During WWII, both Britain and America campaigned to
women with this slogan.
Beauty Is Your Duty
Posters,
newsreels, newspapers proclaimed this mantra in Allied Countries. Hitler hated
red lipstick, so what did the Allies do? They launched campaigns to encourage
us gals to wear it!
Red lipstick became the symbol of patriotic freedom.
When red lipstick wasn’t available, women stained their lips with beet juice!
The WWII propaganda encouraged ladies to keep up a
glamourous appearance. Maintaining a positive morale was important to everyone
during the war front. When the public spotted a woman looking her best, the
image reinforced the idea that good times would return.
Women were told they were doing their part to win the
war by looking their best.
My mom and aunts wore red lipstick and looked glamorous
during those days. They were slim and had gorgeous figures. Of course, back in
the WWII era, food was rationed, and very little overeating was done. That
helped their waistlines!
Makeup has changed over the years. As a child, I
watched my fashionable aunt apply cosmetics. She sat at her dressing table and
applied base, rouge (as she called it), mascara and lipstick.
The foundation for the face was from a swivel stick Max
Factor. She would roll it out, and then smooth it over her face and neck.
Cream rouge came next. This cherry
red stuff came in a petite jar and required a tiny amount to make rosy cheeks.
Once the face was done, eyes were
next.
The black mascara was packaged in a petite,
rectangular container, and it was accompanied with a tiny brush. She placed the
brush into water, and then applied the brush to the container. When the brush had
significant black stuff on it, she applied to lashes. Outlining her brows was
done with a pencil.
The grand finale was the red
lipstick.
After donning stillettos, she was
ready to leave for work. She wasn’t fond of her 5’2” stature, and the high
heels added not only to her height, but to her allure.
One day, I had ridden with her to
Dallas. While we waited for her son to
come to the car, a man she knew approached. She exclaimed, “I don’t have on
enough lipstick.” She grabbed her purse and remedied the situation.
My mom and her sisters never went
anywhere without their nails polished. My dad served in WWII, and my mom went
to see him before he was deployed. He told me she arrived with her long nails
painted like American flags.
Patriotism was important back in
those days. I hope it still is.
But I digress.
I knew a lady who went to bed wearing
lipstick, and she would arise before her husband awoke. She wanted to make sure
her face was outfitted before she greeted him. She resides in heaven now, but
she was meticulous about her appearance when she lived down here.
Another married friend wears makeup
every day, and she says, “I do it for me. I feel better when I look good.”
I know a woman whose husband insists
every day that she “fix her face.”
My hubby has never stipulated such a
thing. I think he knows better. However, he came home one day and said, “if you’ll
put on your makeup, I’ll take you to dinner.” I replied, “I’m wearing makeup.” Uh
oh! I needed to refresh it, so I did. Going out to eat is a winner for me.
I have a friend who never wears face color
of any kind, but she does apply sunscreen, and that is a wise thing to do.
How about you?
Do you wear makeup every day?
I don’t, but I will not leave the
house without it. My Mary Kay representative once held a skin care class and asked
me if I would participate. She knows me well. She said, “you will need to
remove your makeup.” I told her I’d rather take off my clothes. Well, not really, but I don’t like to appear
in public unadorned.
As a young girl, I had oodles of
freckles, and I was teased about them. They stood at attention on my pale skin.
I once wrote a letter to a cosmetician and asked how to rid myself of them. She
responded, “Apply lemon juice.” I tried this, but it didn’t work. The lemon was
sticky and messy. I was relieved when my mother finally allowed me to cover
those pesky spots up with foundation.
My white hair is a DNA thing. I’ve
had it since my teens. My pale skin and white hair make me look rather ghostly.
I’m happy cosmetics exist to enhance what I don’t have.
Skin is important. It is the largest
organ on the body. When old skin cells die, new ones come along. It behooves us
to take care of them. If you don’t wear color, you should at least moisturize with
a good sunscreen.
Cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize,
protect, and color. These are excellent daily steps to make a lady feel and look
her best.
That WWII slogan, “Beauty is your duty,”
is a good one.
Gay's Author Page
Citations:
https://glamourdaze.com/history-of-makeup/1940s
https://www.whowhatwear.com/history-of-red-lipstick
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