13 Trends That Have Defined American Beauty

Coming to a precise definition of "American beauty" has never been a simple task. Perhaps that's because both beauty and Americanness are constructs — malleable, highly subjective and sometimes fleeting. To boil down that famed melting pot (more than 300 million people with more than 300 million different backgrounds and tastes) and distill it into one single aesthetic is nigh impossible. Nonetheless, throughout modern American history, certain trends have, on occasion, bubbled up to the surface and helped to shape what entire generations have considered beautiful.

With that in mind — and in honor of the USA's birthday — we decided to take a look back at 13 defining American beauty trends from the past century. Linda Wells, the Chief Creative Officer of Revlon and founding editor of Allure, who has spent decades analyzing and writing about beauty in America, serves as our guide as we explore some of the most formative, most essential, most American of beauty trends. 

Find them all on Fashionista.