Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Media Studies

Reader 1

Elizabeth Affuso

Reader 2

Nancy Macko

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2024 Olivia Shrager

Abstract

While 1930-50s Revlon beauty advertisements highlighted class distinction and domestic portrayals of women, Revlon beauty advertisements from 2014 to 2024 emphasized hypersexualized beauty standards, reflecting a broader societal change in perceptions of gender, race, and body image in America. This shift is marked by an increasing interest in racial representation and sexuality. The emphasis on diversity suggests an attempt to reconcile inclusivity with beauty norms while upholding a narrow, limited view of what features and body types are predominantly valued even in contemporary society.

This paper also explores the facets of artificial intelligence, a timely contemporary tool used in advertising, and the ways in which AI have influenced and perpetuated these beauty standards. The analysis of beauty advertising and beauty standard’s past, present, and more recent innovations allows the reader to understand how and why technological advancements and changing cultural norms have coalesced to shape hegemonic societal beauty standards reflected in Revlon advertisements.

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