03-01-2011, 10:14 PM
Trickier, if anything, than your broader topic! You're probably familiar with the idea that women have much less of a "voice" in the literature that men due to their differing standing in social and intellectual circles, for the most part. With the overwhelming number of writers and commentators being male, there won't be masses in the original sources that deal with something so "mundane" as make-up. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head apart from Ovid - but I'll have a scan through my books and get back to you. All I can suggest in the mean time is Lefkowitz & Fant's "Women's Life in Greece and Rome" which is a source book of original sources in translation relating to all things womanly, which may include make-up.
ETA: I've found a reference in one of my papers on Roman prostitution to a book that solely covers makeup and perfume; it's Susan Stewart's "Cosmetics and Perfumes in the Roman World" (2007). Should be plenty in there for you!
ETA: I've found a reference in one of my papers on Roman prostitution to a book that solely covers makeup and perfume; it's Susan Stewart's "Cosmetics and Perfumes in the Roman World" (2007). Should be plenty in there for you!
Lanata (well, I do have a penchant for wooly things!) aka Lindsay Williams
