Here is are two time-lines of beauty standards dating back to the 15th century:
http://www.ukhairdressers.com/history%20of%20beauty.asp
and
http://hubpages.com/hub/Standards_of_Beauty_An_Illustrated_Timeline
Also, I found an article from a Canadian online news source called Ontario Women's Directorate:
History of Body Image
Concepts of beauty change over time. Different societies have had diverse notions about beauty, demonstrating how ideals are socially constructed. Prior to the 20th century, Europeans and North Americans admired larger women because it was believed that they were better able to bear children. Pictures of Victorian women demonstrate the popularity of the curved figure, achieved by wearing a corset. Chinese foot-binding, where girls feet were bound to keep them small, demonstrates that a woman's beauty was valued more than her ability to walk. Despite the serious health consequences, this practice was encouraged and expected of women. Being larger, smaller, taller, shorter, darker, lighter, older or younger has been admired by different people in different times.
Socialization
A preoccupation with body image is often socialized in girls from the time they are very young. Parents may describe their infant daughters as sweet and delicate, and their sons as strong and active. Through this type of socialization, children of both sexes learn that girls are valued for being beautiful and boys are valued for being strong.
Media
Images of women are used to sell everything from food to cars. Popular film and television actors are typically tall, thin and fit. Magazines are full of ideas about dieting and "how to look good".
Media images of female beauty are unrealistic and unattainable for the majority of women. Sadly, the number of girls and women who seek a similarly underweight body is growing, and in that quest they can suffer devastating health consequences. Girls and women go to great lengths to change their body to reflect what they see on TV and in magazines. Chemical hair straightening/curling, cosmetic surgery, breast implants, liposuction, and hair removal products are just a few examples.
Messages about being thin, dieting, and beauty tell women that they are always in need of adjustment – and that the female body is an object to be perfected. The media often reinforces the importance of a thin body as a measure of a woman's worth.
Did you know...
Half of young Canadian women aged 14 to 18 believe they are too fat; approximately 44% of them are dieting. [Currie, C., Editor (1989). Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children. A WHO Cross-National Study.] More than 40% of nine-year-old girls have already dieted. At age 13, 42% of female students say they want to lose weight; at age 15, 48% want to lose weight [Currie, C., Editor (1989). Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children. A WHO Cross-National Study.]
I got a description of the history of beauty from Wikipedia:
History of beauty
There is evidence that a preference for beautiful faces emerges early in child development, and that the standards of attractiveness are similar across different genders and cultures.[4] Symmetry is also important because it suggests the absence of genetic or acquired defects. Although style and fashion vary widely, cross-cultural research has found a variety of commonalities in people's perception of beauty. The earliest Western theory of beauty can be found in the works of early Greek philosophers from the pre-Socratic period, such as Pythagoras. The Pythagorean school saw a strong connection between mathematics and beauty. In particular, they noted that objects proportioned according to the golden ratio seemed more attractive. Ancient Greek architecture is based on this view of symmetry and proportion.
Classical philosophy and sculptures of men and women produced according to these philosophers' tenets of ideal human beauty were rediscovered in Renaissance Europe, leading to a re-adoption of what became known as a "classical ideal". In terms of female human beauty, a woman whose appearance conforms to these tenets is still called a "classical beauty" or said to possess a "classical beauty", whilst the foundations laid by Greek and Roman artists have also supplied the standard for male beauty in western civilization.
Beauty ideals may contribute to racial oppression. For example, a prevailing idea in American culture has been that black features are less attractive or desirable than white features. The idea that blackness was ugly was highly damaging to the psyche of African Americans, manifesting itself as internalized racism.[5] The black is beautiful cultural movement sought to dispel this notion.[6] Conversely, beauty ideals may also promote racial unity. Mixed race children are often perceived to be more attractive than their parents because their genetic diversity protects them from the inherited errors of their individual parents.[7]
Here is a youtube documentary of a 16 year old girl with low self-esteem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL8p5i0mS5Q
