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Makeup

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior

  • 41 Accesses

Synonyms

Adornments; Cosmetics; Makeup

Definition

Makeup is a general term that refers to visible cosmetic products that are normally applied to the face with the goal of increasing facial attractiveness. Makeup is primarily worn by women. Cosmetics is a broader term referring to beauty products. It includes makeup as well as skin care creams, hair care products, perfumes, and personal hygiene products.

Makeup

History of Makeup

Evidence for the use of pigments applied cosmetically to female face dates back at least 5000 years, with the discovery of a clay female head bearing red pigment on the lips and cheeks at the Niuheliang burial site in China (dated to the Hongshan Neolithic period, LPICRA, 1986; Mai et al., 2016). Evidence of makeup applied for the express purpose of increasing a woman’s attractiveness to prospective mates is at least as old as Ancient Rome. The Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso (nee Ovid, 43 BC – 18 AD), encouraged women to apply cosmetics to boost their...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

    Danielle Sulikowski

  2. Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University, Mount Helen, VIC, Australia

    Danielle Wagstaff

Authors
  1. Danielle Sulikowski
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  2. Danielle Wagstaff
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, ROCHESTER, MN, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Gavin Vance

  3. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester Hills, MI, USA

    Madeleine K. Meehan

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Sulikowski, D., Wagstaff, D. (2023). Makeup. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_106-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_106-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5

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