Beauty, Virtue, Power, and Success in Venezuela 1850-2015 examines how Venezuelan women have learned to exercise and perform to societal expectations of beauty in four historical moments: 1850-1890, 1910-1950, 1960-1990, and 2000-2015.

Part I: 1850¿1890Chapter 1: Productive Heterosexuality and Feminine Beauty in the Nineteenth CenturyChapter 2: Mercedes Mutis de Ibarra: The Powerlessness of Old AgeChapter 3: Ana Teresa Ibarra de Guzmán: The (Irate) Caged BirdPart II: 1910¿1950Chapter 4: The Ideal Mother: Decent Girls with Good Hair in the Early Twentieth CenturyChapter 5: Teresa de la Parra: The Arduous Duty to Appear BeautifulChapter 6: Antonia Palacios: Learning to Be DecentePart III: 1960¿1999Chapter 7: Modern Beauty Pageants and Contests: Individual and Collective IdentityChapter 8: Blonde and Wealthy: Strategic BeautyChapter 9: Stefania Mosca, Belén Valarino, and Lidia Rebrij: Cosmo GirlsPart IV: 2000¿2015Chapter 10: 100% Chic: Dressing Well to Guarantee Success in the Twenty-First CenturyChapter 11: ¿Exotic¿ and Poor: Practical BeautyChapter 12: Plastic Surgery: Beauty and Consumption in Twenty-First Century Venezuela