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Seeking Ideal
Beauty
There seems to me to be definite parallels between this era, and the
Elizabethan Age, when it comes to women, and their desperate struggle to
either halt the natural aging of their appearance, or, to discover a
miracle age-reversal method. During the sixteenth century, well-born
women were obsessed with achieving, and maintaining, 'ideal' beauty, as
they perceived it, to the point of what we would call 'madness'. What
was this ideal they so longed to possess? Youthful unlined alabaster
skin, overly bright eyes, red cheeks and lips, and the fairest of hair
colors. Add to these attributes, a high, arched, pale eyebrow, and high
brow line. To achieve the 'look' of perfection, these women made use of
the period's highly respected skin care techniques, and the finest
cosmetics available to them, at the time.
First, the hairline was plucked back, an inch or more. Next, the
eyebrows had to be plucked and arched, and the hair of the head and
eyebrows was then bleached out using a variety of the most up-to-date
bleaching agents, including urine, and sulfuric acid. Women, who could
afford the high cost, purchased the top of the line skin whitener,
'ceruse', a mixture of white lead, and vinegar. This was used on the
face, neck, bosom, and often the hands and arms as well. This concoction
was used in conjunction with the 'skin firmer' of choice, uncooked egg
white. This noxious mess was then spread on the face, neck and bosom,
and allowed to dry, to tighten, and hide wrinkles, and give the face a
white, unlined, mask-like finish. To imitate a blush and pout of
youthful beauty, vermilion (mercuric sulfide) was THE choice for lips
and cheeks. Faintly traced veins were then added to the skin surface of
the bosom, for that 'natural' look. Drops of belladonna were then
administered to the eyes, to achieve that desired 'sparkle', and the
eyes were outlined in kohl. To care for their complexions, the ladies
made use of what was highly touted as the best cleanser. Mercury mixed
with alum, and honey. Of course, a common practice was the 'facial
peel', and the most widely used, and highly regarded peel agent, was
mercury.
These were the commonly accepted 'beauty' practices, of women over four
hundred years ago, and yet, how 'in the moment', it all seems! We may
not use mercury for chemical peels, but glycolic acid, salicylic acid,
or lactic acid; trichloroacetic acid (TCA), or carbolic acid (phenol) -
are used. We don't spread raw egg white on our complexions as a
temporary skin firmer, but modern women may be surprised to learn, they
could very well have used 'skin firmers' containing formaldehyde. We may
gasp in horror over sixteenth century women applying poison to their
faces; yet, Botox injections seem perfectly mundane, and safe, to us.
What were the long-term results of the use of their miracle beauty and
facial products, for the classy Elizabethan lady? Complexions more
rapidly aged, gray, shriveled, and mummified.
When I read of young women still in their twenties, opting for 'beauty
treatments' that require they have their complexions chemically treated,
or otherwise ravaged, I am appalled. I can only wonder at the long-term
effects of such drastic measures. Mature women, obsessed with seeking
some elusive anti-aging/age-reversal miracle, become nothing more than
willing test-subjects for any new facial product/procedure that hits the
market. Often, they have no idea as to the ingredients in the products
they are smearing on their faces. Nor, do they take into consideration
future effects of certain procedures. Perhaps, we modern women should
consider the lessons of the past, and proceed with caution, and common
sense, when choosing our 'beauty' regimens.
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