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Seeking
Ideal Beauty
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by: Jeannine
Schenewerk
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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.
Author-Jeannine Schenewerk
http://www.intouchwithjeannine.com
About the Author
Jeannine Schenewerk is a freelance writer
residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Her recent article,
'Self Image and the Mature Woman', has been
published on numerous sites. She maintains an
informative, inspirational, website, 'In Touch
With Jeannine', for mature women.
http://www.intouchwithjeannine.com
intouchwithjeannine@yahoo.com
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