The made-up woman : Women’s daily use of makeup in Rome

Sammanfattning: This study details Roman women’s use of makeup, and the relevance of studying makeup whenexploring the history of Roman women. The study explores the relation between the use ofmakeup and female identity through texts and archaeological material. By first presenting thetypes of makeup used and the paraphernalia associated with the application of makeup, thiscontextualizes how women interacted with makeup on a day-today basis. This leads to adiscussion on who used makeup and what the use of makeup says about female identity. When analyzing women’s use of makeup, this study compares ancient texts, archaeologicalfinds, and modern chemical analysis of ancient makeup. This study argues that women ofdifferent social standings could use makeup, and that women were able to use makeup as a toolto establish some control over how they were perceived by the public. This in turn makesmakeup a way to study female agenda in antiquity.