Skin Deep: The Business of Beauty Directed by Michael Katz, Maryellen Cox, Laura Fleury, Tamar Hacker, 2008

Today’s youth obsessed culture has spawned an estimated 50 billion dollar a year cosmetic industry and half a billion cosmetic surgeries are performed every year in this country alone. But this fervor to be ever-young started long ago with Ponce de Leon’s search for the elusive Fountain of Youth. The recent dark spotlight on the baby beauty queen pageants (Jon Benet Ramsey) and conversely, Hollywood’s humorous take on the same (Little Miss Sunshine) are flip sides of the beginnings of this world – where beauty and youth are idolized above all else.

VOLUME ONE:

QUEST FOR THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: Find out why an educated man like Ponce de Leon risked everything in search of something so unbelievable as the Fountain of Youth.

BABY BEAUTY QUEENS: Images of little girls dolled up in fancy dresses and striking promiscuous poses raise questions and spark debate. What message do these contests send to little girls when they are judged mainly on their beauty? Is this exploitation or a harmless hobby?

VOLUME TWO:

YOUNG MODELS: Every year, thousands of young women head to New York City with dreams of becoming the next Naomi Campbell or Claudia Schiffer. For a handful, their dreams come true. But for many more, the dream turns sour. See the modeling industry as never before — through the eyes of teenagers hoping for the big break.

BEAUTY UNDER THE KNIFE: Once the domain of movie stars and aging socialites, plastic surgery has gone mainstream, with everyone from teenagers to businessmen going under the knife to get a new look. Look at the dark side of this explosive growth, and meet people who have suffered botched operations.

VOLUME THREE:

BEAUTY IN A JAR: Examine the social, racial, sexual and political history of the American beauty culture. How was the American ideal of beauty transformed over time? How does advertising tap into women’s fantasies and hidden desires?