Beauty Standards, Angela Herrera Alvarado Abril 2021

How beauty standards have changed and evolved throughout history

auty standards can be defined as a set of qualities regarding the physical appearance of a person that are seen as ideal by society, therefore deeming anyone (for the most part) who doesn’t fit into these standards as unworthy of things such as love, attention, and even basic human respect.

These standards can vary from culture to culture, and as everything in life, they are not exempt from changing as history evolves with the needs and wants of humans, and because of that, here will be listed the most important and widely accepted ideals of beauty throughout different time periods.

Ancient Egypt (c. 1292 – 1069 B.C.)

The ideal woman was described as one with a slender figure, narrow shoulders, high waist and a symmetrical bone structure, and the ideal man was almost the same as the ideal woman, but with the difference of having slim bodies that were also strong for work.

Ancient Greece (c. 500 – 300 B.C.)

This time period was one of the very few in which beauty standards were much harsher for men than they were for. The ideal man was that who had light and bright skin, broad shoulders and small genitals, meanwhile women were considered nothing but deformed versions of the male body, and the standard for them was to have plump and full figures.

Han Dynasty (c. 206 B.C. – 220 A.D.)

The standard for women was to have features that would be considered as hyper-feminine such as slim waist and small bodies, long black hair, white teeth and red lips, but specially small feet. For men, the most important thing regarding physical appearance was to have facial hair, because it was thought that long beards were symbols of wisdom, strength and healthy lifestyles.

Italian Renaissance (c. 1400 – 1700)

For women, it was expected to have rounded shapes, big stomachs, full hips and fair skin, all of which were meant to represent the husband's status and wealth and the wife's capability of bearing and birthing children.

Victorian England (c. 1837 – 1901)

Women considered as beautiful often had plump figures with extreme cinches under their clothes to give the illusion of an hourglass body that was desired during this period, other common features seen as desirable were freckles, pale faces and rosy cheeks. For men, the standard was to have triangle shaped bodies, with broad shoulders and slim hips and legs, as well appearing clean and well taken care of.

The twenties (c. 1920s)

It was seen as attractive for women to have androgynous and even boy-ish look, so it was prefered for them to have flat chests, slim and rectangular bodies, short hair, mostly styled as bobs, and they often opted for garments that hid their curves, like the iconic flapper dresses that accentuated the rectangular shape previously mentioned.

Golden Age of Hollywood (1930s-1950s)

The hourglass figure had a massive comeback in this decade because of the influence Marilyn Monroe had, and her body being considered the epitome of beauty made women want to resemble her shape, which was defined by large breasts and prominent curves with a very small waist The blonde hair also represented beauty and was seen very often and popularized by the most famous movie stars (including Marilyn herself) during this period. For men, upper body strength became a symbol of their desirability, so they focused their work-out routines in this area. Another thing that was perceived as attractive, in this case for both men and women, was tanned, beach-like bodies.

The Sixties (c. 1960s)

According to this decade's standards, beautiful women were those who had adolescent-like graceful thin bodies with very long and skinny legs. And handsome men were those who had very angular faces and tall bodies, which favored them into getting good corporate jobs, and since during this period a man's identity was strongly tied to his work, having a high rank position was a very attractive, despite not being physical, trait in men.

The Eighties (c. 1980s)

This decade's beauty standards were heavily defined by the workout phenomenon that became so popular, encouraging women to have athletic, yet thin and supermodel-like bodies and men to have fit, strong and muscular physiques.

The Nineties (c. 1990's)

The ideal body type for women during this period was extremely thin, almost underweight and very androgynous, inspired by the supermodels of the decade such as Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss who had this look on the runways of the most famous brands and most renowned editorials. The standard for men was to be very tall and defined, presenting in masculine ways and figures but with a very well taken care of appearance

Today (2000s-2010s)

Modern days' beauty standard could be defined as the "Kardashian body type" with an hourglass shape with prominent curves, small waist and a notable thigh gap, and a "healthy looking" skinny figure, differentiating from the nineties, although it's also true that beauty has evolved into a much more abstract and subjective concept (as it should have been from the very beginning) and these set of characteristics and expectation that people have to make their life-long goal to fit in are growing towards simply being one truest self, regardless of the attractiveness or appeal this may have to others