ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the effects of the multibillion pound business of the beauty industry. For some critics, beauty is sold as the central concern and focus for women. Such readings can be seen in the context of docile bodies. Others have suggested that women have far more agency in their consumption of idealised images of beauty. In ancient Greece, it was the Greek sculptor Polyclitus who was the first artist to devise a canon for the human body with the idea that certain proportions would operate as a model of perfection. Grooming is an activity done by both animals and humans. Its role is in keeping one healthy and clean, yet it equally functions as a means to maintain social and cultural relations. For many women, magazines engender a sense of inadequacy. Magazine articles can make readers feel dissatisfied with who they are. ‘Ageing’ is now a key topic in cultural studies.
