“Beauty Kills”
As promised, Ann keeps writing her medical history articles. Here’s the latest….
Imagine you are Spanish royalty in the 1600s. Spain is at the height of its international prowess and is a fabulously rich country. Untold wealth has been transferred from Central and South America in the form of gold and silver. Spain is, indeed, a European superpower. You want your appearance to reflect that. So, you sit at your tocador (dressing table) and apply whitening bleach products to your face and neck, followed by white-based foundation. You then top it all off with generous spots of rouge, on your cheeks, forehead, neck, even your hands. Your goal, the standard of beauty, is to look intentionally artificial, almost like you are wearing a mask.
Your sister married a French king. There, her beauty routine has a different goal; she wants a more natural look. Still, though, she wants to look white and pale, not at all like a peasant who works outside. She also whitens her face.
Both of you know that some people get sick from their makeup, and sometimes makeup can harm the skin, but you continue to apply thick layers; you can’t imagine being seen in public otherwise.
To read the rest, go to Ann’s website: http://annfbeach.com/medicine/beauty-kills/
Note
that all materials shared on this site and in these posts have the exclusive
ownership of their respective authors. No further use or manipulation of this
material may occur without the direct documented consent of the individual who
created it.
Spirited Scriveners 
Leave a comment