The Historical Evolution of Body Modification
Through the lens of Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty
A Research Paper
By Ipshita Pal
Rochester Institute of Technology
Everyone has their own preconceived notions about what beauty is, but there’s also an underlying commonality in the personal ideals of beauty. It is said that, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and that what one may find beautiful, the other may not. Through this mindset alone, the concept of societal ideals of beauty should be disregarded. However, society still has a say in what is perceived as beautiful by the collective and not the individual. Through some varying degrees of influence, the ideals of beauty changed throughout time and evolved into different philosophies and mindsets. A few questions then arise. Who sets these standards of beauty? How does body modification come into the picture when beauty is considered? If beauty is universal, how does the perception of beauty evolve over time and why?
