Sharon Nguyen
Professor Delany-Ullman
Writing 37
2016 November 14
Word count:841
The Evolution of Beauty Standards
The aspect of beauty is not just skin deep, it really depends on the timeframe of when one
lived as every culture or time has its different definitions of beauty. My RIP project focuses on
how the conventions of beauty have changed throughout the years, mainly focusing on ideals of
American society. The medium of my text is a multi-modal editorial which will be published in
Vogue Magazine. Vogue magazine is aimed at an audience that comprises of mostly 16-34 year
old women with high incomes (Codenast 2016). The target audience mostly shares values of
fashion and beauty. The purpose of my editorial is to express my opinions on how the standards
of beauty in American society has transformed throughout the decades. In accordance to that, my
purpose is to also voice how individuals particularly women in this case, should learn how to self
love and accept their own appearances as a call to action. In the age of social media, the
influences of looking “perfect” has heavily impacted many females from young teenagers to
middle aged women. Beauty influences are also imposed by A-list celebrities as women strive to
achieve their looks themselves. I fulfilled the genre conventions of my editorial by stating my
opinions on the issue of the norms of beauty has been altered over the time periods. I have built
on an argument and aimed to persuade my audience of the message of how beauty is held within
and we cannot subject ourselves to the pressures of accustoming to all the different beauty
standards that are constantly put forth. My goal was to influence my audience’s opinion and to
take a stance on the issue. My target audience is mainly ranging from teens to early middle age
women as this group is most particularly affected by the influences of social media on portraying
what is perceived as beautiful in today’s American society. Ultimately my purpose was to
highlight all the beauty trends that have arisen throughout the recent years and that “perfection”
does not exist but rather one’s beauty is held in one’s self-love and self-acceptance.
The visualization of different beauty standards is key to understanding how they have
revolutionized through the years. Throughout my editorial, I employed a bit of visual imagery to
help my audience picture in their minds of all the aesthetics that are highly praised in today’s
American society. I stated,”A thick, groomed, and perfectly shaped eyebrow is one of the most
crucial features that is prevalent in the beauty world today” (Nguyen 2016). The imagery depicts
exactly what the beauty conventions are being sought after today. Some of my intended audience
