Zamora 1

Jocelyn Zamora

Instructor Mccann

English 1301.129

16 October 2022

Beauty Standards and The Bigger Image

When someone thinks about beauty one might think of women notoriously known for

good looks. Marlyn Monroe is easily known as one of the most beautiful women in the world,

yet the young actress was not free of criticism.

Some people thought Marlyn’s looks and

outfits were too provocative to be beautiful.

Beauty is individualistic, but what sets people

as beautiful is partly the cause of the beauty

standard at the time. To add, during Monroe's rise to fame the standard of beauty was to be

curvy, have elegant eyes, and have a red lip. As of now, beauty standards have drastically

changed over time. The “Little Things” (Caseley) posted an image to address this. The image

depicts different mediums, details, and focal points that show a deeper message about beauty.

Firstly, the image shows different mediums. The different mediums portray the passage

of time and beauty changing together. All the images were created with different canvases: the

Egyptian woman is painted onto a wall; the Greek woman is most likely painted on some sort of

leather sheet; the Heian Japanese woman is painted on an earlier form of paper; the Renaissance

Italian woman; and the 18th-century French woman are painted on a canvas. To add, although

not in order, the image can be manipulated to show a timeline: the Edwardian woman is sketched
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with charcoal; the 20s flapper girl is painted on a modern canvas; the 50s woman is drawn in a

magazine advertisement; the 60s women are in a photograph; and, lastly, the 80s woman is a

modern photograph. The images portray different mediums to show the passage of time and the

historical impact of beauty standards. In other words, although these eras of humanity may not

have had the most advanced ways of recording beliefs and ideas, the effort to depict women's

beauty standards in the particular era shows the impact and importance of this factor in the

historical period. The image also has a great deal of detail to portray the idea of the time and how

it connects to the beauty standards.

In addition to showcasing mediums, the small details within the image have just as much

of a story to tell. To start, four main categories can be assorted from all the women portrayed in

the image. Firstly, it is easy to see that both the Egyptian woman and the 18th-century French

woman both share aspects of excess in clothing and jewelry. This might mean that wealth was a

big factor in female beauty standards. Second, the Greek woman, the Renaissance woman, and

the Edwardian woman all show aspects of having a working life. The Greek woman is depicted

with breathable attire and slicked-back hair, the Renaissance woman is wearing a breathable

gown, and the Edwardian woman wears done-up hair. Third, the Heian Japanese woman, as well

as the 50s woman both, depict details that point to having a more restricting societal role. The

Heian Japanese woman wears a long and possibly restricting kimono and has lengthy hair, and

the 50s woman is thin and has a very clear complexion. This may mean two things: rather the

women in these eras lived with different customs, or these women were faced with stricter

societal obligations. Fourth, the remaining women depicted show far more contrast than the

women from the other eras. The contrast is most likely due to these eras being big on the
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exploration of women’s societal roles. The details depicted in the image showcase the 20s, 60s,

and 80s women wearing the least restrictive clothing and having the most avant-garde fashion.

The most striking and symbolic of change and progress is the first African American woman

being depicted in the 80s category. The information portrayed by the little details depicted in the

image says that not only were women's beauty standards important to preserve in history, but the

standards showed a great deal about the roles these women had in life at the time. In addition to

the details, the focal points showcase the biggest message to take away from the image.

Lastly, the first thing to notice when looking at this image is the various and diverse faces

showcased. Some of the faces share similar features, but many of the prominent features in

certain eras greatly differ from others. To add, many of the features depicted are absurd to our

standards and our current vision of beauty. For example, the long and big eyeliner of the

Egyptian woman, the prominent unibrow of the Greek woman, the blocky eyebrows of the Heian

Japanese woman, the big pale forehead of the 18th-century French woman, and the list goes on.

Although silly to current standards, these features were considered gorgeous in these various

eras. It is easy to wrap things up by simply stating that these are different times, but there is a

broader message to all of this. People back then could not see images like the very one depicted

by the “Little Things”(Caseley) forum. People can now look at the severe and fast-paced changes

in beauty standards throughout time and realize how unreliable it is to follow every single new

standard of beauty that pops up in this day in age.

In summary, the image portrayed in the “Little Things”(Caseley) forum shows a simple

image with underlying media, details, and prominent visual aspects that all support a large

message about history and beauty standards as a whole. Beauty standards are a big and important
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aspect of preserving an era and the role of the people in it. In our current day and age, it is

important to remember that beauty standards will change, but that does not mean that everyone

should too. The biggest similarity amongst all the images is that all the women shown share their

own unique and diverse form of beauty.

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Works Cited

Casely, Laura.”Learn How Our Standards Of Beauty Have Changed Throughout History.” Little

Things, 13 Feb. 2016,

https://littlethings.com/lifestyle/beauty-through-the-ages