The Modern Era
Modern Makeup: Mass Market, Counterculture and Self-Expression
Ninety years in which makeup became an industry, a battleground and, eventually, something people chose for themselves.
1930 – TodaySelf-Expression
- 38articles
- 5moments
- 11min read
The Modern Era: The Chronology
5 moments · 5 open an article
In short
The modern era turned makeup into an industry with seasons, a counterculture to argue with, and — after decades in which complexion products were formulated almost exclusively for white skin — a shade-range standard that only became general in the late 2010s.
The Modern Era at a Glance
- Screen-LedFilm, then television, then the front-facing camera.
- Sold as FashionColour became seasonal, and seasons became marketing.
- ContestedFeminism, counterculture and identity all argued with it.
- Shade RangeWhose skin a foundation is made for became the central question.
In the Modern Era
Self-Expression
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