A Brief History of Women’s Makeup from in Western Culture

Makeup is a unique element of history that is constantly changing and evolving throughout the eras. It started from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks and continues to live on today as more cosmetic items are produced and used daily. I found it interesting to know how makeup had changed over the course of history as a makeup user myself. Today I am going to talk about how makeup evolved through history from the 1900s to 1960s in Western Culture. If interested in the 1900s to the 1910s go to A.

If interested in the 1920s go to B. If interested in the 1930s go to C. If interested in the 1940s go to D. If interested in the 1950s go to D. If interested in the 1960s go to E. A. 1900-1919: Makeup was considered taboo at the beginning of this time period.

There were certain beauty standards and aesthetics that however influenced women to go ahead and use makeup anyways.

Though they try to wear makeup with anyone knowing that they were wearing makeup. The beauty standard during that time was to have pale skin and a youthful glow. Many women would either consume or apply lemon juice to their faces to achieve the desired lighter skin. They would also apply powder to their faces. To keep their “youthful glow”, women would apply rouge to apply to cheek, eyes and lips. Most makeup during this time period were created by the women themselves. However, the makeup has to be natural and can’t be “seen”.

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Women “seen” with makeup are assumed to be either stage actresses or prostitutes. The beginnings of many current existing cosmetic companies can be traced back to the first ten years of this time period, such as Helena Rubinstein, Max Factor, Loreal, Elizabeth Arden and more.

During the span of this time period, World War I started in 1914 and ended in 1918 after which the first Hollywood movies came into existence in 1919. The popularity of Hollywood films helped with propelling makeup into mainstream society. B. 1920s: Makeup were more available during this decade thanks to many advancements in technology earlier. This was also the age of the flappers when woman rebelled by cutting their hair short, wearing a lot of makeup, smoking cigarettes, drinking and went against social norms. The stigma with makeup faded compared with earlier times and more woman started purchasing makeup. Women added kohl as eyeshadow around their eyes