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Beauty Throughout Time
The Western Culture
Make-up Throughout Time
Ancient:
The ancients were very fashion conscious. The Kamasutra devoted no less than 65 chapters to body beautification, including the painting of hair, nails and teeth! Cosmetics have been unearthed at archaeological digs and tombs dating back thousands of years, while paintings and statues confirm that both the male and female decorated themselves lavishly. The Assyrians took great pride in their appearances, bleaching their faces with white lead. Since baldness was often considered a curse in ancient civilizations, wigs of goat hair were popular, as were false beards (even for women of nobility). Those who sported a full head of hair curled it tightly with curling irons and dusted it with gold powder.
The well-coiffed Persians favored eye makeup creating dark islands of kohl liner on their whitened faces. They applied this blackener so heavily to their brows that they often connecting into one languished line across their forehead!
The Egyptians, known for their lavish cosmetics, beauty oils and perfumes, were veritable walking paintings. Both sexes whitened their faces with ceruse and lined their eyes with black kohl. In addition, eye pastes of blue and green circled the eye, contrasting with cheeks of yellow ochre and bright red lips. Faint rivers of blue stain followed the veins on the chest, and exposed nipples were painted gold! Even the hands and feet were attended to, as henna dyes were often applied to turn them and attention-getting crimson.
Did You Know?- Egyptians used powdered minerals in their eye makeup. Eyes were either outlined in kohl, made from black Galena (a lead ore), or with green Malachite (a copper ore).
- Egyptians ground up a mineral called red ochre, while the Greeks mashed up seaweed and mulberries to color their lips.
- The earliest known set of false teeth was made in Italy about 700 B.C.E. by the Etruscans.
Greek:
Throughout history, it has been the male of the species who has generally gone to the greatest lengths of adornment. The Greeks were no exception. The most popular gathering place in ancient Greece was undoubtedly the equivalent to out modern barber and health salons. It was here that the Greek males, young and old alike, gathered daily to share news, discuss events, listen to poetry, and debate philosophical matters. In addition, the Greek man could have his beard trimmed, his locks curled, his fingers and toes manicured, and his entire body massaged. The Greeks powdered their faces, utilized paints on their eyes, cheeks, and lips, and often wore wreaths of flowers in their hair. During the Homeric period, full beards were popular and often curled. The Periclean age brought about a generally clean-shaven look to the young males, with makeup and hair styles of great similarities between the sexes. Later, as facial hair became equated with barbarism, Alexander forbade his soldiers to grow facial hair and required short hair styles. While retaining their cosmetics, the Greek males adopted short curls and clean-shaven faces. Only an occasional patch of long hair was seen, hanging in front of the ear.
Roman:
The Greeks were outdone by the Romans in their fervor for personal beauty. The “barber shops” of Rome offered not only steam baths, manicures, cuts, plucking, trims, depilatory treatments and massages, but wine and women as well. The Romans were fastidious in their daily toilet, heaping scorn on those who were not impeccably adorned or those whose makeup had run in the heat. Though women, particularly courtesans, strove for beautification equal to the men, philosophers of the period noted (rather disdainfully) that their “art wanted for perfection.” Both sexes pumiced their teeth for whiteness, bathed in ass’s milk for soft skin, darkened their eyes and lashes with kohl and colors, and whitened their faces fashionably. Introduced were leather patches of several shapes and sizes that were adhered to the face to hide blemishes. Men were obsessed with their hair. Blond locks were considered to be a gift from the gods, and baldness was still considered a curse. Consequently, their hair was frequently bleached or blond wigs were worn. Often in the absence of any hair, curls were simply painted on!
Medieval:
Fad and fashion faded with the fall of the Roman Empire, to lay dormant until the crusades, when the oils, perfumes, and cosmetics brought back from the conquests gave rise to their popularity once more. Prostitutes adopted makeup first, and though the church was violently opposed to any type of adornment, cosmetics soon spread to the masses. The Medieval woman shaved her head and whitened her face, and though the church advocated that red was a sign of a witch, the popularity of reddened cheeks and lips soon made this association inconsequential. Bright wigs were worn, again in opposition to the church, which advocated that the evil spirits of a person remained in the hair, regardless of who was wearing it! The religious faction was ignored on every front, however in the new fashion fervor. It is said that Isabeau, queen of France, was covered daily with a powerful beauty potion of boar’s brains, crocodile glands, and wolf blood, at which time an alchemist chanted incantations over her. Shoulder length hair was popular on men by the 12th century. Both men and women “crisped” the ends of their hair with curling irons at this time. The 13th century saw short hair and beards rise in popularity. The “page boy” came into fashion, along with other rolled styles. Women wore their hair uncut, pulled back into braids, and tied up in various styles. By 1450, hair was curled in curl papers and continued to be crisped. Men wore ribbons, while older men wore beards. The “bowl cut” was popular, a circular trim resembling a bowl that left a fringe of hair around the head. Silk wigs were available in colors including bright yellow, and anyone who had the misfortune to have red hair, readily dyed or powdered it.
Did You Know?- European noblewomen shaved their hair and sometimes their eyebrows to achieve a fashionably high forehead.
1500s
Wigs were still popular in the 1500s. Elizabeth is said to have had over sixty, and poor Mary Stuart, while imprisoned in the tower, reportedly changed hers daily. Fancy beards abounded, pressed into wooden devices by night to hold their shape. Fancy pointed beards became popular from the Spanish influence by the end of the century. Lovelocks, often decorated with ribbons and beads, were favored by males. Wire frames at the temples supported curls and fancy hair arrangements. Mixtures of white paste of ceruse and egg were thickly applied to the face and “fixed” there with a thin mixture of Shellac. It is doubtful that people changed expressions for fear of their faces cracking. (In fact, it is doubtful that they could change expression.) Men blackened their eyebrows and plucked them, and face painting was popular with both sexes. Abrasive mixtures were concocted to “sand” away blemishes. In addition, cosmetics were used that were high in poison content and consequently etched away the skin and corroded the hair. Hence, women’s eyebrows disappeared and the hairline retreated several inches, creating the high forehead so popular in medieval days. Cartouches (love patches) again became popular to hide the abused complexion. Samuel Pepys mentioned in his famous diary that his wife certainly looked beautiful when he gave her leave to wear black patches to cover the pimples about her mouth! The barber shop surged back into popularity at this time, providing entertainment, social stimulus, music and personal care as had been enjoyed in ancient times. In addition, services were rendered that included blood-letting and tooth pulling!
Did You Know?- That Queen Elizabeth I used drops of the poisonous Nightshade plant to make her pupils larger and her eyes appear brighter. Fashionable women continued this practice for centuries.
- Pale skin was a sign of wealth and status. Queen Elizabeth I was slowly being poisoned by the concoction of white lead that she applied to powder her face. Mild lead poisoning caused headaches, nausea, and stomach cramps. The worst cases ended in insanity or death.
- Noble women made up their faces heavily, coloring their eyes, lips, cheeks and even sometimes their teeth.
- White skin has also been revered in Asian cultures as well. Japanese Geishas use white rice powder as part of their traditional makeup.
1600s
When King Louis XIII began losing his hair because of illness, wigs, which had fallen into disfavor, instantly became the rage. Hundreds of wig-makers populated Paris alone. Cascades of free-flowing curls were quite popular on males as were the stylish “lovelocks” with their decorations of ribbons or flowers. With the exception of a tiny moustache, facial hair virtually disappeared on all but old men. Women’s styles in both wigs and natural hair included rolling, twisting, or braiding the hair on the top or back of the head, allowing ringlets of hair to fall freely on the shoulders. Ribbons or beads were often used as adornment. Patches became popular once more, as it became fashionable to “speak” through them. One’s political views could be ascertained by the position of the patch, as could a young woman’s availability. The length to which this practice was carried is emphasized by a period engraving that depicts, among other decorations, a large coach pulled by an entire team of horses galloping across a woman’s forehead, nearly obliterating her face completely! In addition to the patches of silk or leather, decorations were painted directly onto the face for the truly fashionable look.
Did You Know?- While the poor had rotten teeth extracted, the rich had theirs repaired with gold or lead fillings or replaced by false ones made of bone, ivory, or metal.
1700s
The 18th century found patches and paints still quite in fashion, particularly for men. Hair demanded the most attention, however. While long heavy curls were out of style, every imaginable arrangement replaced them. Natural hair and wigs alike were frequently pulled back into pigtails that either hung loose or were encased in a silk bag. Powdering was definitely “in,” and powders of various colors were either shot directly onto the hair with bellows or aimed into the air and allowed to fall on the wearer. It is said that the average revolutionary soldier used over a pound a week to maintain a stylish demeanor. Combing the hair became a popular public pastime, with the theatre being the most favored spot to demonstrate this talent. By 1770, wigs had become so outlandish that elaborate wire frames were needed to support them. Women wore veritable sculptures atop their heads, with everything but the proverbial kitchen sink floating in their tresses. The church became so alarmed at the extent to which makeup and wigs had advanced that they passed penalties equal to those for sorcery and witchcraft on any woman who seduced a man into marriage through such fabrications. It was the eventual association of the wig with the hated aristocracy in Europe that marked its decline. A more natural look prevailed at the end of the century when the “Brutus crop,” a faddish look, was adopted. This hairstyle was a disheveled arrangement adopted by both sexes. Beau Brummel appeared on the scene at this time, advocating outrageous new standards in cleanliness by bathing daily, brushing his teeth, and washing his hair every two weeks! “Natural” was “in.”
Did You Know?- Fashionable women in this century shaved off their eyebrows and applied artificial ones made from a mouse’s skin.
- In the 17th and 18th centuries, the nobility smeared on a red paste called rouge, a thicker version of today’s blush.
- Smallpox scars and other blemishes were hidden beneath black patches designed to look like natural beauty spots. Patches also were used to indicate political party- Tories on the left and Whigs on the right. In the 18th century patches became more elaborate and were cut into stars, hearts and other shapes. The patch passion began to fade in the 1790s.
- Although tattoos have been common place in tribal and prehistoric cultures throughout time, Captain James Cook’s voyages introduced his sailors to Pacific tattooing practices, sparking a new interest in tattoos in the West (1760s).
1800s
The early 19th century saw a movement to shorter, more natural hair styles for men. Curls and waves were the rage. Women largely abandoned wigs as well, and twisted, curled, and braided their own long hair, often decorating it with feathers or beads. Beards and moustaches grew in popularity toward the middle of the century, until it was rare to see a clean-shaven face. Thick facial growths, including the famous “Piccadilly weeper” adorned the male face until the end of the century, when more conservative styles predominated. Dyes were popular throughout the century, including bright colors for facial hair as well as tresses. Though cosmetics were generally frowned upon by the dominant Victorian society, cosmetic manufacturers promoted a return to makeup by advertising their creams and colors as being useful for constipation, nausea, and headaches. Though the “pale look” was definitely in, it is doubtful that many women applied makeup to their faces for health reasons, and by the turn of the century, colored creams and powders again adorned the faces of men and women alike.
Did You Know?- From 1890s onward suffragettes campaigning for votes for women sometimes adopted red lip paint as a symbol of their defiance of traditional ideas about acceptable female behavior.
- When makeup fell out of favor during this century, the use of harmful products such as white lead declined, to be replaced chalk and talcum in cosmetic preparations.
Early 1900s
The beginning of this century looked much like any other at first. Men were still frequenting the barber shops, where they were trimmed, manicured, and made up. Hair styles were relatively short, slightly curled or singed, and parted in the center. Except for older men, few males wore moustaches or beards. Then a revolutionary thing happened. Women invaded the barber shops! The famous “Gibson girl” look, so popular at the turn of the century, gave way to the scandalous short “bob” and the colorful world of speakeasies and flappers, where women donned the new artificial eyelashes and covered their faces with lavish cosmetics, dark powders, lipsticks, eye shadow, and penciled eyebrows. Beauty shops sprung up for women, providing the tight Marcel wave that the men were receiving in the barber shops themselves in the 20s. Medium-length sweeps of dyed or rinsed hair, influenced by the movies, were popular for women in the 30s, while the “patent leather” look predominated for males. The 40s saw a popularity of soft waves, longer hair, and more fullness. By the 50s the male image had changed drastically. Men, who for centuries had reveled in the elegant look cosmetics provided, were now highly embarrassed at the thought of powdering or lining their eyes. Women, in a very short time, captured the cosmetic domain completely, and manufacturers responded with products and advertising directed to the female. The 50s also marked the beginning of the “trendy” fashion that continues today. A curious collage of styles in hair and makeup application, promoted by the fashion industry, incited by entertainment stars, or born of political or social protest, has blanketed the last several decades. The macho G.I. or “crew” cut collided with the long greasy look inspired by Elvis Presley. The neat short styles so fashionable on college campuses in the early 60s gave way to the moppet look worn by the Beatles. Heavy make-up became the fashion, almost to the point of gaudiness, in the early part of the 1960s. Ratted and teased hair thrived amidst the unkempt, long haired look inspired by the hippies. By the end of the 1960s, makeup had moved toward the more natural look, and men were beginning to return to the barber shops, where barbers were recouping business by billing themselves as “stylists.” From a decade of revolutionary expressions, the creative 70s emerged with an even greater variety of options. The lop-sided Sassoon, the tightly- permanent afro, and even long, perfectly straight tresses were popular. Uni-sex fashion was in, inspired by rock stars. Facial hair was extremely common on younger men in particular for the first time in this century. The emphasis on makeup altered from the obvious to the understated, with soft blush colors replacing the harsher cosmetics of the previous decade. The natural look was definitely promoted on every level with many women abandoning makeup all together. The 80s moved in, carried by the punk movement, which advocates bizarre hair styles of various florescent colors, stick-on tattoos, and stark color contrasts in makeup. The preppie look reminiscent of the early 60s returned, advocating a clean, neat bare-faced appearance. Short hair styles for both sexes, fashion model-inspired makeups for women, and a generally casual look predominate.
Did You Know?- In 1915 the first lipstick in a sliding metal tube was patented. Before this time, (greasy) lip paints came in pots- applied by brush or finger and in lip crayons in the 16th century.
- Two famous pioneers of the new modern beauty parlors were Helena Rubenstein (1870-1965) who opened a salon in London in 1902 and Elizabeth Arden (1884-1966) who opened her first New York salon in 1909.
- After centuries of pallor, the suntan became fashionable in the 1920’s, when supposedly the style guru Coco Chanel (1883-1971) inspired the change when she accidentally tanned after falling asleep in the sun.
- Nail polish came on the market in the mid 1920s, sold with the new mass marketed make-up. Fake nails became a fashion accessory in the 1970s, but were marketed to nail biters as early as the 1930s.
- Mass produced makeup was a spin off from the newly born film industry. Working in Hollywood in the 1910s, Max Factor (1877- 1938) started by concocting makeup that looked natural under the harsh lights of the movie camera. These products’ success led to his famous Pan-Cake makeup brand, which went on sale to the general public in the 1920s.
- Piercing has been commonplace throughout the ages in many societies. However Western culture received a shock when people began piercing body parts other than ears in the 1970s. When people began multiple ear piercing in the 1980s, they revived a practice that has been around for 4,000 years.
- It was only in the 1980s that make-up became sheer and more light reflective. Early foundations and powders still tended to cover up the skin, creating a thick, matte surface.
Bibliography:
I transferred and created this article from the following books... I hope that you enjoy it!- Arnink, Donna J. Creative Theatrical Makeup. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1984
- Reynolds, Helen. A Fashionable History of Makeup & Body Decoration. Chicago, I.L.: Raintree, 2003
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