A woman with a high forehead was considered beautiful during the Elizabethan era, and upperclass Elizabethan women plucked or shaved their frontal hairs to achieve this look.  These women also covered their skin with lead based makeup which caused many deformities from chronic eye problems to disfiguring scarring which in turn required a greater application of the lead based makeup.

The wealthy used belladonna eyedrops to dilate their pupils which gave them that doe-like appearance but the risk was great. In the court of Louis XVI, noblewomen drew blue veins onto their necks and shoulders to emphasize their exalted status.

Ladies in this century were more discreet and despite a gradual acceptance of makeup it was still not considered nice to admit to its use.  These women liked to preserve the myth of being naturally beautiful much like some of today’s Hollywood’s film stars who will not admit to cosmetic surgery.

As we look through history we can see the comparisons with the status of women in all classes.  The quest for beauty continues at whatever costs.

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