Since the 19th century, the modern cosmetics industry has drawn on classical images and references to create a perception of idealized beauty as a way of advertising its products. Using visual, literary, documentary and archaeological evidence, the contributors offer a series of different case studies to showcase how antiquity has been used in the advertising and marketing of cosmetic products ranging from makeup to menstrual products, perfume and skin cream.
Beginning with the interaction between cosmetic advertising, Hollywood films and the notion of ancient knowledge as a political propaganda tool, the contributors then move on to discuss the prominence of certain ancient figures – divine or human – in the modern cosmetics industry. Figures such as Venus, Cleopatra and Selene demonstrate how the industry has used the ancient world to promote various, often toxic, standards such as whiteness or exoticism (which are not mutually exclusive), thinness, femininity, masculinity and youth. The final sections of the book then take a deep dive into particular cosmetic types. Internal illustrations bring this book to life, and readers can also find the accompanying online exhibition at https://makeupmuseum.org/im-your-venus/.
