Cosmetics have multiple uses worldwide and various forms have existed for many years. Beauty products originated in Egypt in The modern cosmetic industry rose and prospered in the United States and Europe in the 1920s along with the popularity of flappers. Flappers were identified as a “’new breed’ of young Western women in the 1920s” (“Flapper.” 1). These women had tendencies to smoke, drink, and have casual sex. Flappers wore short skirts and dresses, and excessive amounts of makeup. They wore more makeup than was “previously acceptable outside of theatre usage” (“Flapper” 1). Flappers generally wore dark red lipstick, dark eye makeup, blush, and pale foundations. Women were pressured to appear beautiful and young and used makeup …show more content…
Cosmetics can enhance natural beauty, but can hide it when too much is applied. Some women are self-conscious, some like the art of applying makeup, and many others simply feel the need to wear makeup. Females may feel pressured to wear makeup for various reasons. Some women think that they can find happiness in the use of cosmetics. Likewise in her novel addressing cosmetics, Phoebe Hyde states, “Weekly, sometimes daily, I found myself digging through bins at a street-side sample warehouse near our apartment, believing something at the bottom of the bin would have the power to make me happy, or satisfied, or sexy, or whatever it was that suddenly, inexplicably, I wasn’t.” When people turn to man made products to find joy, something else must be missing in their lives. Nevertheless, some women wear makeup because they think it will help them to attract more men and improve their dating lives. Though many men claim to like the “au natural” look, an experiment performed by Nicholas Geugen proved that 33% more men talked to women in bars when they were wearing makeup, than when the women had bare faces. Other women may feel the need to wear makeup in order to have more successful careers. Makeup can help women to look more polished and put together and may increase their chances of being promoted or given a job opportunity. Younger females may feel pressured to wear makeup for numerous reasons. Once a female begins puberty, she becomes very aware and self-conscious of her body image. Because of this, girls may feel pressured by their peers to look “pretty”. As teenagers, girls can be very judgmental and cruel and many girls may conform just to fit in. Girls might also wear makeup to attract the attention of their males in hopes of forming relationships. Lastly, some teenagers are pressured by their mothers to wear makeup. As said by the hosts on the Today show,
We all know that cosmetics existed thousands of years ago. Cleopatra used a heavy arsenal of beauty aids to help her shake the foundations of the Roman Empire. Yes, cosmetics and perfumes have a long history, but the consumer industry we live in is relatively recent, a creation of the decades 1890 through 1920. The products hawked in the 19th Century by druggists, perfumers, barbers, physicians, and a colorful assortment of other enterprising individuals were primitive by our standards. Certainly, active ingredients were used with abandon, notably arsenic, lead, and mercury. These were products that really made visible differences, and the consumer was well-advised to be wary of the majority of these mysterious concoctions.
Berger and Luckman illustrate this through their interpretation of beauty. By comparing it to a spider web, they explain how influential members of society play an integral part in creating the beauty design. In order interpret the web, I collected and analyzed data from the February 2017 issue of Vogue Magazine. Despite the models not being representative of the United States' population, it is relevant because everyone faces the intimidation of the same standards the models successfully display. Significant research has been done on these standards and the social phenomenon of beauty, yet research into its effects could be strengthened on the individual level. Through examining these standards as well as the consistencies amongst the several beauty interpretations, I will put on my sociological glasses and see what American's are daily exposed to, and the undeniable effects it has on
Wolf, Naomi. "The Beauty Myth." Signs Of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 4th edition. Ed. Sonia Maasik, and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2003.515-524.
Cover Girl cosmetics have been the top-seller since 1961 and are still going strong. It is hard, with all the advanced lines of make-up for one product to go as far as Cover girl has, so how does Cover Girl cosmetics do it? A lot of Cover Girl’s strong, on going successes are due to changing the look of the product, exceptional promotions which the public can’t look over, giving a cosmetic appeal to both older and younger aged women and most importantly by using near perfect women and teens to model their products. Although it’s wonderful that Cover Girl has been and still is so successful, it has put a dentation in today’s society in what women’s appearance should and shouldn’t be. Women and young adolescence are confused of what their appearance should be. Cover Girl has many famous models; one inparticular is the famous country singer Faith Hill. Faith is tall, skinny, and flawless. When women see models like her doing the advertising for Cover Girl, they automatically feel that they should look the same. Later in this paper I will go into semiotics which derives from the Greek word semeion meaning sign, it basically describes how people interpret different signs, such as models, and how these signs might effect one’s life and self-esteem. Proctor & Gamble are the owners and starters of Cover Girl cosmetics. To keep up the success of Cover Girl they must keep on top of the advertising game to stay above the competitors. To do this they do many promotions, some include using famous singers, changing displays, giving away samples and one of the most important advertisement of all is the models Cover Girls incorporates in their ads. Cover Girls did one promotion with Target stores to promote their product. They used the famous group 98 Degrees to make a sweepstakes called, “Fall in Love with 98 Degrees Sweepstakes.” The grand prizewinner of this sweepstakes is an appearance in the new 98 Degrees music video. This advertising doesn’t just take place in the Target stores; it also takes place in Teen magazine, stickers on the new 98 Degrees CDs, a national radio campaign, and the national Teen People magazine. Because it’s teens that mainly listen to the music that 98 Degrees produces, it’s the teens that this particular promotion is focused on. I s...
The beauty business is one of the most profitable markets in the world. The beauty industry experiences tremendous amounts of growth despite economic challenges faced throughout the globe. Annually, people in the United States spend eight billion dollars on cosmetics alone. (Matters of Scale- Spending Priorities, 1999) Estee Lauder is a pioneering company that is internationally known for its cosmetics.
Sarwer, D. B., Grossbart, T. A., & Didie, E. R. (2003). Beauty and society. Seminars in
The evolution of make-up has quite the turbulent ride, beginning approximately six-thousand years as means of protection and to aid health and has now evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. During its evolution, make-up has been declared illegal, immoral and in some instances was deadly. Today, makeup comes in thousands upon thousands of colors, textures and is even specific to skin type and race.
If someone were to look at the Victorian society or the American society today, the makeup worn by the women would reflect the women’s lifestyles. Women in Victorian England, like American women today, were seen as more beautiful with makeup. However, the purpose and appearance of the makeup were different; paleness was the ideal then, whereas women today want a healthy glow. What is the significance of this difference?
Cosmetology is the study and practice of beautification (History). The word cosmetology comes from the Roman word “cosmetae” (Merriam-Webster). The word “cosmetae” means woman's valet; slave responsible for the adornment of his mistress (worldofdictionary). It has been said that the first evidence of makeup came from portraits and earrings of kings and priest (History). Starting in Renaissance, women, and men had beauty secrets and things they did to make themselves more attractive. One secret woman used was to cover smallpox scars. Women used “beauty patches” to cover them up (modesmakeup). Also, a big forehead was beautiful during this time, women shaved their widow’s peak because a big forehead was considered beautiful (beautythroughages). It was also said that blonde hair was very beautiful and popular in the 1500’s in Florence, throughout England (beautybiz). Women’s cosmetics were made from very different things than they are today, a mixture of white lead and
Makeup and skincare products are very important as a mile stone in our history, it also symbolizes the development of human civilization. Around 3000 BC, the Egyptian have had already discovered the every possible cosmetic products we are using today. The Ancient Egyptians were famous for their knowledge of beauty and their practice in cosmetic products. Until recent years the remains of their enormous palace, temples and monuments like the Pyramid attract archeologist and tourists alike. The Egyptians are well-renowned for their precision and techniques in the field applying methods that even modern day technologies wouldn’t be able to reproduce. Their pursue for perfection was not only contained in their monuments but also to the perfection of their self-appearances. The Egyptians were the first ancient culture that was recorded to apply and develop skim care and techniques. They had creams for stretch marks and to counter aging. They used oils to hydrolyze their skin and they had array of perfumes which all exemplify a well-developed civilization in terms of luxurious social culture. Their sense of beauty is deeply related to their religion. It is believes that presenting an attractive appearance is the best way to embrace the god and get closer to the god.
The Gale Group (2007). The WWD List: Top Beauty Companies: The Worlds Largest Beauty Companies. Retrieved (3/24/08) from: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-18228667_ITM
The beauty sector is growing widely in the United States and globally. There are numerous successful cosmetic companies. MAC Cosmetics is one of those top brands, if not the best. This line of makeup was discovered by two people named Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. The two artists invented the makeup line by cooking it up in their kitchen. Photography was the key aspect kept in mind with the invention of this makeup line. Prior to the invention, there was an absence of colors that photographed well. MAC stands for Makeup Art Company. Estee Lauder is the owner of this high-end makeup brand. The brand has taken the makeup industry by storm. It presents a uniquely bold image of itself. According to an article posted by Allure, Toskan and Angelo’s intention was to show that “makeup was experimental and transformational.” In 1984 these entrepreneurs had launched their line of makeup in Toronto. MAC products were being sold for the first time through a single counter in a department store.
In the 1920s, makeup played a vital role especially for women trying to recover from the fears and horrors of the war. After the recession, it lead to an increase of manufacturing new cosmetic products and brands such as Maybelline. As makeup made its debut to the world, stores were opening and slogans such as “try before you buy” just like Gordon Selfridge proclaimed women to get a sense of what products to use along with spreading the word to others if content with the amazing outcome. Face and complexion was considered by most as an important factor for representing beauty of an artificial face. Face powder was very essential because many women wanted to create a light, sandy
Within the beauty industry there are numerous examples of media propaganda that can be investigated, but the television and magazine industry privdes a very specific representation of what women experience daily through the media. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the ...
"Some History and Background on Cosmetics." Some History and Background on Cosmetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.