But why, though? From Goddesses to Grind: How Beauty Became a Full-Time Job

This powerful narrative traces the evolution of beauty in Western culture—from the sacred rituals of ancient queens to the modern grind of self-care routines and cosmetic labor. Once a luxury of the elite, beauty has transformed into an expected, unpaid form of maintenance predominantly imposed on women. This essay explores historical turning points—from Cleopatra to Botox, corsets to Instagram filters—and blends feminist and labor theory to reveal how beauty standards have become deeply embedded systems of control, consumption, and gender inequality. Drawing on philosophy, economics, pop culture, and protest movements, the essay critically examines how beauty shifted from privilege to pressure, and what it costs in time, money, autonomy, and identity.    

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In this video, we use Google's NotebookLM to assist in the analysis and understanding of complex documents. NotebookLM is a research and writing tool that allows us to generate summaries directly from uploaded documents. The podcast like audio overview you will hear is  generated by Google's AI based on the content from the sources listed below.  

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Sources:

• World History of Cosmetics and Beauty Practicescosmeticsinfo.orgcosmeticsinfo.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org
• Roman Attitudes Toward Women’s Makeup (WorldHistory Encyclopedia)en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org
• Cosmetics Use in Ancient Rome (Haaretz, via Wikipedia)en.wikipedia.org
• History of Cosmetics Timeline (Personal Care Products Council)cosmeticsinfo.orgcosmeticsinfo.orgcosmeticsinfo.orgcosmeticsinfo.org
• The Flapper Era and Mass Cosmetics (CosmeticsInfo.org)cosmeticsinfo.orgcosmeticsinfo.org
• WWII and Beauty Adaptations (CosmeticsInfo.org)cosmeticsinfo.org
• “The Grooming Gap: What ‘Looking the Part’ Costs Women” – In These Times, 2020i