The research of Erin Griffey and Victoria Munn was intensely interesting, illuminating an area of the public imagination surrounding beauty culture and makeup. It begged the question, how far back does this go? Do humans have an innate inclination to temporarily alter their appearance? In my curiosity, I was led to the ancient Egyptians.
It is believed that the first instance of the use of prototype cosmetics was by both men and women Egyptians a couple of thousand years BC. The Egyptians had a particular affinity for dark eye makeup, and similar to the individuals in Griffey and Munn’s research, had specific recipes to make their cosmetics.
In an interesting paper detailing Eygptian eye makeup, two different forms are outlined; Udju and Mesdemet. Udju was made from green ore of copper, mined in Sinai, a place under the spiritual dominion of the goddess of beauty ‘Hathor”. Mesdemet was made from a dark grey ore of lead brought back from expeditions.
It is clear to see that beautification has long been a fascination of humankind, holding much spiritual and social power. There is almost a fetish-like obsession with the careful crafting of cosmetics, which persists today. It would be interesting to see more research linking beautification to spiritual beliefs and practices.
References
Illes, J. (2000). Ancient Egyptian Eye Makeup. Egypt Travel Guide–Tour Egypt. http://www. touregypt. net/magazine/mag09012000/mag4. htm (accessed May 11, 2020).
