From Shadows to Spotlight: How marginalised workers shaped beauty trends forever
Makeup artists are no strangers to the odd request, "Please don't make me look like I'm walking the streets..." But the irony here is: it's those very women of the night who've been strutting at the forefront of beauty trends for eons. That's right, sex workers have been serving looks long before beauty gurus were a thing.
In Ancient Egypt, Khol (the OG smokey eye if you will) and tattoos graced the figures of entertainers, hinting at the origins of makeup and body adornments with those who sought to captivate and seduce.
Red lipstick was considered a sign of wealth until Ancient Greek sex workers snagged it, blurring social and class lines so hard that they actually sparked the first known makeup legislation, with laws that dictated when and how they could appear in public.
The Renaissance brought us courtesans, (the VIPs of the sex worker world) who loved a cheeky lead-based powder look, a fashion statement that the elite couldn’t help but copy. In 16th Century England Queen Elizabeth took the red lip look and made it chic, proving that if you're high enough on the social ladder, you can turn scandal into sophistication.
England's patriarchal paranoia peaked in the 1700s with laws that could annul marriages if brides wore lipstick, literally equating seduction with witchcraft. When was the last time complaints about being 'deceived by makeup’ were in the public discourse? History just keeps on repeating itself.
By the 19th century silent film stars, many with histories in sex work, needed striking makeup for the silver screen, leading to the mainstream adoption of dark eyeliner and defined brows. At the same time, sex workers were challenging the period's conservative beauty norms with their vivid makeup and daring hairstyles, laying the groundwork for a forthcoming revolution in cosmetics.
When the likes of royalty and fashion houses start borrowing from the true trendsetters on society's fringes, they give those looks a whole new spin. We see it today, celebs and influencers fishing for styles in the subculture pond catapulting looks into the spotlight…Does this mean we’re leaving the true visionaries out of the narrative and leaving them in the dark?
From the ancient art of allure to today's Insta baddie looks, their legacy is woven into the fabric of cosmetic history, whether or not it resides in the collective consciousness. So, let's not forget to shine that light on the true pioneers in every instance. Innovation often arises from the shadows and in the realm of beauty trends, the narrative remains incomplete without a standing ovation to the ultimate trendsetters, glamazons and baddies: sex workers.