Eighty Years of Beauty
Communication — From “Miss Shiseidos” to
Shiseido Beauty Consultants —
April 1st (Tue), 2014 to March 29th (Sun), 2015
Shiseido has long been dedicated to offering lifestyle choices that help people make their lives more beautiful and healthful, and the company’s “Beauty Consultants” have long been at the forefront of activities to communicate these offerings to consumers directly.
The history of Shiseido’s Beauty Consultants extends back to 1934 and the creation of “Miss Shiseido” company representatives. Shiseido ran advertisements at that time “seeking respectable young ladies” to fill the role, and out of nearly 250 applicants, nine were selected to become the first generation of Miss Shiseidos. After seven months of preparation, these young women began a variety of activities communicating Shiseido’s message of health and beauty, and through these quickly earned wide public admiration and affection. The program was suspended for a time due to historical circumstances, but when it was reinstated in 1950, the Miss Shiseidos were updated to become Shiseido “Beauty Consultants,” who have carried on the mission ever since.
This past April marked the 80th anniversary of the original Miss Shiseido program, and a look back on that history offers glimpses of women’s changing roles and activities during the course of Japan’s modern development. This exhibition focused on the Shiseido Beauty Consultants’ changing fashions, as represented in their various costumes, and explored their history and current roles.