ABSTRACT
The history of the socio-personal aesthetics phenomenon is somewhat speculative. A more general historic note refers to the way in which societies have changed over time as to what is considered attractive. Cultural attitudes toward women's body size vary widely, and are shaped by ethnic, national, class, and other factors. Fat in certain places and arranged on a properly shaped body was a good thing, and Victorian body management standards for the properly shaped body were dependent upon class, age, and gender. In addition to gender, attitudes about the body have intricate relationships with demographic traits such as class and race. In this way, the body indicates social identity or place. Globalization, a modern phenomenon, can be discussed in terms of its effect on the cross-cultural homogenization of acceptable looks. The mass beauty culture, which flourished at the beginning of the twentieth century, allowed for the dropping of cultural prohibitions against older women attempting to look young and beautiful.
