Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

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Description
Within the beauty industry, a common issue that exists is the lack of diversity in product colors that suit consumers of darker-skinned ethnicities. Ethnic diversity in makeup products is often difficult to find, particularly in regard to more affordable brands. Over the years, the makeup and beauty industry has focused

Within the beauty industry, a common issue that exists is the lack of diversity in product colors that suit consumers of darker-skinned ethnicities. Ethnic diversity in makeup products is often difficult to find, particularly in regard to more affordable brands. Over the years, the makeup and beauty industry has focused their attention on Caucasian females, thus excluding many other races, ethnicities, skin colors, and even genders. Although the lack of diversity in the cosmetics world is often related to people with darker complexions, this issue can affect any individual of any ethnicity or skin tone. This lack of diversity causes a negative psychological impact on individuals and causes people to experience feelings of frustration, anxiety, and exclusion. The purpose and significance of this research is further outlined in Chapter I. To address this issue, I developed an overarching research question: How might I create a custom makeup product that provides value to my audience? In order to answer this overarching question, I conducted research to answer the following areas: (1) Who is my audience? (2) What are my audience's perceptions and attitudes about makeup? (3) What challenges does my audience face when searching for or purchasing makeup? (4) Why does my audience value my product? and (5) What does my audience believe about my product? These questions allowed me to gather an in-depth understanding of the customer, including their tastes, preferences, needs, values, and demographic characteristics. Chapter II is comprised of the literature search which explores four themes: (1) the changing perception of the makeup industry, (2) diversity in makeup, (3) makeup's psychological impact on individuals, and (4) custom makeup & the market. Chapter III describes the research design and process while Chapter IV presents and analyzes the data and findings. The compiled research informed the business plan and influenced the conception and creation of the brand. Based on my qualitative and quantitative research -- which included a literature search, multiple depth interviews, and a survey -- I created Flesh and Bone Cosmetics. Flesh and Bone Cosmetics is an inclusive custom cosmetics brand that addresses the lack of diversity in the makeup industry by offering Liquid Foundation Drops. This product is a highly pigmented range of tints that recolors and adjusts any existing liquid foundation -- this allows individuals to discover their perfect color match at an affordable price range. Chapter V provides recommendations on forming a business model and marketing strategy for Flesh and Bone Cosmetics.
ContributorsCuenca, Sondra Camille (Author) / Gray, Nancy (Thesis director) / Samper, Adriana (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
In 1986, Wendy Chapkis published Beauty Secrets: Women and the Politics of Appearance, exploring beauty as it is interpreted through physical appearance, gender, and sexuality. Over thirty years later, many of the trends and problems Chapkis identified still exist or have gotten worse; we still live in a society that

In 1986, Wendy Chapkis published Beauty Secrets: Women and the Politics of Appearance, exploring beauty as it is interpreted through physical appearance, gender, and sexuality. Over thirty years later, many of the trends and problems Chapkis identified still exist or have gotten worse; we still live in a society that praises ideal physical beauty, and creates and reinforces unrealistic beauty standards. This research strives to determine why these problems still exist, and how to solve them. Through a combination of creative writing and analytic research, this project will discuss topics that have helped to create problems like cultural influences, gender norms, and the media, as well as discuss the consequences like mental health and eating disorders, and the unattainable ideal beauty standard. The purpose of this study is to bring new attention to the flaws of a society that teaches people they are defined by their appearance, in order to teach people what actions we need to take to make real progress. Research was conducted using an online survey to allow for anonymous, honest, responses, which were then analyzed to inspire sections of creative writing, as well as fuel the analytical research portions of the paper. In this way, the text mirrors Chapkis’ original style to connect and engage with readers. Research shows that many respondents know there are problems with society’s standards, but feel powerless to change anything. This study provides a platform to restart the conversation, and call people to action, to inspire people not to simply redefine beauty, but teach them that they should not define others or themselves by merely their physical appearance.
ContributorsFast, Elizabeth (Author) / Fontinha de Alcantara, Christiane (Thesis director) / Barca, Lisa (Committee member) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description

This creative project outlines the steps taken to successfully plan and host a fundraising event at Arizona State University. In my case, this more specifically dealt with organizing a dodgeball tournament between two friendly rivals: police officers and firefighters in the city of Phoenix. All proceeds raised from this fundraising

This creative project outlines the steps taken to successfully plan and host a fundraising event at Arizona State University. In my case, this more specifically dealt with organizing a dodgeball tournament between two friendly rivals: police officers and firefighters in the city of Phoenix. All proceeds raised from this fundraising dodgeball tournament were donated back to first responders working in the city of Phoenix.

ContributorsMinton, Sarah (Author) / Aberra, Blaine (Co-author) / Eaton, Kate (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

Crazed Oasis strives to create a community-based, sustainable clothing brand that looks and feels great, while creating a community that is safe and welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds. We strive to educate all about the world to provide an understanding and appreciation for all individuals and cultures. The current

Crazed Oasis strives to create a community-based, sustainable clothing brand that looks and feels great, while creating a community that is safe and welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds. We strive to educate all about the world to provide an understanding and appreciation for all individuals and cultures. The current climate of the world is a crazy one, and the clothing industry is highly unsustainable. Crazed Oasis is creating the solution by building a community to create new friendships and connections while focusing on the important topics of the world, such as sustainability, mental health, human rights, arts and passions, and more. Through our clothing products, we will educate and create a culture of understanding through art.

ContributorsEllis, Connor (Author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Lawson, Brennan (Committee member) / Plunkett, Nina (Committee member) / Higashino, Kat (Committee member) / Bauer, Nolan (Committee member) / Stephan, Roman (Committee member) / Adarsh, Sid (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

This paper provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the relationship between beauty and addiction, with a focus on the emerging field of neuroaesthetics. Neuroaesthetics investigates the neural mechanisms that underlie aesthetic experiences and how the brain cognitively processes beauty. Since there is a biological foundation of this report, I will predominantly

This paper provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the relationship between beauty and addiction, with a focus on the emerging field of neuroaesthetics. Neuroaesthetics investigates the neural mechanisms that underlie aesthetic experiences and how the brain cognitively processes beauty. Since there is a biological foundation of this report, I will predominantly discuss neuroanatomy, neurological studies, and the overlap in neural circuitry between beauty and addiction. In addition, I will discuss the philosophical roots of beauty, as well as the environmental elements involved. Chapter 1 begins by explaining the history of beauty and its importance. I discuss the main constituents of beauty and differentiate between key terms involved in the beauty experience. In order to understand the link between beauty and addiction, it is essential to have a knowledgeable background on what beauty is. Next, I discuss the neurobiology of addiction. The main component of this chapter involves the mesolimbic and mesocortical reward pathways. I also describe neuroanatomical terms involved in addiction. The last chapter considers the implications of neuroaesthetics in various studies, which primarily involve the use of fMRIs. I discuss the sensory evaluations of beauty and the brain regions involved in the beauty experience. From this, I found that the experience of beauty activates these main brain regions: PFC, amygdala, striatum, NAcc, cingulate, VTA, and most remarkably, field A1 of the mOFC. By combining the neurological studies with studies of aesthetics, I reached the conclusion that there is an overlap in the neural pathways during the experience of beauty and during addiction. Although it is necessary for further research to be conducted to properly declare this, I discovered that the pursuit of beauty can lead to addictive behaviors, as the reward centers of the brain are activated by aesthetic experiences.

ContributorsFarrell, Natalie (Author) / de Alcantara, Christiane Fontinha (Thesis director) / Conrad, Cheryl (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

This business plan is centered around the creation of a digital marketplace that will promote small businesses and sustainable shopping habits throughout the community and beyond. Our business decisions will be guided by our vision which involves encouraging environmentally conscious shopping habits, supporting small artists, and raising money for charity

This business plan is centered around the creation of a digital marketplace that will promote small businesses and sustainable shopping habits throughout the community and beyond. Our business decisions will be guided by our vision which involves encouraging environmentally conscious shopping habits, supporting small artists, and raising money for charity without compromising quality. In addition to our focus on creating a social media-based digital marketplace, we aim to ultimately help local artists grow their businesses and further support the causes they care about.

ContributorsSturm, Justin (Author) / Aukon-Page, Marina (Co-author) / Rael, Camdyn (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Binch, Bill (Committee member) / Patel, Manish (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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Description
There are many standards set forth in the workplace to mitigate bias when hiring for jobs. Effects of beauty may result in punishments that are difficult to preempt. Attractiveness, although subjective, has an effect on how people are treated. There is research to support both a positive and negative side

There are many standards set forth in the workplace to mitigate bias when hiring for jobs. Effects of beauty may result in punishments that are difficult to preempt. Attractiveness, although subjective, has an effect on how people are treated. There is research to support both a positive and negative side of attractiveness in relation to how one is treated. My research is aimed at providing more insight into such treatment and identifying when attractiveness is viewed favorably versus unfavorably in the marketplace. I hypothesized that in the professional workplace, there is an attractiveness punishment. My research is on testing the disparity between how men and women are treated with respect to hiring decisions based on whether or not they are deemed attractive. In order to test if this theory is true, I conducted a study (N=145) in which participants were given images of attractive and unattractive candidates, and were asked to make hiring decisions across multiple domains (e.g., restaurants, accountants). The results were consistent with an attractiveness punishment: participants preferred the less attractive candidate, but participants also were more likely to favor the more attractive candidate if they perceived said candidate to be much more attractive than the alternative.
ContributorsMersky, Jordan (Author) / Weingarten, Evan (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2022-05
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Description
The Founders Lab is a team-focused, exploratory Barrett Thesis project that allows students the opportunity to discover and utilize their “inner entrepreneur”. This project empowers teams of students to come up with a business idea; create a strategic business model; conduct research on a target market; generate a brand style,

The Founders Lab is a team-focused, exploratory Barrett Thesis project that allows students the opportunity to discover and utilize their “inner entrepreneur”. This project empowers teams of students to come up with a business idea; create a strategic business model; conduct research on a target market; generate a brand style, logo, and other marketing-related materials; meet with business professionals as a way to receive feedback; and finalize a business plan with tangible deliverables. This project in particular focuses on the creation of an app that allows users to connect with others in competitive esports tournaments and participate in tutoring sessions for financial incentives. Throughout our experience participating in the Founders Lab, we were able to construct this business pitch entitled, Eventcity.
ContributorsWandzilak, Olivia (Author) / Tefft, Austin (Co-author) / Smith, Garrison (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Pierce, John (Committee member) / Balven, Rachel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
With the reality that 60% of post-graduates are less satisfied with their social life in adulthood than in college, many young adults find themselves searching to solve the shared fear of finding communities in new spheres of life. Jillian Cote and Mia Cavalier's social application concept, "The Loop", addresses this

With the reality that 60% of post-graduates are less satisfied with their social life in adulthood than in college, many young adults find themselves searching to solve the shared fear of finding communities in new spheres of life. Jillian Cote and Mia Cavalier's social application concept, "The Loop", addresses this problem through unique recommendations based on location services, authentic UGC, and entertaining digital appearances. Through extensive research and development, a prototype has been designed for the application interface, and intensive surveys and interviews have been conducted to pinpoint target markets, consumer interest, and ultimate adoption potential. At its core, "The Loop" is a modern, efficient, and functional social application for young adults and post-graduates to stay connected to key parts of their lives regardless of the life phase they’re in. It allows each individual to focus on what’s important to them, while the app keeps them in the loop for everything else.
ContributorsCote, Jillian (Author) / Cavalier, Mia (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Swader, Melissa (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2024-05