Everyone finds it normal for women to wear makeup, but what about men? Many may be familiar with musicians like David Bowie, Prince, or Robert Smith of The Cure. Loved by women the world over, these men have reopened doors to the world of cosmetics and beauty for men that were re-opened thousands of years ago. While many cultures still don’t fully accept men in makeup, it was actually quite normal in human history. In fact, men had been wearing makeup as early as 4000 BCE starting with the Egyptians.
Although beautiful, wearing makeup in ancient Egypt was not just about beauty. Egyptians, especially upper-class men, used Kohl eyeliner to accentuate their eyes, often in elaborate cat-eye designs. These dramatic designs indicated wealth and status; in fact, pharaohs used extremely luxe eyeliner made from charcoal blended with gold, emeralds, and rubies. The eyeliner even protected them from eye diseases. Recently, researchers have discovered that the lead-based makeup the Egyptians used actually promoted the action of immune cells, since lead is toxic, and thus prevented or even treated eye illnesses.
Egyptians are known for their beautiful green eyeshadow made from malachite, a bright green copper mineral. This eyeshadow was used to evoke the protection of the gods Horus and Ra and ward off harmful illnesses. Now, people may wonder, why green? Green was the color of the Eye of Horus and was believed to have protective properties as a result. Osiris, a well-known Egyptian fertility god, was represented with green skin and symbolized protection. In the Egyptian language, doing ‘green things’ is to behave in a positive, life affirming manner, just as Osiris did.
Interestingly, the Egyptians also pioneered contouring. They often wore mineral powder as a highlighter and applied it with a plank of wood or a bone from the top of their brow line to the tip of their nose. For their lip and cheek stains, they used red ochre which brought attention and was used as an indicator of social status. At this point, it should be clear that Egyptian men, especially the wealthy ones, spent a lot of time in front of the mirror!
Moving a couple thousand years into the future, men’s makeup was also popular in 18th century France. Both French men and women used white lead powder until the 1770s, despite its dangers, as it often caused lead poisoning and resulting blemishes. This meant that people had to use even more of the powder to conceal them. Most were happy to do this, though, because having a white face set them apart from lower class manual laborers, whose faces would’ve been pretty tanned from the sun. Patches, which were made from black fabric or leather and in shapes such as circles, stars, or hearts, were another popular makeup product during the reign of Louis the XIV. These patches were used to hide scars or scabs caused by lead poisoning from the powder.
One of the most unique features of the face French men made up were their eyebrows. They were plucked thin and in a high arching shape. A false eyebrow could be painted on, too, or a false set made of mouse skin could be attached. Just like the face of a china doll, French
men applied big dot circles of rouge on the cheeks, applying them with a pad of wool. Just like the Egyptians, French men also painted their lips, but the paint was instead made of animal fat and red coloring from beetroots.
Ever since King Louis XVI, who partook in the extravagance of makeup and hair products, went bald at the age of 23, the obsession with wigs in France began. Hair powdering and wigs were first introduced in 1795, during the French Revolution. French people would powder their wigs white and even scented their wig powder with orange and lavender scents. Sadly, after the 18th century, it became less and less acceptable for men to wear makeup – until the advent of later 20th century music.
In the ‘70s and the ‘80s, makeup was primarily worn by fringe groups such as artists and rock ‘n’ rollers. Up until this point, gender roles and their associated dress were pretty strict, but these rules loosened as hippies in the 1960s questioned everything of the previous generations and as women in the 1970s began a liberation movement. In the wake of such changes, men’s looks also changed. They moved away from the suit, tie, and hat to giant collars, flamboyant and patterned shirts, and curled hair. So it makes perfect sense that they would start taking notice of their plain faces. Men during these decades confidently wore glitter, nail polish, heavy eyeliner, and even lipstick. Unlike previous civilizations, the use of cosmetics wasn’t ritualistic, but it was a sign that let people know a man wasn’t mainstream. While it was acceptable for men who wore black, sported a Mohawk, or stuffed himself into Spandex to wear makeup, it wasn’t the norm for most and ultimately wasn’t accepted outside of subcultures.
Today, we see more and more men fighting back against the status quo, and looking different is more acceptable than ever before. However, our society still has a long way to go before everyone is accepted no matter how they choose to beautify themselves.
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