Plato once referred to beauty as "the privilege of nature," andsince then societies continue to search for beauty's truedefinition.
Young women everywhere, many Ball State students included, won'tallow nature to cheat them, and women find themselves turning toartificial means to meet society's standards -- including indoortanning.
"I tan because I feel better about myself when I'm darker,"freshman Bobbi Leigh Belongia said. "It's expensive, but it's worthit. How else are you going to get tan here in Indiana?"
Local tanning businesses such as Tan You Very Much depend oncollege students for much of their business.
"Since we are located pretty close to campus, about 60 of ourcustomers are college students," manager Amy Simpson said. "Most ofthose students are females, but we do have some males come throughas well."
Because Tan You Very Much caters to college students, thebusiness must consider a typical student's budget.
"We charge $6 for our standard tan, which is 20 minutes, and $10for 10 minutes in our mega bed," Simpson said. "Although we are anew facility, our prices are average."
Simpson said having a tan is worth the price.
"You look better with a tan," she said. "No one wants to be paleand pasty."
Another vanity routine some women depend on to feel beautifulrequires monthly visits to a nail salon.
Women also pay for artificial nails, pedicures andmanicures.
"I have had my nails done for about three years now," sophomoreJen Cline said. "I feel weird without them, so I don't mindspending money on them when I need to."
Prices vary by procedure, but on average, a set of basic acrylicnails can cost between $20 to $30.
Some may try a tan; others use fake nails, but the most commonmeasure women take to be beautiful is makeup.
With dozens of brands to choose from and the constant release ofproducts, it can be easy for women to lose control in the makeupaisle. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans spend $8billion on makeup each year.
"I wear makeup because I feel better about myself and myappearance when I'm in public," freshman Meredith Boldman said. "Idon't do it for other people, just for myself."
According to some women, putting their "face" on is a way ofpleasing society.
"Some men are used to seeing women with makeup on, so when agirl goes without it for a day, guys may think she looks dead,"Mark/Avon representative Lyndsey Downing said. "It's unfortunate,but a lot of women I know wear makeup to impress those type ofguys."
Downing said she uses makeup for other reasons.
"I love wearing makeup because I think it's a fun way to enhanceyour natural beauty," Downing said. "I'm an artistic person, and Ilove working with colors, so for me it is a form of art. Wearingmakeup doesn't necessarily have to be for vanity reasons. It can bea lot of fun too."
Perhaps the most expensive, extreme and dangerous measure womentake for beauty is cosmetic surgery. According to the AmericanSociety of Plastic Surgeons, 6.1 billion women had cosmetic surgeryin 2002.
Whether the procedure is lyposuction, breast augmentation,rhinoplasty or other surgeries, statistics show cosmetic surgery isbecoming more appealing to women.
"I'd definitely consider plastic surgery," freshman CynthiaPetreozzi said. "I believer you can always change things about yourbody and make things look better."
So in the strive to look better, does a beauty routineconsisting of tanning, nails, makeup and cosmetic surgery reallymake a woman beautiful? Some believe that other characteristics dothe job.
"A woman can tan, have her nails done and look great, but if shedoesn't carry herself with class, if she doesn't work on her innerself, then the outer self doesn't matter," sophomore Alex Crusoesaid.
Unlike men who think women look dead without artificial beauty,freshman Joe Gallagher sees beauty in a different light.
"I prefer the natural look," he said. "I don't like a super darktan or loads of makeup. You can always tell when a girl changesherself or tries too hard to look good, and that is not attractive.I find beauty in a girl's eyes, because you can't do much to changethem."
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