The definition of beauty has changed over the past decades. Beauty in the 20th century, when referring to human physical beauty, are nearly always constructed in terms of outward appearance and sexual attractiveness (Wood). No one seems to refer to inner beauty anymore. When someone is referring to someone as beautiful they are usually referring to the person's physical appearance not their inner self. In Beauty In History, Arthus Marwick defines human physical beauty in more direct terms: " The beautiful are those who are immediately exciting to almost all of the opposite sex." In past decades cosmetics would be frowned upon and often related to prostitution, but now cosmetics are used by almost every girl and woman to enhance their beauty. The cosmetic industry, along with the diet industry, began to grow because of the new definition of beauty. From puberty onwards, girls use cosmetics to make themselves look older and to attract older boys (Wood). Advertising helps reinforce people's attitudes towards women and beauty. Ads of young women looking flawless with the help of makeup are in every magazine. Celebrities and models are used to advertise products because the positive association with the celebrity or model will transfer to the product. This makes women and young girls want to buy the products because they want to look just as beautiful as the person in the ad. The escalating growth of the fashion, cosmetics, and cosmetic surgery industries is a testament to Western society's obsession with being beautiful (Wood).
Wood, L. . (n.d.). Perceptions of female beauty . Retrieved from http://barneygrant.tripod.com/p-erceptions.htm
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