Mona Lisa is one of Leonardo DaVinci’s greatest works of art. Have you ever wondered, “Where are her eyebrows?” “Did he forget them?”
Well, DaVinci did not forget anything. In fact, brow less foreheads were considered a sign of beauty. Women would tweeze their eyebrows and hairlines to show an expansion of their forehead. They did this to look more intelligent, because it would make their forehead look larger and therefore seem like they had a larger brain. Women would then pumice the tweezed area to make it smooth. Now, I think it is great that they thought knowledge equaled beauty, but I am glad that this beauty trend did not stick around. They say beauty is pain, and in this case that is very true.
Women in the Renaissance Era would also make powder out of white lead, mercury and vermilion to use on their faces. This gave women a paler look, which was a sign of beauty and wealth. If your skin was not pale, that meant you had to work out in the sun, and you were not wealthy. So women with naturally darker completions would use this white lead and mercury mixture to give the allusion of a paler complexion. This beauty ritual went on into the Victorain Age. Pale skin was the ideal image for many centuries. Some women would even paint blue lines on their skin to look like veins.
It is amazing how different it is today. Many men and women tan to have a dark complexion, which is now ideal. Now thicker brows are the new trend, completely opposite of women in the Renaissance. This is just one prime example of how the idea of beauty is constantly changing. I am sure that if people from the Renaissance could see us now, they would think we were crazy. Of course, that is what we think of other era’s as well.
Would you ever tweeze your brows off to look smarter? What other beauty trends are you glad phased out?
