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Writer's pictureValeria Crolla
Sep 26, 20205 min read

Research 9/23-9/30: History of makeup, Miss Representation, Beauty Filters, Portrait Photography

Updated: Dec 7, 2020



  • Sims, S. (2010). Cosmetics: Makeup in North America. In P.G. Tortora (Ed.). Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: The United States and Canada. Oxford: Bloomsbury Academic. Retrieved September 26 2020, from http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/BEWDF/EDch3511

  • Jung, J. (2010). Body Concepts in Korea and North Asia. In J.E. Vollmer (Eds.). Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: East Asia (pp. 89–91). Oxford: Berg Publishers. Retrieved September 26 2020, from http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/BEWDF/EDch6016

In order to do create a project around makeup, it's important I understand its history. Two articles that helped me better understand makeup's history are ; Cosmetics: Makeup in North America, and Body Concepts in Korea and North Asia. Makeup has been around since ancient times, worn by men and women for both functional and ceremonial purposes. Since the beginning of the twentieth century however, we saw the rise of the cosmetic industry. Women went from discrete makeup looks that included lightening powders, a bit of rouge, and a rosy lip salve, to bold eye looks, bronzy skin, and limitless lip colors. The twentieth century is important in shaping much of our approach to makeup today. Advertising targeted women, selling makeup as a lifestyle. It has been associated with many themes such as femininity, democratic freedom, and empowerment in the workforce. It put women in control of how they present themselves to the world.


Makeup wasn't always an everyday household product. In the 1800's to 1900's, many believed too much makeup lead to narcissism. An "artificial" looking face look was associated with prostitutes. Yet clear complexions were associated with purity, so many women applied makeup discretely. America's growing fascination with Hollywood as well as development of department stores gradually brought the use of makeup into everyday society. In the later half of the twentieth century, many feminist movements took stands both for and against it. Many believed it was a commercially-propagated beauty standard they did not want to give in to. While others saw it as a form of empowerment, taking control over their appearance. Despite choosing to wear or not wear makeup, the cosmetic industry along with advertising played a significant role in how women shaped opinions of themselves.


Majority of makeup as we know it today is dominated by Western-European ideals of beauty. Pale, smooth, youthful skin is a common beauty standard that matches a small portion of the population.

Within the past decade or so, there seems to be a growing fascination with Korean beauty products. Looking into Korean beauty history, for a large period, Korean beauty was influenced by China, particularly the Confucian principles. Female beauty looked like, "snow-like skin, flower-like face, moon-like style, and willow-like eyebrows" (Jung). However, in the mid twentieth century, there was a shift to more Western dominated style. Eventually, Korea style became about individuality in the twenty-first century rather than conformity. Jaehee Jung notes that their still remains the tradition of paying special care to maintenance of skin and facial beauty that resulted in a successful cosmetic industry for Korea. As I further my research, I would like to understand more about the influence Eastern culture has on the global makeup industry and perceptions of beauty.

 


The media plays a significant role in how we see ourselves. Since my focus is specifically towards visual identity related to women, understanding what influences that is an essential part of my research. When women are portrayed in media, often they are objectified and not taken as serious as a male counterpart. They are portrayed as emotional or "bitchy" and less likely to be given dynamic lead roles in films or TV shows. Often they are hypersexualized and pitted against another woman. They may be criticized for being too feminine, and criticized for not being feminine enough. Their portrayal leads to a lot of uncertainty in terms of self worth.


Representation, in the media of body positivity among women is influential in how we critique our own appearances. Not having enough representation has many side effects such as body dysmorphia and lower self-esteem. Hypersexualizing and objectification of a woman's body can lead many women to believe their value stems from their looks and often discourages them from selecting career paths where they are underrepresented. From a young age, women are exposed to these messages that shape their ideas of who they're supposed to be.

 

We reached a new point in makeup development in which we can digitally do our makeup, without even touching our skin. Social media apps such as Snapchat and Instagram are noted for their beauty filters that alter the face to look like one has a full face of makeup on. In some ways, this is a fun added feature to make you feel a little more confident when you do not have the motivation to do your makeup. However, the problem with many of these filters is they're not just adding makeup, they're changing one's features in unrealistic ways. These filters slim faces, smooth skin, widen eyes, and sometimes whiten skin tones, usually promoting a Euro-centric version of beauty. This can lead to not only unhealthy comparisons between the user and the filter, but the viewer of that filtered image as well.

Image: Women's Health Magazine

Furthermore, in 2016 the brand Shiseido developed an app called Telebeauty, meant to provide a virtual makeup for users in instances such as work video calls. Though many women feel more confident wearing makeup at work, the concept raises concerns of misogyny in the workforce. Why should a women feel she has to present herself in a more physically appealing way to be taken seriously by her coworkers? Often, the identity we present digitally and in real life differ greatly. As I go forward with my research, I would like to understand more about the differences in our online and real world presence and how that relates back to our overall visual identity.

 

  • Kapsidou, E. (2012). Effacing Subjectivity in Contemporary Portrait Photography: The Case of Aziz and Cucher. International Journal of the Image, 2(3), 119–124.

Throughout my thesis, I will be exploring portrait photography to conduct my design project. This medium specifically places focus on the face of an individual. The face is known to be the most expressive feature of our outer body, especially in visual arts. In this article, Kapsidou explains that in visual arts, the face is defined as an indicator of emotions and personality due the expressive qualities it contains. She references a series of portraits by Anthony Aziz and Sammy Cucher. Through their work, they express themes that question previous assumptions of identity and subjectivity. Their photographs include portrait of a face in which all the main features are erased. Aziz and Cucher have created a barrier between the viewer and the inner self of the subject.


This concept questions the idea of subject and object within the face. The face could be a subject in which the eyes and mouth are indicators of emotions, or a subject, in which the eyes are observing the other. Philosophers Felix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze argue the face is neither of the two and does not express meaning. Rather, the face is the carrier of features that make meaning possible. This theory further argues that the face expresses not the emotions and ideas of the self, rather those of the other. It's an interesting concept because it can be argued that our identity is shaped by the relationship between ourselves and others. While Aziz and Cucher took away the ability to understand the subject by removing their facial features, I am curious has to how one might portray those opinions of identity formed by the other, onto the subject of the photographs.

Anthony Aziz and Sammy Cucher, Dystopia, 1994

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