As with make-up and hair dying norms, hair removal is a stark example of the emergence of more demanding norms. Younger women in particular now see the removal of body hair as basic grooming – a task as necessary and unremarkable as teeth-brushing.

Over a very short period of time, what is considered normal and required practice in terms of ‘routine maintenance’ has changed dramatically. Fundraising campaigns such as the ‘no make-up selfie’ initiative are noteworthy precisely because it is such a rare occurrence to see a woman in public without make-up. Until fairly recently, make-up was not permitted for respectable women – it was a sign of prostitution, hence so much talk of cheek-pinching and lip-biting in 19th-century literature – whereas now it is the norm for most women. To set this in context, we must think about how make-up has been regarded historically. Do we need to wear make-up to work? What is required of us in terms of hair dying and body hair removal? Will youth-mimicking procedures such as Botox become par for the course in future? And what should we be telling our children? More than this, we worry – to greater or lesser degrees – about the extent to which we should engage with such practices.

There are also misgivings about the lack of regulation of so-called non-invasive procedures – a recent Department of Health report described dermal fillers as a ‘ crisis waiting to happen’. We can take as examples the PIP breast implant scandal or the tragic case of Joy Williams, a 24-year-old from Thamesmead who died after travelling to Thailand for cut-price surgery that went wrong. With an ever-expanding array of technological tweaks and fixes on offer, the beauty and diet industries have become the subject of significant concerns over the safety of people who choose to undergo these procedures. Beauty is big business – particularly at this time of year – but it’s also an area of increasing public concern.

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