The Evolution of Makeup Methods of Korean Women in Response to Changing Standards of Beauty in the Early 20th Century

Although the human body is a biological subject with definite and distinctive physical features, its actualization and perception differs among societies. The aesthetics of the human body are based on diverse cultural perceptions that must be considered prior to design development. This study establishes the foundations of newly adopted concepts of beauty that are presumed to have been established in the first half of the twentieth century that continue to affect our mindset even now. The research includes human figures in the articles of women's magazines and cosmetic advertisements in the early $20^{th}$ century. The results are as follows: First, the change of perception in the human body: Instead of being a subject of preservation, the body has become a subject of sculpture with emphasis on health in the 1920's and on beauty in the 1930's. The recognition of the importance of the body has created intensive attention on physical training and an increased sense of hygiene. The body exposed to the public perceives itself through the eyes of others that alter one's own perception of oneself as well as become a target of evaluation. There is an additional emphasis on the exotic eroticism of a passive subordinate. Western culture became the standard for modernization along with the dissociation of traditional standards and values. Through the effect of education and western thinking, the awareness of women's rights and self-appreciation was developed. Second, ideal beauty can be summarized as follows: Unprocessed natural beauty was extolled as ideal in the 1920's, but the 1930's, it highlighted big eyes and an aquiline nose that are the characteristics of western women. Taking care of one's appearance was recognized as an important value for every social class. Cosmetics and skin care treatments promised soft and white skin. In contrast to western cosmetics, dark and shiny hair was highly favored. Exercising and traveling, differing seasonal and regional skin treatments were also widely accepted. In its initial stages, the research had originally assumed that the beginning of the twentieth century would be a time in which traditional concepts of beauty and new, westernized aesthetics coexisted. However, as the research progressed, it was clear that the idea of beauty had already adopted occidental ideals by that time. Thus, it seems necessary to continue the study on the shifting paradigms of beauty that must have occurred in the nineteenth and late twentieth century.

20세기 초 미의식의 변화에 따른 국내여성들의 화장법