Beauty is defined as a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially sight. Over the years, the idea of what a beautiful woman is has changed immensely. Unibrows, short hair, and skinny waists are just a few of the different styles that have been known to define a woman’s beauty. Women are constantly criticized for their looks and whether or not they are following the latest style. This has been an increasing problem in more recent years, especially with the new popularity of wearing a lot of makeup. Accepting a woman’s natural beauty, or enhancing her looks with a full face of makeup, has raised an alarming amount of controversy in today’s society.

 Up until the 1960s, it was unacceptable for women to wear any type of revealing clothing. Long skirts and dresses were the clothes to wear, and staying modest was morally correct. Also, it was not widely accepted to wear a lot of makeup. Today it seems, the more a woman reveals, the more she is praised and celebrated. Freshman Harper Jewell Morgan said, “ Makeup, social media, and Photoshop set standards of being perfect is not realistic. Hopefully one day everyone will be accepted for who they are and ‘beauty’ will not be based on just the outside, but who you are within.”

 Although many women have chosen to mask their genuine beauty, wearing your hair natural has also become widely accepted around the world. Big, thick afros and curly hair were popular in the 1970s, but they have recently made a comeback in the past couple of years. Wearing your hair in its natural state is all about being true to oneself and embracing your own beauty. In the 80s, shoulder pads were used to broaden the shoulders, mostly for women, to make the waist appear to be slimmer. Also, wearing leggings instead of regular pants started in the late 80s. Although shoulder pads are completely out of fashion in 2017, leggings are still very prominent in an everyday outfit. As for 1990s looks, dark lipstick, permed hair for waves and curls, and a funky hip hop style were in. Women wore baggy clothes and curly hair to give off a hip hop vibe as well as darker colored clothing. Today, fashion is all about trying to be yourself, but at the same time, many women decide to change their features. Plastic surgery is widely used to make lips and other aspects bigger while also making waists smaller. Women aim to have an hourglass figure with prominent assets. Senior Trey Boyle said, “Why change who you are, because someone in the world is going to like how you already look and these body enhancements come with consequences if not done correctly.” In this decade, women are on the edge of welcoming the expression of their true selves, while others are doing anything they can to make themselves fit in such as modifying their looks.