Happiness

Beauty has always preoccupied women. But over the past two centuries, as women have gained more rights, the association of self-worth and appearance has intensified. "There has been this enormous change from girls being principally concerned with good works to now being concerned with good looks as a measure of their self-worth," says Joan Jacobs Brumberg, author of "The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls" and "Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa." Brumberg attributes the transformation in girls' behaviors to changes in technology, the coming of mirrors, modern hygiene, the rise of consumerism and popular culture. Attitudes towards attractiveness and ideals of beauty "have changed drastically over the past centuries," she says. This timeline traces many of the body trends leading up to today's ultra-thin archetype. 1950s: Black magazines like Ebony preach the advantag...