Publication Date
2024
Document Type
Book
Description
The research revolves around the idea of “gender performativity,” in which a person’s gender identity is taught by society and reinforced by culturally-acceptable behaviors. I explore this theory through the lens of the late Roman Empire (between the third and sixth centuries, C.E.) and the cosmetic practices that women employed during that time. My findings include the fact that makeup was an integral part of the construction of Roman womanhood, and that social class was inextricably linked to beauty. For example, the image of an intellectual, wealthy woman became the image of beauty, and so cosmetic practices centered around this ideal. This linkage between femininity and social power is significant because it reveals many of the underlying ideals of the Roman Empire, as well as the ways in which women could achieve social mobility and influence in a society that systematically oppressed them in a myriad of ways.
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Recommended Citation
Cardiel, Madison, "Signifying Identity with Makeup in the Late Roman Empire" (2024). Research Days Posters 2024. 2.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/2