The Pretty Price Check: Your Friday round-up of how much we paid for beauty this week.

First! A quick reminder to all you feministly-inclined bloggers about next week’s Feminist Carnival. I want anything and everything you’ve written on beauty, body image, products, or the like. (Preference will be given to posts fitting the theme, but if you’ve written anything just amazingly kick-ass and feminist, feel free to submit that too — I’ve gotten a couple of great ones so far, and might include a “not beauty but awesome” section.)

Submit links here or email me on beautyschooledproject [at] gmail [dot] com. Deadline is 10:00 PM Monday (March 29). (So go on, do it now!)

Now… ready, set, Price Check:

• 36DD: Our nation’s median bra size. (Up from a 36C two years ago.) Because you asked. And because everyone is saying it’s all due to Oprah. So do we just automatically give her credit for everything now? (Via The Cut.)

• 20 percent of women (and 10 percent of men) describe themselves as unattractive, up from just 1 percent in 1998. (Via Mother Jones where there are so many more horrifying stats like this.)

• 40 percent of Americans won’t accept any amount of money to give up our favorite food (pizza, cupcakes, what have you). A third say it would take $1 million. After the above stat, I find this comforting. (Via Her Two Cents, which makes a great point about how unhelpful that “all or nothing” diet mentality is anyway! Hmmph.)

• 16: The new age minimum for models hired by Michael Kors. Yes. More of this, please. Stylelist positions this as being good for body standards (more woman-sized women on the runways), and amen, sister — but let’s not forget that runway models work insanely long hours, are sometimes paid only in clothes, and have their bodies and faces picked apart by hundreds of bitchy fashionistas (and nice ones, but you know). How was that ever considered a healthy work environment for kids in the first place?

• $30 million: How much the Jordan cosmetics industry earns per year selling products made with mud from its side of the Dead Sea. Sounds like a lot, but Israeli brands like Ahava earn five times that amount — so Jordan wants a bigger piece of the (mud) pie. What none of these companies seem to mind: The fact that the Dead Sea’s surface level is sinking three feet every year, and might be entirely dried up by the year 2050. Maybe we should figure out a more sustainable plan for that little problem before we fight over who has the most mud? (Via Google News.)

• $140,000: What the Personal Care Products Council (that’s the beauty industry’s main trade group) spent on government lobbying in the 4th quarter of 2009. Expect that number to go way, way up as debate over reform for the Toxic Substances Control Act heats up. (Via ABC News.)

[“Oceans of Bras” photo via Jenbrea on Flickr.]