Populations of Europeans became illiterate serfs.
They worked hard to survive and they owned very little.
As they worked in the hard sun, their skin darkened and their clothing faded.
Your wedding dress was your finest dress and you very likely would have worn it a few times, on special occasions, before you handed it down to your daughter.
The Christian church became the sole guiding light for most folks.
From the 7th Century through to the Renaissance, the Church believed that makeup was "sinful."
Those who do not have to work in the sun remain pale and their clothing, un-tattered. Pale faces and vibrant colors became symbols of wealth.
From the fall of Rome through the Late Renaissance...
In Europe:
-Church declares makeup sinful.
-Paleness is cool.
-Italian women begin wearing lip color.
Later in period
-Women begin bleeding themselves to achieve the treasured paleness.
-Women begin plucking their entire hair line for a luxurious, high forehead.
Paintings of Queen Elizabeth I are perfect examples of period fashion.
-Everyone, regardless of class, is piercing their ears.
In the Middle East:
-Henna is still widely traded
-Makeup is seen as a from of medicine.
-Lip color in stick form is invented.
-Kohl is still widely used.
In Asia:
-Chinese women begin binding their feet.
-Porcelain skin with Vermilion lips and fingernails is all the rage.
-Women begin painting small plum blossoms on their foreheads.
-Women wear their hair long.
-In Japan, porcelain skin, tiny red lips, and dark eyebrows are all the rage.
-Women begin wearing the hair up.
-The Geisha is born between the 17th and 18th Century.
More sweet reading!
www.squidoo.com/body-art-histo…
www.squidoo.com/makeup-history
Part I jzino.deviantart.com/journal/B… - Part III jzino.deviantart.com/journal/B…