HISTORY OF MAKE-UP (WHY MEN WORE MAKEUP IN THE 1700s)

IN THE 1700S, MEN WORE MAKEUP


 Make up were  worn for thousands of years more than times see both men and women creating all types of looks. Smoky eyes in full red lips or even a subtle eyeshadow blush and highlighter. But makeup has a history. There is longer and more complicated than you think. Curious? Let’s find out. It goes back to 6000.B.C The pioneers were believed to have been Egyptians. They were sophisticated chemists using natural substances such as groundnuts and minerals mixed with animal fat or vegetable oil to create their own version of makeup. 

Makeup showed status and concealed imperfections on the face, but one additional method was to use beauty patches. Generally made of materials like silk or taffeta, the bits of fabric were often cut into shapes like stars or hearts, glued onto the skin and covered unseemly smallpox scars. Over time, they took on a life of their own, as the placement  took on social meanings, such as passion  or playfulness. where a patch at the corner of the eye represents passion  and playfulness, patch on a dimple.

Processes of Makeup

Women and men of all classes would wear daily moisturizers, a product almost similar to black eye shadow named kohl and Cheek Rouge. Egyptians were also renowned for blending fat with red ochre, which resulted in the creation of lipstick. During the early four thousand B.C., ancient Greek and Roman believed less was more women will light powder foundation and a touch of color on their lips and cheeks. These colors were created from plants, fruits or even products considered toxic today as mercury or lead based dyes. Since Male Elite believe that a woman’s main role was to be virtuous and stay in home, any make up too obvious was strictly forbidden.

 It was only in 3000 BCE that Chinese royalty began to color their fingernails. The colors most commonly use were silver and gold for most high ranking nobles, black and red for lowering, while the poorest classes were forbidden on using any decoration during 600 see, Chinese woman applied thick foundations of white powder in order to distinguish themselves from working class. He had a sun, darkened skin, red powders would be applied on the cheeks. Eyebrows would be darkened in shade. Vermilion was also introduced and Chinese woman would paint their lips in a red heart shape. 1500  S.E. was a time during which altering your face was said to be deceitful. Early, Christian writers created a powerful association between makeup and deception, which was hard to shake. Women would work on having flawless and blemished skin by applying homemade recipe. 1558 S.E, the Elizabethan beauty concept took over. A woman would cover their face with a skin whitener named Serra’s, made from vinegar and white lead as the pigment. This will lead to lead poisoning, skin permanent damage and hair loss usage over an extended period could cause death. Woman would shave or over pluck their eyebrows to create the idea of a larger forehead. Cheeks and lips were colored with egg whites, ochers and mercury.

Asian Ancient makeup tradition

 1900 Queen Victoria announced that makeup was vulgar and unladylike, creating a backlash against  cosmetics. Women used other ways to retain a healthy and vibrant appearance as pitching their own chicks and biting their own lips in order to create a rosy glow. During these years, wearing makeup and lipstick in particular was seen as morally questionable, during late 1920s and with the rise of silent movie stars, makeup started to come to the masses. Fan made magazines would encourage women to choose a movie character and recreate their look. Soon after, she makeup was being sold to the masses in a time that buying makeup was deemed embarrassing. Look how much has changed. Makeup is booming today. Makeup tutorials are available for free on all types of social network platforms, creating a whole new world of makeup users. The gender divide created in the previous years has also changed with the increasing number of men using makeup today. 

Today, we can not say for sure if makeup belongs to the male gender or the female gender, as both genders uses different types of makeup in different parts of their bodies.


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