The goal was not to look natural, but to make an obvious statement of one's class identity, with the added benefit that cosmetics also served to hide blemishes or the effects of disease, age, or sun. In fact, makeup was actually called “paint.” Wearing it identified one as aristocratic and à la mode.
"It was a luxury for the upper class. The more makeup you wore, the more affluent you were. I believe for this reason she would have chosen to use makeup to amplify her beauty. This alone would have been an advantage within the gossipy court of Louis XV."
Elizabeth I of England, who reigned from 1558 to 1603, wore white makeup primarily for aesthetic and symbolic reasons. The makeup, often made from lead and vinegar (known as ceruse), was used to create a pale complexion, which was associated with nobility, beauty, and purity during the Elizabethan era.
Courtiers of both sexes would wear artificial beauty marks called mouches (French for “flies'). These adhesive patches were made of silk, taffeta, or velvet, and came in a variety of shapes—including hearts, spades, clubs, even tableaus (an entire horse-drawn carriage-shaped patch has been documented).
Makeup continued to fall in and out of favor in Europe for centuries. In Elizabethan England, for example, men powdered their faces to the point where they looked ghostly white. Noble men and women were expected to have pale complexions and usually used makeup to achieve that end.
For millennia, from 4000 BCE through the 18th century, men traditionally used makeup in myriad ways. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that makeup was relegated to one end of the gender spectrum.
The fall of the Roman Empire resulted in royalty growing their hair to assert dominance and wealth. Modern citizens were then the only ones with short hair while royalty left their hair natural and long. During the Middle Ages, long hair and beards stayed fashionable due to its popularity amongst European nobility.
Cleanliness now and then
According to Ward, Louis XIV was not unique in his body care habits. In the 1700s, most people in the upper class seldom, if ever, bathed. They occasionally washed their faces and hands, and kept themselves “clean” by changing the white linens under their clothing.
The wearing of cosmetics first emerged as a status symbol. The heavy application of makeup was associated with court circles, particularly in France.
The Baron de Longueuil holds the only French title of nobility that still exists today, as continued under the monarchy of Canada.
Throughout all eight episodes, Franklin dons neither a speck of powder nor a single hairpiece. “Benjamin Franklin, he never accepted the idea of wearing a wig,” said Bertolazzi, who won an Oscar in 2017 for his “Suicide Squad” hair and makeup. “Not even if they [threatened] to cut off his head.”
A perfect complement to these costumes and settings was a strong chin for the males and a beautifully defined jawline for the women and girls. This is perhaps why this kind of profile ultimately became a feature associated with aristocratic beauty.
Engelman says that the French focus on maintaining skin health from the very start. For example, this can include daily sunscreen use. In conclusion, many of these French skincare secrets do indeed work, and are effective for a variety of skin types.
To cover up scars from smallpox, which she came down with in 1562 — just four years into her reign — and which almost killed her.
As good hair was associated with status and style, baldness and hair loss compounded the shame of having syphilis. Wigs were commonly used to cover up hair loss, but their use did not become widespread until two Kings started to lose their hair.
Skin lightening practices, such as the wearing of Venetian ceruse, may not have been directly racially motivated during the Elizabethan era. Rather, the pursuit of a fair complexion was largely driven by its associations with high status and wealth of the individual.
Since the 1990s, judges no longer wear wigs but a songkok, wing collars and bands but instead wear a waterfall cravat with court coat and black silk gown. Ceremonial robes for judicial office-bearers are generally black with gold lace. Counsel in Malaysia dress as English junior barristers do, but do not wear wigs.
According to modern standards, people in 19th century England would give off some sort of personal odor. But they might not have smelled bad in quite the same way a modern person does after, say, a weeklong summer camping trip.
Rooms with toilets, cesspools, and drainage systems only started to become common in the 19th century. At the Palace of Versailles, people would conduct their business in the corridors or in the gardens. In 1715, it was decreed that once a week the feces would be collected from the corridors.
Marie Antoinette had a very early version of the flush toilet installed in her suite of rooms!
Aristocrats were generally taller than the common people ( Figure 1). Historic European military data show stability in body height up to the end of the 19 th century. ...
For thousands of years, male members of our tribe have worn their hair long. It is our spiritual belief that a person's hair is a part of the spirit of the person. With his hair arranged in a long braid running down his back, Logan is confident and proud.
The association with barbarians was why Roman men kept their hair cut short. It was the job of slave hairdressers, called ornatrices, to create their master's hairstyle new each day, as well as pulling out any grey hairs.