The evolution of the role of women in society over time has marked the transformation of aesthetic canons. If we review some historical constants regarding women, we always see a desire to present skin that is as white as possible, intensely painted lips, and preferably blonde hair.
AESTHETIC CANONS
The type of woman is fine, stylized, similar to the current one. She takes care of the whiteness of her complexion, draws her eyebrows with a brush, and lightly paints her lips. But above all the eye makeup, which has a double intention. On the one hand medical, as protection against ophthalmias (eye diseases) so common in Egypt, and on the other hand, to highlight its beauty.
Throughout history there are two trends in relation to the use of perfumes: the perfume after body hygiene (Egypt and Rome), and the one that replaces grooming (17th and 18th centuries).
ROMAN COSMETICS
Roman women seek to present white skin on their face and neck, and to do so they use baths, including donkey milk, such as Pópea. To highlight the eyes, the eyelids are painted black. It is worth highlighting a fragment of the “Treaty on beauty products for women's use, the first preserved text on women's cosmetics.”
MEDIEVAL CONTRASTS
The Middle Ages gives us, first, the Arab predominance where the woman takes care of a slender figure, and on the face, due to the use of the veil, the care of the eyes stands out. There is data on aesthetic days that were held every fifteen days in harems, they began with sweating techniques, massages and specialized care for the face. In the Christian Middle Ages the ideal continued to be white, fine skin. Dyes are used to keep hair blonde.
The Renaissance brings a new approach, with the discoveries of new lands come new products for medical and aesthetic use. The first books on beauty products produced by doctors and scholars emerge.
The Baroque is a continuity and exaggeration by the tastes of the Renaissance.
In the 19th century, dark skin was preferred, and around 1900, a thick, robust woman who radiated health appeared until the beginning of the 20th century.
Coco Chanel in the 20th century designed a new type of woman: free, thin, tanned by the sun, sporty and with makeup on her face.
From the point of view doctor, mention that specific care to maintain beauty and correct aesthetic problems has been increasing in complexity. Less than a century has passed since the application of treatments that can only be applied under one direction
