Victorian beauty ideals

Victorian beauty ideals

Prior to queen Victoria, Rouge was extremely popular and was available in small portable pots.

When Queen V became queen, attitudes towards make up shifted again. She declared that make up was vulgar and a complete pale complexion was now the saught after look. If women did want a rosy glow, they were to pinch their cheeks and bite their lips to create a naturally flushed look. This is because pale and unmade up skin was considered to be ladylike, whereas a woman who wore any make up at all was seen to be ‘a woman of low morals’ ( prostitute). Victorian beauty included a ‘peaches and cream complexion’, ‘cherry ripe lips’ and ‘soft fluttering lashes’. However, they were expected to be a natural gift, rather than achieved through cosmetics. A naturally clear and healthy complexion was extremely important, it was an indication of youth, wellbeing and social status.

Lola Montez was a famous beauty of the time. She took it upon herself to stear women away from the use of artificial make up. In her book ‘The arts of beauty’ included lots of beauty tips and recipes- many of which were skin whitening. The book was made up of natural remedies as Montez was against the use of chalks or anything that may be harmful to the skin or your health. Even though Montez was backed by a lage percentage of the population, it didn’t last for long. Artificial skin whiteners and rouge became very popular and this was a change welcomed by women of all classes.

As beauty was very simple during the Victorian era, fashion was very important. One of the most important features was squeezing in the waist with steel and whalebone. Women were so desperate for a tiny waist that these corsets would actually crush their ribs and damage internal organs. To help create the illusion of a tiny waist, women would wear huge skirts mde with metal hoops and filled out with layers of petticoats.

These big skirts were actually quite dangerous, there were numerous horror stories of women getting caught in machinery and fire places, resulting in injury and even death.