Body Modification - Part I

Make-up



Changing views on make-up during centuries



While in thousands of years of Ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome enhancing one´s appearance by painting one´s face or cultivating hair were considered a very aristocratic things to do due to high prices of such commodities like make-up or well-keeping oils, with Christianity and particularly Victorian Era all make-up products gain a stigma of something low-class, despicable. A real Victorian lady would never use such things, and even more than that - make-up was considered the sign that contradistinguished a lady from the sisterhood of prostitutes and actresses. Strange as it may seem, considering the revolution in cosmetics that have passed during the 20th Century, such opinions can be still actual in some religious or age groups. Like for example in my family, that is ruled by an 85 years old Grandmother. C´est la vie.


http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/M/make_up/decades.html

Reasons of wearing make-up:

1. A rebellion - it can be just a trivial revolt of a teenage girl or boy against their narrow-minded parents or teachers, or it can also be a deep-going rebellion of women opressed by prejudices of men - whether it is a suffragette wearing red lipstick or an Afghanistan woman with her face fully done behind her burka, make-up can scream a political message about not being willing to let the others break one´s spirit. The reason of the make-up being a symbol is the traditionally reserved male attitude towards female beautification. In Iran it´s so reserved you can be killed for plain lipstick wearing.
2. Need to look and feel better - the most common reason, I suppose. Make-up, if done skillfully, can truly change a rather plain woman, that would otherwise remain unnoticed, into a goddess of beauty - don´t you think the best examples of this are Hollywood stars? It can also do wonders for woman´s self-confidence, which is of course big part of the charm.
3. Feeling artsy - some experienced make-up painters, such as Doe Deere from Lime Crime Makeup, understand putting on make-up actually as a form of art rather than just an attempt to accentuate one´s assets. Faces serve as instruments of creativity and demonstrating skills; unlike common make-up use, creations of these lipstick and eyeshadow wizards are not possible to overlook (as demonstrated on the picture)- more likely they are about to cause you a shock, either pleasant or unpleasant. Each of these faces put on faces is unique, expressing one´s individual image and guaranteed to stand out, which leads me to point three:
4. Need to shock or attract public attention - can you imagine Kiss or Marilyn Manson make-upless? Or can you imagine remembering them for long without their image?