Previously, a tan had been equated with working-class women who performed outdoor labor now a tan identified a woman as modern and healthy, participating in outdoor recreations and leisure. ![]() In the late 1920s and 1930s, it became fashionable for white women to sport the appearance of a “healthy” tan. African American identity, however, was explicitly excluded from this ethnic mingling. White women could experiment with a trendy, exotic identity – and then wash it off. “Exotic” or “alluring” ethnic stereotypes became inspirations for make-up fashions that ostensibly reflected the American melting pot. The growing ethnic diversity of the United States also influenced how cosmetics companies marketed their products. “Painted” women could now also identify as respectable women, even as they wore dramatic mascara, eyeliner, dusky eyeshadow, and lipstick like the stars of the screen. This shift reflected the growing influence of Hollywood and its glamourous new film stars, as well as the fashion of theater stars and flappers. Jergen's Face Powder in Pink Frosting Shadeīy the 1920s, it was fashionable for women, particularly in cities, to wear more conspicuous make-up. Walker created enough of a demand through other distribution channels.Įlizabeth Arden continued to have "systems" of cosmetics. Many white shop owners refused to consider stocking African American beauty products until successful businesses like that of Madam C. African American women also found success through this model, but faced extra obstacles. Florence Nightingale Graham, for example, was the daughter of tenant farmers, and worked many low-paying jobs before opening a beauty shop for elite clients and reinventing herself as Elizabeth Arden. Most of these entrepreneurs came from fairly humble origins, and some managed to transform their local operations into successful businesses with a wide distribution of their products. Women could make a living in the burgeoning cosmetics trade as business owners, agents, or factory workers. Also, more women were earning wages and buying cosmetics, thereby enlarging the market further. This business model allowed many women to make money independently. Some of these new companies were small, woman-owned businesses that typically used an agent system for distribution as pioneered by the California Perfume Company, later rebranded as Avon. In the 1880s, entrepreneurs began to produce their own lines of cosmetic products that promised to provide a “natural” look for their customers. Woman worked to attain the era’s ideal feminine identity a “natural” and demure woman with a pale-complexion, rosy lips and cheeks, and bright eyes. Painting one’s face was considered vulgar and was associated with prostitution, so any product used needed to appear “natural.” Some women secretly stained their lips and cheeks with pigments from petals or berries, or used ashes to darken eyebrows and eyelashes. Druggists sold ingredients for these recipes, as well as the occasional ready-made preparation. ![]() Instead, women relied on recipes that circulated among friends, family, and women’s magazines using these recipes, they discreetly prepared lotions, powders, and skin washes to lighten their complexions and diminish the appearance of blemishes or freckles. For most of the nineteenth century few paint cosmetics were manufactured in America. But, shortly after the American Revolution the use of visible “paint” cosmetics (colored cosmetic for lips, skin, eyes, and nails) by either gender gradually became socially unacceptable. In eighteenth century America, both men and women of the upper classes wore make-up. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution To skip the text and go directly to the objects, CLICK HEREĪ shop window advertising sign depicting a pale-complected, red-lipped beauty idealized at the start of the 20th century. ![]() The text below provides some historical context and shows how we can use these products to explore aspects of American history, for example, the links between changes in American feminine identity and the American beauty industry. This section includes products such as rouges and lipsticks. Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art.
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