Aesthetic endeavours

FREYA GOWRLEY is impressed by a detailed, thought-provoking work exploring the methods and social context of women's attempts to achieve ‘beauty’

In 2016, a pernicious meme emerged on social media, encouraging men to take a prospective girlfriend “swimming on the first date”. The implication was that the woman's make-up would be washed off, revealing her beauty – or lack thereof. Secure in the knowledge that he was not being deceived, the man could continue to date that woman free from doubt about her ‘true’ looks. It was no coincidence that this rhetorical device emerged at a time when a ‘full beat’ (a term borrowed from drag parlance) was popular. Spearheaded by social media and beauty YouTubers, this developed into a look characterised by the application of heavy make-up, with contoured cheeks, perfectly lined matte lips and copious winged eyeliner topped with a spray of false eyelashes. Though, like all make-up trends, the…

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Bbc History (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2024

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