The Role Of Makeup In Different Cultures And Time Periods
Makeup is powerful. Makeup is so much more than just products people put on their face, and some cultures depend on it. In another way, it is a form of self-expression and is highly ancient, it even though some people don’t agree. Today people say applying makeup is simply another thing women do so, we can spend money on 'something' when make-up is an art with creativity. Some people can be dramatic and daring, sexy and or simply neutral. You can achieve so many different looks using make-up from a 90s look to a scary look or even a sad look. It's unbelievable how much makeup can change a person and the society.
Therefore, makeup can be wrongly viewed to society in negative ways by men and by other women. For example, in an article by Weebly states “women wear too much makeup, women only wear makeup because they are insecure about something”, “why do you wear makeup? why can’t you enjoy your natural beauty?”. In other words, what most people don’t understand that there’s multiple great reasons as to why women use makeup. For example, many women wear makeup products to enhance beauty or a cover up from dark spots, pimples, scars, etc. Therefore, women should have the choice to make themselves feel beautiful regardless of what social pressure is weighing down on them.
Firstly, since makeup has been around 3500 BC it has transformed tremendously. In the 1900s, people wore mostly makeup with bold colors from red, purple, orange. In the shaped article by Jené Luciani she interviewed 15 Hollywood stars on their opinion on makeup Oscar Parra says that “Men want to kiss a woman's face and not the makeup that's on it. Who wants to feel like they are kissing a mask all the time?' Therefore he states that women put too much makeup on isn’t always good he want natural beauty. I’m another way, another interview by Jene lucianai was ted Williams he stated that 'I think you can tell a lot about a woman's personality by the makeup she wears. If it's heavier, especially during the day, she's more exaggerated and theatrical and may be hiding something. If it's lighter, she's more down to earth.' This shows that ted the more makeup a women on the more they are trying to hide something but ted is not insecurities some women have.
Makeup has been around for many centuries that date to 3500 BC rooting from the Ancient Egyptian and Sumerian tombs. For example, the evolution of makeup by Anna Walker, says that Men and women of all classes would decorate their eyes with colored kohl, usually in dark green, black, or blue. The kohl circles were supposed to ward off the evil eye. People now believe the lead in this makeup may even have kept wearers healthier, as it killed off bacteria. We also know that Egyptians used castor oil as a protective balm and the Romans described them using creams consisting of beeswax, olive oil, rosewater, etc. The world’s first anti-wrinkle serums were also used in ancient Egypt and is popular today.
Third, the Chinese people are big with makeup. Chinese people favored beautiful, pale skin, bright eyes and white teeth. The typical look was bushy, sprawling eyebrows, long slanted eyes, pouting lips, and coating of rouge on the cheeks and sometimes a flower on the forehead. In the Tang Dynasty, there are seven steps to applying makeup. First, they applied the powder base then they applied colors to their face, eyebrows darkening came next, then applied forehead gold and painted the dimples, decorated the cheeks and applied lip colors. This shows that Chinese people were outstanding and different with the makeup. Chinese people, makeup was very different but every confident.
In the African American culture makeup has been a not all that available because of their skin tone. For example, in the article clamor daze, it stated that “Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, sold beauty and hair products for black women. Many early cosmetic products for women of color held up the ‘white beauty, and so were marketed to women who desired to reduce their ethnic appearance with hair straightening serums and face bleaches in particular” This shows that Africans Americans had a harder time to get a makeup in their shade and to feel pretty in makeup. And was also, forced to appear different to fit in. During the 1920s, many African Americans participated in skin bleaching in an attempt to lighten their complexion as well as hair whitening to appear whiter for everyone to see. Face makeup and lipstick didn’t work for darker skin tone because they were created for pale skin tones. The cosmetics that were created for pale skin tones only made darker skin tone appear grey and dull. Eventually, makeup companies created makeup that worked for darker skin tones, such as foundations and powders that provided a natural match for the skin tone.
Makeup is used globally for different practices and in different cultures and has many options on if women should wear makeup or not. It is used in everyday life and has impacted people around the world makeup has created a place where people can be in the work field of makeup. Even though, in today’s society women are being judged by their beauty, and the use of makeup products; societies may not notice or understand the confidence, joy, and passion it has brought to other people since the beginning of time.
