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.

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:

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]

According to the latest census estimates, multiracial people are the fastest-growing demographic group in the U.S.

Essence magazine held a "Smart Beauty" panel last week, and WWD has the sad, tragic details:

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:

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.

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…

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…