People often go on accepting hair cut ideas which have lost their validity. A case in point is that of the classic oval face. We have so long taken for granted that the ideal woman's face conforms to the classic oval that most people have not yet noticed that this is so no longer.

The classic oval is regular and symmetrical. The size of the features and their relation to one another accord with those in the statues of ancient Greece and Rome, or with the madonnas in Renaissance paintings. In a classic oval face, no one feature is more prominent or arresting than another. The effect is smooth, un­varying.

The exaltation of this ideal was a natural growth. In earlier days woman's life was restricted. A great beauty might be a ruler's mistress, a rich man's plaything. In the days when women were not expected to lead active lives outside the home, entertain ambitions, develop wide interests or develop their independent tendencies, their manners were likely to be quiet and self-effacing, their faces passive. Naturally the more their features conformed to the classic oval in symmetry and repose, the more beautiful they were considered to be.

With the emancipation of women, ideals of physical beauty were bound to change. As women developed in­dividual characters and personalities, new kinds of beauty began to come into their own.

2 Dana Wynter's short hair cut contributes to her de­mure expression.

3 Soft waves in Anna Maria Alberghetti's hair cut enhance the feminine roundness of her features.

4 The "gamine" effect of Natalie Wood's hair cut style is among the most popular today.

5 A fuller hairstyle, with cen­ter part, gives Audrey Hep­burn a new poise and maturity.

6 Katherine Hepburn's strong features are softened by her informal hair cut.

7 Queen Elizabeth II, an example of regal beauty without conventional "prettiness."

There  are  women   all  over the  world  who   are   universally considered   beautiful, although  their facial  contours and dress differ from   ours:

pictures 8 through   12.

8   A serenely beautiful  Indonesian, in  native costume.

The classic face of a goddess or a madonna was forced to share the spot­light with other types—pixies, gamins and women with stronger or less regular features which still managed to create an impression of charm or distinction. With the advent of movies, television and picture magazines, too, we have all become acquainted with a great range of facial contours. We have seen that long, square, round or short faces may also be attractive. We real­ize that irregular proportions or odd features can be piquant, charming or even beautiful.

This fact should give aid and comfort to those women who have features which annoy them or which they consider defects. How often in my salon I hear women pointing out some feature which others may never notice unless attention is called to it! In one case, it may be large ears, in another, a prominent nose or a square jaw. Such women have in their minds the ideal of the classic oval and make themselves unhappy because they fall short of it.

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