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Body Art History

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Body art has been practiced and embraced for thousands of years throughout all cultures worldwide. History shows a broad acceptance to the practices of different forms of body art, whether it be body painting, make up, piercings, tattoos or scarification. Beauty, rebellion, conformity, status, gender or rituals are some of the reasons why people choose to alter their bodies for the display of body art. Modern society has embraced the non-permanent forms of body art, such as, body painting, which has led to the mass production and use of makeup today. Body painting and makeup gives people a chance to recreate and transform their identity using self-expression as a means. Body painting and makeup has undergone numerous cultural changes throughout …show more content…

This was a common practice in Japan and was consider to be beautiful and sexually appealing (Schildkrout, E 2001). Elaborate hairstyles and white makeup are a tradition of Japanese geishas (Schildkrout, E 2001). Within Japan, a pale face was considered attractive as it differentiated the wealthy from the poor as the poor worked outside so they had a darker complexion (Schildkrout, E 2001). The process in applying the makeup for a geisha requires skill and can be very time consuming (Birmingham City Council n.d). During the initiation of a geisha, usually a more experienced geisha, known as an older sister or the mother geisha, will apply the makeup (Birmingham City Council n.d). In this process a wax or oil was first applied to the skin, followed by a white rice paste that is applied using a bamboo brush (Birmingham City Council n.d). This is used to cover the face, neck, and chest with only a line of bare skin left around the face to give the illusion of a mask (Birmingham City Council n.d). Finally the eyes and eyebrows are drawn on and red paste applied to the lips (Birmingham City Council n.d). Makeup, similar to clothing and hairstyles, allows a person to reinvent themselves daily (Birmingham City Council n.d). Whether it be for social acceptance, or for medical and ritual purposes, people regularly transform every visible party of their body whether permanent or

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