the modification of personal appearances by alterations in clothing, hairstyles, and facial cosmetics was not invented yesterday on Madison Avenue.
Throughout history, in common with our mammalian cousins, humans have been affected by their color perceptions. It is an inter-racial bond: studies show that even among the black population of South Africa white is associated with purity, authority, thinking and happiness. These are generally considered positive traits.
So is youth - and "Women who convert to blonde do so in the pursuit of youth." As youthful appearance becomes the standard of American culture, the accoutrements of such appearance - clothing, skin tone, hair color - take on greater importance in the schema of things; in recent surveys, thirty-eight percent of all women questioned were unhappy with their overall appearance, while ninety-nine percent indicated that they would change their appearance if they could.
Thomas F. Cash and Timothy A. Brown in "Gender and Body Images: Stereotypes and Realit
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