ABSTRACT
The dream of eternal youth and beauty is perhaps as old as humankind itself. During the Middle Ages, this dream was illustrated graphically in numerous paintings depicting the 'fountain of youth'. Today, this dream seems within reach, at least as far as appearance is concerned. Beauty is increasingly becoming work, and a lack of beauty a sign of inefficiency. The market leader Allergan claims in its new advertising campaign, however, that agelessness is not only reserved for celebrities. In a large-scale study 'The New Face of Beauty Report', commissioned by Allergan, the manufacturer of Juvederm, 10,006 women and men ranging in age from 20 to 60 years were surveyed in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain about their views on beauty. Italian men and women ranked first in their desire to look ten years younger, followed by the British, French and Spanish. Germans ranked last in this survey with the wish to look only five years younger.
