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With so much media focus on bikini bodies, beach bodies, cellulite woes and eating disorders, it's easy to believe that being thin and fit is a beauty anxiety women have always had to deal with. In fact, clear skin has a longer history of cultural obsession. More »
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While plastic surgeons may declare confidently that the demand for their services is climbing again, the New York Times reports that the numbers tell a different story: More »
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The man known as Chuck Bass got two new tattoos: One a lovely, scholarly quill; the other an icky topless pinup with the words, "She's a pinup." Dude, are you trying to get your Earl Of Hottenham titled revoked? [ONTD] More »
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According to the latest census estimates, multiracial people are the fastest-growing demographic group in the U.S. More »
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Essence magazine held a "Smart Beauty" panel last week, and WWD has the sad, tragic details: More »
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In 1970, Velma Stokley-Flournoy created the Miss Black Sacramento pageant. "I saw a pageant on television and there weren't any blacks involved," she explains. And thirty-eight years later, the pageant is still going strong: More »
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Hailey Woldt is part of an anthropological project, led by American University Islamic studies professor Akbar Ahmed, to document what it is to be Muslim in America after September 11th. Her assignment: wear an abaya. More »
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Remember how earlier today we were obsessing about pimples and we wondered why Dr. Oz and Oprah haven't covered it yet? Well, right as we were posting that, today's episode of Oprah aired, during which Dr. Oz was discussing "the science of beauty." And part of the discussion included acne! (Maybe Oprah really is Jesus, since she's able to hear our thoughts.) Dr. Oz brought out a graphic that explains exactly how pimples form. Clip above. More »
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I don't know about you, but some of us on staff here are obsessed with blemishes, whether on our own bodies or those of significant others. (That's Rihanna and Chris Brown at left.) Somehow, we discovered that the zit-popping video is its own sub-genre on YouTube: There's clip after stomach-turning clip of some of the most disgusting stuff you'll ever see in your life. (Why haven't Oprah and Dr. Oz gotten in on this yet?) More »
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Over the weekend, MTV aired True Life: I Have Acne a documentary featuring young adults with severe cystic acne, and the steps they are taking to treat it. Take Lily. She's a 21-year-old aspiring model/actress, but her skin has been holding her back from moving forward with her career. She's been grappling with the decision of whether or not to take Accutane following the death of her 15-year-old brother, who took the drug and then suddenly died. (Doctors insist that the Accutane didn't have anything to do with his death, but Lily is still too fearful to try.) Lily decides to undergo very expensive, painful laser treatments that had devastating short-term effects, and eventually, no long-term effects. A couple thousand dollars later, she's still dealing with her affliction and still refusing to try Accutane. More »
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We've discussed skin-lightening in India before, but, according to The Independent, new skin-whitening commercials are igniting a "race row" in that country. The commercials feature three of Bollywood's biggest stars in a soap opera-style love triangle. The dark chick is dissed for a lighter-skinned woman, so she turns to a product called White Beauty. The cream promises a "pinkish white glow," and the not-so-subtle subtext is that you need fair skin to snag a man. (Let's not forget the woman who killed herself when her husband called her "black.") And who manufactures this cream called White Beauty? Why, Unilever, the same folks who urge you to "love your body" in Dove ads. How is it they they can make "Love Your Body" Dove ads and "hate your skin" bleaching creams? More »
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Loathing your dark skin isn't just for women. A new product in India, Fair and Handsome, is just one of the many skin-lightening creams that are, according to the Washington Post, "exploding in popularity." In fact, though these products are nothing new for the ladies, the mens' market has grown 150%. India has a long history of colonialism and caste-systems, and darker skin is often openly reviled. Nikki Duggal, a New Delhi-based graphic artist says, "It's something we have internalized, and it's propagated by everyone since we still have this colonial hang-up that white is better, white is wealth, white is someone rich enough to never toil in the sun. It's so prevalent in India that fair equates to more success in life. There is a very sad message that if you are dark, you are doomed." Oh, and by the by: The lightening creams which will save you from certain doom? They cost about $1. Which is half a day's wages for many Indians. More »
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