Beauty company claims dictionary’s definition of beauty is ageist, sexist

One of the world’s largest beauty companies, Coty, accused dictionaries of “ageism” and “sexism” in their definitions of beauty in a new campaign highlighting their effort to “undefine beauty.”

Coty, which owns brands such as Covergirl and Kylie Cosmetics, started a petition on Change.org that called for dictionaries to change the “outdated” definition of beauty. 

“The criteria in the definition in the major English Dictionaries – or more specifically the examples used to illustrate it, were born in a different time and have not aged well. The implicit ageism and sexism in the current definition are anachronistic,” Coty’s online petition said. 

Coty cited two examples used to explain the definition of beauty. 

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“I was struck by her beauty,” one example read. Another said, “she was considered a great beauty in her youth.” 

“This cause to change the definition of beauty acknowledges all those who celebrate and express their own visions of beauty every day, and validates those who have felt excluded by restrictive definitions of beauty,” Coty wrote in their online petition. 

The petition has garnered over 1,300 signatures.

Dictionary.com revealed their 2022 word of the year to be “woman” in December. 

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Coty CEO Sue Nabi wrote in a letter to dictionary publishers that it was time to update their definition. 

“Seen through the lens of today’s society and values, the definition of beauty hasn’t aged well. Of course, not all people are impacted by, or feel excluded by these definitions,” Nabi said. “But the implicit ageism and sexism in the examples were born in a different time. We believe it’s time to bridge the gap – time to bring the definition to where society is today. By changing the definition, if more people feel included – feel beautiful – there will be a ripple effect which touches us all.”

“At Coty, we believe that no one can control or dictate what is, or is not, beautiful,” Nabi added.

The Cambridge Dictionary adjusted their definitions of “man” and “woman” in December 2022.

Cambridge Dictionary now define a “woman” as, “an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.”

They similarly define a “man” as, “an adult who lives and identifies as male though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.”