Beauty ideals in the Victorian Era

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Makeup and cosmetics were not widely used during the Victorian era, and were in fact rather frowned upon, especially among the upper classes. Victorians believed that a clean, fresh face was the epitome of beauty, and the only women that did wear makeup were actresses and prostitutes.

 If the upper classes were to wear makeup, it would be pale and unnoticeable. Eyeshadows would be made of lead and antimony sulfide, lipsticks of mercuric sulfide and the juice of beetroots could be used to rouge the cheeks subtly. There was a huge stigma towards attempting to model yourself upon the 'ideal victorian woman', and so women effectively had to live with what they were given. Despite this, women secretly wanted to be able to use cosmetics and enhance their features, but behind the curtain of society so that their fellow upper class women would not gossip or judge, even though it was rather commonplace. If cosmetics were sold, they would usually be sent via the post from factories that were creating cosmetics that they had not tested and so had no idea of the after effects, and even still used poisonous chemicals such as mercury, white lead, arsenic and prussic acid. Moreover, they used 'Pearl Powder' which had a yellowing and leathering effect on the skin, and would react with gas lighting and coal fires thus turning black on the face. Fabrics and clothing were considered more important than the skin.


However, there were people that attempted to prey upon the aesthetic angsts of these women, such as a famous con artist named 'Madame Rachel'. She successfully created a business based upon clever marketing and mediocre products that were very popular among upper class women. She would essentially create products that were the same as what was on the market, but then package and sell them in a way that attracted women, for example her 'Jordan Water' that did not come from Jerusalem at all, but rather just England. She was able to sell products and her services for extortionate prices, such as 'enamelling' which was a process of lathering the skin in a combination of white lead and arsenic to fill in wrinkles, for an excruciating equivalent of £1400 in today's currency. She had a wealth of clients that would enter her carriage for their appointment, and then cover themselves in fear of being seen having a consolation. This shows that despite the stigma about cosmetics and vanity during the Victorian era, women did indeed want to indulge in these products in order to look aesthetically pleasing, and so would conduct their missions to look beautiful via cosmetics in the shadows.

References

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-1305730/The-ugly-face-Victorian-beauty-BEAUTIFUL-FOR-EVER-BY-HELEN-RAPPAPORT.html
• http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/
• Downing, S.J., 2012. Beauty and Cosmetics, 1550-1995. United Kingdom: Shire Publications Ltd.
• Rustenholz, A., 2003. Make Up, United Kingdom: Hachette Illustrated UK.