Extract:
Killer Cosmetics
In recent years, there have been frightening headlines about harmful ingredients such as mercury and lead in ordinary cosmetics. However, these are hardly the first examples of people paying a heavy price to conform to cultural ideals of beauty. That is a tradition that has been around for centuries.
Ancient Egyptians decorated their eyes with malachite (a green ore of copper), galena (a lead sulfide), and kohl (a paste made from soot, fat, and metals such as lead). This may have made them look more beautiful, but it also led to health problems such as insomnia and mental confusion.
The ancient Greeks went even further. They applied lead to their entire faces, supposedly to clear their complexions of any blemishes and improve the coloration of the skin. Health problems that resulted ranged from infertility to insanity. The lead ointment whitened their faces, a sure sign of beauty, and they then added some red lead to their cheeks for that rosy glow. As if that toxic mess were not enough, they also used hair dyes that contained lead. The Romans adopted these practices, and some historians suspect that lead poisoning was part of what later led to the fall of the Roman Empire.
As recently as 2007, lipsticks for sale were found to contain lead, and mascara was found to contain mercury. An additional concern is phthalates, industrial chemicals that can cause birth defects and infertility. They are found in personal care products such as shampoos, lotions, perfume, and deodorants. An old saying states that beauty has a price. Sometimes that price may be much higher than consumers realize. Know what you are putting on your face.
What is the meaning of the word conform as used in the first paragraph?
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A
Authorize
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B
Fit in
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C
Hand over
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D
Bewilder
In the cultural context describing beauty standards, conform means fit in, to align one's appearance with socially accepted ideals through cosmetic modification.
A) Authorize
Authorize means grant permission, unrelated to personal appearance adjustment. Conforming concerns individual behavior adaptation, not permission-granting.
B) Fit in
Fit in precisely captures conform's sociological meaning: modifying appearance to match group standards. The phrase "conform to cultural ideals of beauty" describes individuals adapting their looks to match prevailing aesthetic norms, exactly the connotation of social fitting-in through appearance modification.
C) Hand over
Hand over means transfer possession, unrelated to appearance modification. No semantic connection exists between transferring objects and adapting personal appearance.
D) Bewilder
Bewilder means confuse, opposite to conform's meaning of aligning with clear standards. Conforming reduces confusion through standardization; bewildering increases it.
Conclusion
Contextual analysis reveals conform operates within social adaptation framework, individuals modifying appearance to match group beauty standards. Only "fit in" captures this connotation of social alignment through personal appearance adjustment.