick that was a signature part of Marilyn’s look.
Ideas of beauty are still changing, but with every generation beauty standards are becoming more inclusive of all races, body types, and ethnicities. People are proudly developing their own sense of style by embracing their culture and their authentic selves.