• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.59 no.9
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• pp.131-145
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• 2009

Literature in beauty art is insufficient regarding beauty spot, though it has played an important role in beauty art history. This study aims at analyzing various patterns and decorative functions of beauty spots and examining their remarkable differences by place and time. It attempts to find the symbolistic characteristics of beauty patch which influenced European countries socially and culturally in the 17th and 18th centuries, findings are as follows: first, beauty spots are extremely various by patch patterns and by forms, e.g. Wha-Jeon(花鈿), Bindi and artificial points. In the view of cosmetic purpose, they have been used to beautify appearances, reveal social positions and express the desires like blessing or protection from evil. In the times of Baroque and Rococo, though temporarily, people with beauty spots and their belonged societies used them as communicative tools: obviously, they functioned symbolistically. This study surveyed 156 persons to find what cosmetic messages and images beauty spots present in the contemporary world. Using SPSS 13.0, the study analyzed the responses and found that beauty spots are still functioning and welcomed to let women look more beautiful and more attractive, though their cosmetic messages and sizes have been simplified and scaled down.