Cosmetics: How A Little Lipstick Changed Women's Lives
As Kathy Peiss so cleverly states, “Once marking the prostitute and the aristocratic lady as symbols of rampant and materialistic excess, cosmetics became understood as respectable and necessary for women’s success and fulfillment.” Even though enhancing your face dates back to the ages of Cleopatra, in the United States, face painting was seen as a practice only done by prostitutes or loose women. It is because of the 1920s, and the evolution of the New Woman that cosmetics became widely accepted, and became a symbol of femininity.
The flapper was the modern woman of the 1920s; she was new and unanticipated. She stood for political and social agency, and even had a more vivacious and flirty attitude. When the hemlines went up, and the sleeves were torn off, the flapper commercialized the use of cosmetics to accentuate a woman’s natural beauty. Woman’s ability to vote, enter the work force, and attend higher education instilled the need to feel and look presentable for their employees and employers. Cosmetics became desirable items, and companies started mass-producing advertisements for said cosmetics.
During the 20th century, the average cosmetics in existence that were worn were not extensive. Cream rouge, now more popularly known as blush, was made in a bright red color, that would give the women a sheer wash of color, looking almost as though they had just been on a brisk walk. Lipstick was the most widespread item, which came in few colors, true red, pale pink, and a dark burgundy, having more than one color gave women a variety, and allowed for the “shopper’s urge” to take place when new shades would be introduced. Rub on eyeshadow was necessary item, and came in bright shades such as turquoise and violet. The most interesting innovation of the time was brush on mascara. The mascara during the 1920s was made virtually out of tar, and would come in a small pot to be brushed on with a small comb, it was very difficult to remove, but it was an essential step in completing the look. Lastly, to finish off the face was powder, made of talc or rice powder, and would give women a porcelain look to their face that they so deeply desired. Today, powder comes in every woman’s shade, but was formerly produced in a single snowy shade.
With the newly multi-million dollar cosmetic industry came the mass production of advertisements. The advertisements and marketing teams would target women’s social constructs, and their roles in their communities, which makes women feel as though the advertisement was made specifically for them. Cosmetics, skincare, creams, and soaps were advertised in newspapers, department store catalogues, and magazines directed at women. However, there were marketing strategies to target “class”, “mass”, and “ethnic” markets.
“The class market represents high-priced cosmetic lines, both domestic and imported, whose aura is one of exclusivity and social status.” (Peiss, 1990) Much like today, these high-end products were sold in department stores, and exclusive salons for wealthy, upper and middle class women to purchase. Mass-market items were items sold in drugstores or supermarkets that were made available to lower class women who wanted to achieve the same looks as the upper class women. The mass market would also attempt to target teenage girls who are starting off wearing make-up. Lastly, the ethnic market was aimed at the African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and other women of color in the United States.
The ethnic market was a difficult market, because these women of color had different ideals to what was social acceptable in the form of cosmetics. Though it was seen as a rite of passage to begin to wear make-up, they were not quick to accept this new practice. Whatever the market, the beauty industry tried to target cosmetics as a sign of femininity and a woman’s identity, which surpassed class and race.
The use of cosmetics is significantly relevant to women in history, because it has always been seen as a form of self-expression, and self-confidence. Though it was seen as a social expectancy of women in the 1950s to look beautiful and proper for their husbands, cosmetics was something they enjoyed conversing, and purchasing in department stores. Women during World War II were also portrayed in propaganda as been burly and hard-working, but still having a well made face with a tube of red lipstick in her riveter’s blouse. Advertising and propaganda have always portrayed and targeted beauty in an attainable, materialistic way. “If you purchase our lipstick, your husband will take you on vacation.” Or “If you use this new cream, you’ll look young forever!”
There were several generational differences between the youth of the 1920s, and their mothers and grandmothers. Older generations were not as convinced by advertisements as their daughters were, but that does not mean that they did not eventually partake in the trend. Their hesitation was not misplaced. As indicated by Lindsey Steele, “… some women developed calluses, sores, and in extreme cases blindness, from their mascara and eyeshadow… Women had severe reactions to cosmetics, and in some cases women even died because of the hazardous ingredients manufacturers used in their cosmetics, such as lead and thallium acetate, an ingredient found in rat poisoning that can poison the nervous system of humans.” Ironically, and within reason, none of these experiences were advertised, so the cosmetic companies continued to mass-produce their products, and women continued to purchase them without being knowledgeable in the contents of their splendor.
The cosmetic industry to this day continues to be a multi-million dollar venture; one that most women are fixated with. George Klotz, the President of the French House of Pinaud affirmed, “The transformation of the American woman from the sturdy pioneer into a distinguished sophisticated personality, sparked from a growing interest in cosmetics.” This statement is valid in many levels, because cosmetics gave a woman agency over her life. She became an independent entity that could make her own decisions, go to university, vote for her country, and work beside the men. Make up allowed her to feel professional, and made up. Today cosmetics are used as a form of artistic expression, and can even signify your daily mood. A bright lip can enhance happiness on a gloomy day, and a smoky eye can create a sultry look on a night out.
There are still unspoken expectations of women when it comes to cosmetics, that they are not allowed to wear too much because they can channel the “loose woman” of the 1920s, and it is seen as unprofessional in business jobs. However, if she does not wear enough, her husband might think she is not trying enough to look beautiful for him. In some industries, cosmetics are an essential focus, such as the fashion industry, film industry, and stage acting. Make-up is an insignificant, materialistic item, yet it contains years of history and beliefs of the feminine woman.
Make-up is to this day seen as a rite of passage, though onset is earlier than it was during the time of the flapper. Little girls look up to their mothers, and even older sisters, to replicate their motions. Five or six year old girls walk around their houses with their mother’s lipstick on as though auditioning for a clown contest. The ability to freely experiment with cosmetics in this way, is what makes them an ongoing industry that will never go out of business, because it allows women to be who they are, whether it be feminine, professional, or a clown.
The flapper was the modern woman of the 1920s; she was new and unanticipated. She stood for political and social agency, and even had a more vivacious and flirty attitude. When the hemlines went up, and the sleeves were torn off, the flapper commercialized the use of cosmetics to accentuate a woman’s natural beauty. Woman’s ability to vote, enter the work force, and attend higher education instilled the need to feel and look presentable for their employees and employers. Cosmetics became desirable items, and companies started mass-producing advertisements for said cosmetics.
During the 20th century, the average cosmetics in existence that were worn were not extensive. Cream rouge, now more popularly known as blush, was made in a bright red color, that would give the women a sheer wash of color, looking almost as though they had just been on a brisk walk. Lipstick was the most widespread item, which came in few colors, true red, pale pink, and a dark burgundy, having more than one color gave women a variety, and allowed for the “shopper’s urge” to take place when new shades would be introduced. Rub on eyeshadow was necessary item, and came in bright shades such as turquoise and violet. The most interesting innovation of the time was brush on mascara. The mascara during the 1920s was made virtually out of tar, and would come in a small pot to be brushed on with a small comb, it was very difficult to remove, but it was an essential step in completing the look. Lastly, to finish off the face was powder, made of talc or rice powder, and would give women a porcelain look to their face that they so deeply desired. Today, powder comes in every woman’s shade, but was formerly produced in a single snowy shade.
With the newly multi-million dollar cosmetic industry came the mass production of advertisements. The advertisements and marketing teams would target women’s social constructs, and their roles in their communities, which makes women feel as though the advertisement was made specifically for them. Cosmetics, skincare, creams, and soaps were advertised in newspapers, department store catalogues, and magazines directed at women. However, there were marketing strategies to target “class”, “mass”, and “ethnic” markets.
“The class market represents high-priced cosmetic lines, both domestic and imported, whose aura is one of exclusivity and social status.” (Peiss, 1990) Much like today, these high-end products were sold in department stores, and exclusive salons for wealthy, upper and middle class women to purchase. Mass-market items were items sold in drugstores or supermarkets that were made available to lower class women who wanted to achieve the same looks as the upper class women. The mass market would also attempt to target teenage girls who are starting off wearing make-up. Lastly, the ethnic market was aimed at the African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and other women of color in the United States.
The ethnic market was a difficult market, because these women of color had different ideals to what was social acceptable in the form of cosmetics. Though it was seen as a rite of passage to begin to wear make-up, they were not quick to accept this new practice. Whatever the market, the beauty industry tried to target cosmetics as a sign of femininity and a woman’s identity, which surpassed class and race.
The use of cosmetics is significantly relevant to women in history, because it has always been seen as a form of self-expression, and self-confidence. Though it was seen as a social expectancy of women in the 1950s to look beautiful and proper for their husbands, cosmetics was something they enjoyed conversing, and purchasing in department stores. Women during World War II were also portrayed in propaganda as been burly and hard-working, but still having a well made face with a tube of red lipstick in her riveter’s blouse. Advertising and propaganda have always portrayed and targeted beauty in an attainable, materialistic way. “If you purchase our lipstick, your husband will take you on vacation.” Or “If you use this new cream, you’ll look young forever!”
There were several generational differences between the youth of the 1920s, and their mothers and grandmothers. Older generations were not as convinced by advertisements as their daughters were, but that does not mean that they did not eventually partake in the trend. Their hesitation was not misplaced. As indicated by Lindsey Steele, “… some women developed calluses, sores, and in extreme cases blindness, from their mascara and eyeshadow… Women had severe reactions to cosmetics, and in some cases women even died because of the hazardous ingredients manufacturers used in their cosmetics, such as lead and thallium acetate, an ingredient found in rat poisoning that can poison the nervous system of humans.” Ironically, and within reason, none of these experiences were advertised, so the cosmetic companies continued to mass-produce their products, and women continued to purchase them without being knowledgeable in the contents of their splendor.
The cosmetic industry to this day continues to be a multi-million dollar venture; one that most women are fixated with. George Klotz, the President of the French House of Pinaud affirmed, “The transformation of the American woman from the sturdy pioneer into a distinguished sophisticated personality, sparked from a growing interest in cosmetics.” This statement is valid in many levels, because cosmetics gave a woman agency over her life. She became an independent entity that could make her own decisions, go to university, vote for her country, and work beside the men. Make up allowed her to feel professional, and made up. Today cosmetics are used as a form of artistic expression, and can even signify your daily mood. A bright lip can enhance happiness on a gloomy day, and a smoky eye can create a sultry look on a night out.
There are still unspoken expectations of women when it comes to cosmetics, that they are not allowed to wear too much because they can channel the “loose woman” of the 1920s, and it is seen as unprofessional in business jobs. However, if she does not wear enough, her husband might think she is not trying enough to look beautiful for him. In some industries, cosmetics are an essential focus, such as the fashion industry, film industry, and stage acting. Make-up is an insignificant, materialistic item, yet it contains years of history and beliefs of the feminine woman.
Make-up is to this day seen as a rite of passage, though onset is earlier than it was during the time of the flapper. Little girls look up to their mothers, and even older sisters, to replicate their motions. Five or six year old girls walk around their houses with their mother’s lipstick on as though auditioning for a clown contest. The ability to freely experiment with cosmetics in this way, is what makes them an ongoing industry that will never go out of business, because it allows women to be who they are, whether it be feminine, professional, or a clown.
Primary Source Document: The Camay Mild Soap Diet
This is also a common advertisement for skincare, and common in the way that it would tell women the best way to live their lives, and essentially tell young, single women what it was they wanted. Much like the other advertisements from this era, the use of cosmetics was more than to simply enhance one's looks, it meant getting the guy, or winning the prize. This specific advertisement is for a Camay facial cleansing bar. The top box says, "Lady, if you'd love to be lovely, look to your complexion. A soft, clear skin is beauty's first essential. Yes, and you can have a softer, smoother skin with just one cake of Camay... if you'll forego careless cleansing... go on the Camay Mild Soap Diet! Just follow directions on the Camay wrapper. Camay - so mild it cleanses without irritation - can give your skin a thrillingly softer look!" This also appears to be an engagement post in the newspaper stating, "Meet the Baudos: Kay met Joe, a doctor, at a hospital dance. This was it! Kay is tall, dark, and stunning - one of the most interesting looking girls you ever saw! The site is chose for the Baudos' home on Long Island. They'll build soon. And in the meantime, Kay stays on the Camay Mild Soap Diet. Let it help you too!" Showing the Baudos' as the perfect American Dream couple, and insinuating that it is because of the Camay soap that Kay was able to achieve said dream.
"Isn't that the problem? That women have been swindled for centuries into substituting adornment for love, fashion (as it were) for passion?... All the cosmetics names seemed obscenely obvious to me in their promises of sexual bliss. They were all firming or uplifting or invigorating. They made you tingle. Or glow. Or feel young. They were prepared with hormones or placentas or royal jelly. All the juice and joy missing in the lives of these women were to be supplied by the contents of jars and bottles. No wonder they would spend twenty dollars for an ounce of face makeup or thirty for a half-ounce of hormone cream. What price bliss? What price sexual ecstasy?"
- Erica Jong, American poet and fiction writer born 1942 in New York City, New York
Multimedia Gallery: Cosmetic Advertisements from the 1920s and 1950s
This image shows the color palette of cosmetics in the 1920s, when cosmetics first started to be mass-produced. For face powder, the colors were cream, ivory, and peach. There were no colors for darker complexions, because it was the impression of the cosmetic companies that everyone wanted to have beautiful pale skin. For rouge, or blush, the colors were rose and raspberry, colors that showed a woman's natural flush. For eyeshadows, the colors were royal blue, green, and turquoise, to enhance natural eye colors, and add vibrancy to them. For pencil, or eyeliner, it was basic black and brown, no exciting colors yet. And lastly, for lipstick, the color variations were dark rose, dark red, soft red, and orange, all of which were to make a woman's lips more voluptuous and desirable.
This small interview was conducted to Dorothy Gray, a very significant woman in the time of the 1920s "Cosmetic Revolution". She owned one of the most popular cosmetic companies at the time. Here she is stating her advancement in advertising with the Vogue magazine, a part of the Condé Nast Group, a major magazine conglomerate now owning 20 magazines, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Brides, Self, GQ, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, Epicurious, Wired, W, Lucky, Golf Digest, Golf World, Teen Vogue, and Ars Technica. This interview shows just how valuable cosmetics were, going from quarter page advertisements to entire pages, the supply and demand of these ads were in an upward spiral.
This is an advertisement from the 1920s for a new lipstick from the brand Irresistible (no longer existent). The product an Irresistible Lip Lure is a new "glowing and vibrant" lipstick formula. The advertisement states, "There are women who invite Romance as naturally as flowers invite the enjoyment of their perfume. You envy them, perhaps. For you, too, want Romance. But do you invite it? Do your lips lure? Your thin, your your, your very fragrance... do these invite caresses? Buy IRRESISTIBLE PERFUME if you want to be Irresistible. Be fragrant if you want to be pursued. Men adore fragrant hair, fragrant lips, and soft fragrant skin. The satin-smoothness of Irresistible Face Powder, the soft blush of Irresistible Rouge, the seductive coloring and creamy indelibility of Irresistible Lip Lure... these sparkling, electric, ready to conquer the world and the man! To be completely ravishing use all Irresistible Beauty Aids. Ceritified pure, laboratory tested and approved." $.10 of leading 5 and $.10 stores
This advertisement from the 1950s from the cosmetic company Maybelline very bluntly expresses that if you use their products, you will enhance your face and look more beautiful. Whereas, if you do not wear these cosmetic products, they enhance the negative features of the actress' face.The use of echoing in the intro of the video is a far less subconscious take on product branding than in today's society.
Bibliography
Bjork, Angela, and Daniela Turudich. Vintage Face: Period Looks from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, & 1950s. Long Beach, Calif: Streamline Press, 2001. Print.
De, Castelbajac K, Nan Richardson, and Catherine Chermayeff. The Face of the Century: 100 Years of Makeup and Style. New York: Rizzoli, 1995. Print.
Hernandez, Gabriela. Classic Beauty: The History of Make-Up. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub, 2011. Print.
Marsh, Medeleine. Compacts and Cosmetics: Beauty from Victorian Times to the Present Day. Havertown: Remember When, 2009. Internet resource.
Peiss, Kathy. "Making Faces: The Cosmetics Industry and the Cultural Construction of Gender, 1890-1930." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.neiu.edu/~circill/johnson/hist392/beautybod.pdf>.
Steele, Lindsey N. "The Cosmetics Revolution: A Change in the Attitudes and Values in the American Woman." Urpasheville.org. Salisbury University, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. <http://urpasheville.org/proceedings/ncur2011/papers/NP50499.pdf>.
De, Castelbajac K, Nan Richardson, and Catherine Chermayeff. The Face of the Century: 100 Years of Makeup and Style. New York: Rizzoli, 1995. Print.
Hernandez, Gabriela. Classic Beauty: The History of Make-Up. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub, 2011. Print.
Marsh, Medeleine. Compacts and Cosmetics: Beauty from Victorian Times to the Present Day. Havertown: Remember When, 2009. Internet resource.
Peiss, Kathy. "Making Faces: The Cosmetics Industry and the Cultural Construction of Gender, 1890-1930." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.neiu.edu/~circill/johnson/hist392/beautybod.pdf>.
Steele, Lindsey N. "The Cosmetics Revolution: A Change in the Attitudes and Values in the American Woman." Urpasheville.org. Salisbury University, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. <http://urpasheville.org/proceedings/ncur2011/papers/NP50499.pdf>.