Featured Article

"Evolution"

ev·o·lu·tion - [ev-uh-loo-shuhn] - noun

a process of formation or growth; development
a change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation and natural selection
a pattern formed by a series of movements

These are just three of the possible ten definitions that my Webster's dictionary records to define evolution.

In short, it means change and progression.

The fall season where I live reminds me so literally of change.

The leaves are changing colors, the clothes I wear are heavier and warmer due to the change in temperature, my house is quieter during the day as my kids are all back at their respective schools.

Progression is also something I'm reminded of daily.

Facebook profiles, Twitter tweets, Blackberry deals and Ipad updates. The advancement of technology is not so easy for me to grasp.

I wondered if progress or change at rapid speeds is the way it's always been. It also made me wonder how does that impact self esteem; if it even does.

Then I started thinking about the "evolution" of beauty and wondered how that had changed. And how quickly it changed.

I decided to take a closer look at Beauty - Then & Now.

Here's how our attitudes about beauty and fashion have changed over the past 200 years. You may be surprised at what I discovered.

Early 1800's - Small, thin bodies were in, as was ghostly white skin. Women used lead-based powder to whiten their complexions. It often led to muscle paralysis or even death. Tightly laced corsets achieved the smallest possible waist, but had major drawbacks: the stomach was so compressed, women could hardly eat, the bladder was so squeezed, women were constantly running to the bathroom and there was not enough room for the lungs to inflate. Some women even had ribs removed so they could lace their corsets tighter.

A young minister named Sylvester Graham preached against the evils of overeating. His diet of bland food was guaranteed to put tastebuds to sleep. (Interesting that the honey-flavoured snack crackers were created in his family - Graham Crackers :)

1860's - Plump women with large bosoms and hips accentuated with a bustle were in vogue. Extra weight was considered a sign of prosperity and proof that you were a nice person. Thin women were considered mean and sour, while heavier women were thought to have a more pleasant nature and a better sense of humor.

The first best selling diet book was published: Letter on Corpulence by William Banting. His diet called for lean meat, dry toast, soft boiled eggs and a couple of alcoholic beverages daily.

1890 - Feathered hats were all the rage. In fact, they were so popular that some newspapers ran articles warning about the impending extinction of certain types of birds due to the large number of feathers being used to decorate hats.

The tall, athletic, self confident female was redining the beauty ideal. Her measurements would be full-figured by today's standards - bust 38 inches, waist 27 inches, hips 45 inches.

Weight loss fanatic Horace Fletcher promoted "the science of chewing" - if you chew each bite of food at least 20 times before swallowing, you'll get tired of chewing and repulsed by food long before your stomach is full. Meanwhile, John Harvey Kellogg - brother of the Corn Flakes guy, offered weight loss treatments with strange contraptions supposed to make extra weight fall off.

Early 1900's - The slim-figured showgirls in New York's Ziegfeld Follies kicked off a trend towards thinness and dieting. Department stores started places cosmetics in display cases instead of under the counter. Until then, cosmetics were considered nothing less than scandalous!

1920's - The "Flapper" look was in style. Women binded their breasts to minimize their curves and achieve a slimmer, sportier, more boyish look. They wore shorter skirts and cut and dyed their hair.

Now that dieting had become a national pastime, bathroom scales made their way into most homes.

The first beauty contest was held in America. Hotel owners in Atlantic City organized the event to get vacationers to stay beyond Labour Day.

1930's - The Flapper style gave way to a more full-figured look as they headed into the Great Depression and World War II. Women had more serious concerns than the number on the bathroom scale.

marilyn 1950's - The popularity of blonde movie star Marilyn Monroe led three out of ten brunettes to dye their hair blonde. Womanly curves and flamboyant hairdos like the Beehive were definitely in.

There were 5 times as many diet articles published in women's magazines in 1953 than 2 years earlier.

Barbie made her debut in 1959. Her figure would be impossible for a real woman - 39 inch bust, 15 inch waist, 34 inch hips. Over the next 40 years, enough Barbies would sell to circle the earth three and a half times.

wigy 1966 - The miniskirt arrived from Britain - a look made popular by an underweight 17 year old British fashion model named Twiggy. She was 5'6" tall and weighed just 89lbs.

bev 1974 - The first African-American model, Beverly Johnston appeared on the cover of the fashion magazine Vogue for the very first time ever.

1980's - Actress Jane Fonda brought out the first, in what would be a never-ending string of celebrity workout videos.

Inspired by singer and pop culture icon Madonna, many women start wearing their underwear as outerwear.

craw 1990's - The supermodel look came into fashion. Instead of idealizing health and strength, this style was characterized by models with sickly, bone-thin bodies. While the average American woman is 5'4" and 144 lbs, the average model is 5'9" and 123 lbs.

The U.S. Centres for Disease Control estimates that 11 million women have eating disorders.

botox 2000 - Cosmetic surgery becomes increasingly popular with young women. The most popular procedures include liposuction, rhinoplasty (nose job) and breast implants, botox and filler injections.

Fashion trends became increasingly sexualized and appropriate clothing choices for young girls became next to impossible.

Dieting became a household activity and the diet industry rakes in almost 45 billion $$$ per year.

So there you have it....Beauty through the Ages....!

In some ways, the ideas about what makes a person beautiful have changed over time.

What one generation considered beautiful, another generation may have considered strange or even ugly. But one thing remains the same - women have always been judged by the way they look.

All this research leaves me wondering if we really have "evolved" or "progressed" or are we just going in circles? Has beauty ever been defined as anything more than what we look like?

Have women ever really felt beautiful because of who they are, the contribution they make to society and their families, the characteristics they maintain ?

Seems to me that women went to shocking lengths 200 years ago in order to achieve "perfect beauty" and on some level, not much has changed.

Maybe some things never change....but we can choose how they influence us.

Until Next Time

Jen :)