Research Paper : A Study on the Androgynous Image in Modern Make-Up

Yang, Jin Hee; Kim, Hee Sun

Journal of the Korean Society of Cosmetology 2008;14(3):763-773.
Published online September 30, 2008.

현대 메이크업에 나타난 양성적 이미지에 관한 연구

양진희, 김희선

Research Paper : A Study on the Androgynous Image in Modern Make-Up

Jin Hee Yang, Hee Sun Kim

Abstract

The most prominent phenomenon out of the modern society`s most characteristic social phenomena is the transformation of the traditional concept of the sexes. This research has defined a unisexual image as an image where manly and womanly characteristics co-exist due to the positive combination of manly qualities and womanly properties by going through the socialization process instead of being defined by the traditional stereotypes on gender. Based on the unisexual look stemming from the androgynous look created during the late 20th century, a time period when diverse attempts having been made in modern makeup regarding the concept of gender, various styles have been set as the research subject including the metrosexual style from the 2000s that can be seen as men`s recent representative trend. We have set the following items as the objectives of the research. First, the concepts and characteristics of the unisexual image that was introduced to the modern society have been studied. Two, the characteristics and expressions of the unisexual image found in modern makeup have been classified into women`s manliness and men`s womanliness for analysis. The recently rising diversity of sex images are studied in this research. The research focuses on the understanding of the true concept of gender that is connoted in the diverse gender images contributes to the prediction and analysis of the transforming phenomenon of the drastically changing makeup trends.

Key Words: Androgynons, Modern Make Up