“Anata wa chisai atama!” You have a small head! — a compliment in Japan. So much to the extent that some Japanese wear a five-pound Small-Face-Make-Belt around the head while sleeping. Apparently it helps your head shrink over time. A good example of the role of society in constructing one’s idea of beauty.

Behind “beauty”:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAnRQncZ_uk[/youtube]

Ok, so beauty isn’t only an idea constructed by society. It’s hard to dispute that Victoria’s Secret models are beautiful.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3oQP61aUIA[/youtube]

But… would they have been beautiful in the 50s?

A (very) brief, limited and generalized history of beauty:

  • 16th Century – flat chest, 13-inch waist
  • 17th Century – large bust and hips, white complexion
  • 19th century – tiny waist, full hips and bust
  • 1920s – slender legs and hips, small bust
  • 1940s & 50s – hourglass shape
  • 1960s – lean, youthful body with long hair
  • 1970s – thin, tan
  • 1980s – slim but muscular, toned
  • 1990s – heroin chic
  • 2000s – thin bodies with large breasts

What are some of the differences between a Marilyn Monroe & a Kate Moss?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZRs__rmYMc[/youtube]

Following that song, it is interesting to consider how society constructs our ideas about wealth? And love, which I will post on soon…

How do our stories about beauty, wealth and love impact our experience of happiness?