DESIGN QUESTION – How to investigate and visualize the changes over time of the perception of beauty in Thai women due to the influence of media and advertisement?
Perceptions of beauty in each society are different depending on subjective culture. However, there is evidence that certain beauty perceptions change with time. As globalization and mass media have an important role for transmitting the ideas, values, norms, and attitudes from one society to another. This research investigates the changes over time of the perception of Thai female beauty, and explores the messages that are conveyed by the media. The questionnaire was completed by fifty-six Thai women and the archives of beauty advertisements in Thai women magazines from year 1976 to 2011 were analyzed. The collection of data revealed attitudes and expressions of Thai women about their own appearance, as well as exposed how media represent the perception of beauty in Thai society and how it has evolved over years. The study could be used for the visualization in order to raise awareness about media influences on people’s perceptions and could be the example of manipulation in beauty advertisements which happened in every countries around the world.
