--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the earliest days, make-up and…" description: "\"In the earliest days, make-up and moralising were intertwined. The 'cosmetic slops and washes' of the 17th and 18th centuries aimed to smooth complexio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/susie-dent-8218_bloom_in-the-earliest-days-make-up-and-moralis_107911.jpg" --- # In the earliest days, make-up and moralising were… ![“In the earliest days, make-up and moralising were intertwined. The 'cosmetic slops and washes' of the 17th and 18th centuries aimed to smooth complexions and revive a woman's 'bloom' - but their critics were never far behind.” quote by Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/susie-dent-8218_bloom_in-the-earliest-days-make-up-and-moralis_107911.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/susie-dent-8218_bloom_in-the-earliest-days-make-up-and-moralis_107911.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/susie-dent-8218_bloom_in-the-earliest-days-make-up-and-moralis_107911.jpg) > “In the earliest days, make-up and moralising were intertwined. The 'cosmetic slops and washes' of the 17th and 18th centuries aimed to smooth complexions and revive a woman's 'bloom' - but their critics were never far behind.” [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early cosmetics were marketed as health and moral enhancers, but critics quickly exposed their superficial nature. **In simple terms:** Beauty products were tied to moral claims, yet faced criticism. Key Takeaway Marketing can mask underlying motives. Themes beauty standards morality historical marketing Mood reflective historical Type historical observation cultural commentary When to use this quote - advertising campaigns - beauty industry trends - cultural critiques Key Concepts social perception consumer skepticism Practical Applications - Analyze product claims critically - Educate consumers on historical context Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies link appearance to virtue? - How does criticism shape product evolution? A Different Perspective Modern parallels may differ in scientific validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) ## Related quotes > [Souls have complexions too: what will suit one will not suit another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/souls-have-complexions-too-what-will-suit-one-will-not-suit-another/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“The worst were the parents who brought their perfectly fine children, wanting only smaller pores or fairer complexions. I raised my fist and shouted:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-manilla/the-worst-were-the-parents-who-brought-their-perfectly-fine-children/) [Marie Manilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-manilla/) > [“ONE BUT MANY One God, many faces. One family, many races. One truth, many paths. One heart, many complexions. One light, many reflections. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/one-but-many-one-god-many-faces-one-family-many-races-one-truth-many/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [It is for homely features to keep home,- They had their name thence; coarse complexions And cheeks of sorry grain will serve to ply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/it-is-for-homely-features-to-keep-home-they-had-their-name-thence/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [No one color can describe the various and varied complexions in our group. They range from the deep black to the fairest white with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-church-terrell/no-one-color-can-describe-the-various-and-varied-complexions-in-our/) [Mary Church Terrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-church-terrell/) > [Negroes just can't judge each other according to color, because we are all colors, all complexions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/negroes-just-can-t-judge-each-other-according-to-color-because-we-are/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“The summer dresses are unpacked and hanging in the closet, two of them, pure cotton, which is better than synthetics like the cheaper ones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-summer-dresses-are-unpacked-and-hanging-in-the-closet-two-of-them/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mitchell/there-is-no-cosmetic-for-beauty-like-happiness/) [Maria Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mitchell/) > [When cosmetic surgery is used to hold back the passage of time I think it's a bit dodgy. I've been at the odd party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-lester/when-cosmetic-surgery-is-used-to-hold-back-the-passage-of-time-i/) [Adrian Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-lester/) > [I'm addicted to cosmetic surgery!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-dickinson/i-m-addicted-to-cosmetic-surgery/) [Janice Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-dickinson/) > [There is no cosmetic like happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/there-is-no-cosmetic-like-happiness/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [Probably the only type of cosmetic surgery I'd consider is having my bust reduced. It's alright for my current role in 'The Marquise' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-o-mara/probably-the-only-type-of-cosmetic-surgery-i-d-consider-is-having-my/) [Kate O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-o-mara/) > [“The beauty of your mind depends on the "make-ups" you use to feed it. A "can-do-spirit" is the best cosmetic. It never fades your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-beauty-of-your-mind-depends-on-the-make-ups-you-use-to-feed-it-a/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I think that cosmetic enhancements in my profession are just an occupational hazard. But I think, more culturally, I'm interested in starting the conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-think-that-cosmetic-enhancements-in-my-profession-are-just-an/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) ## More by Susie Dent > [According to my parents, I've always liked to tune into the conversations of others. But rather than hope for a snippet of salacious gossip,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/according-to-my-parents-i-ve-always-liked-to-tune-into-the/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [As dialect began to be collected in the late 19th century, such words as Yorkshire's 'gobslotch' emerged, revealing the burgeoning association between gluttony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/as-dialect-began-to-be-collected-in-the-late-19th-century-such-words/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [I don't intentionally eavesdrop. I'm not looking for salacious gossip, I'm just looking for vocabulary items.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/i-don-t-intentionally-eavesdrop-i-m-not-looking-for-salacious-gossip/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [Above all, Jane Goodall continues to teach us that, as humans, we are no more entitled to our glorious planet than the chimps she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/above-all-jane-goodall-continues-to-teach-us-that-as-humans-we-are-no/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [The notion of 'Queen's English' is usually applied to our pronunciation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/the-notion-of-queen-s-english-is-usually-applied-to-our-pronunciation/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [Slang has different functions: many of the words we use are playful and a lot are tribal - we speak the same way as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/slang-has-different-functions-many-of-the-words-we-use-are-playful/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [English has always been a mongrel tongue, snapping up words from every continent its speakers encountered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/english-has-always-been-a-mongrel-tongue-snapping-up-words-from-every/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [As a nation we love our dialects, and there is a lot of regional variance in the names for different foods - barmcake, bap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/as-a-nation-we-love-our-dialects-and-there-is-a-lot-of-regional/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [The one thing - apart from assumptions about German - that I have to challenge frequently is people assuming that lexicographers are fierce protectors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/the-one-thing-apart-from-assumptions-about-german-that-i-have-to/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [The character of our language defines us, and dictionaries say as much about us as about the way we speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/the-character-of-our-language-defines-us-and-dictionaries-say-as-much/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [Almost half the adult population finds discussing the subject of money difficult. Slang words help us to navigate these conversations by making us feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/almost-half-the-adult-population-finds-discussing-the-subject-of/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [Youthquake' wasn't an entirely predictable choice for Oxford's Word of 2017. It hasn't been on the lips of an entire nation, nor is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/youthquake-wasn-t-an-entirely-predictable-choice-for-oxford-s-word-of/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [We are surrounded by hundreds of 'tribes,' each speaking their own distinct slanguage of colourful words, jokes and phrases that together form an idiosyncratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/we-are-surrounded-by-hundreds-of-tribes-each-speaking-their-own/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [Language is essentially tribal, so jargon can actually be a really good thing because it unites people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/language-is-essentially-tribal-so-jargon-can-actually-be-a-really/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [The extraordinary thing about new words is that probably only about one per cent of them are new. Most are old words revived and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/the-extraordinary-thing-about-new-words-is-that-probably-only-about/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) [Explore all 83 Susie Dent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) ## More Bloom quotes > [All states and nations, however great, bloom for a season and are replaced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/all-states-and-nations-however-great-bloom-for-a-season-and-are/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [“We all bloom to wilt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlet-clearwater/we-all-bloom-to-wilt/) Scarlet Clearwater > [“A flower that refuses to bloom robs the world of its beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-flower-that-refuses-to-bloom-robs-the-world-of-its-beauty/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [We are not here to get to tomorrow. We are here for today, to bloom today. We were made to Thrive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hall/we-are-not-here-to-get-to-tomorrow-we-are-here-for-today-to-bloom/) [Mark Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hall/) > [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“In the morning when I wake And the sun is coming through, Oh, you fill my lungs with sweetness, And you fill my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-paper-kites/in-the-morning-when-i-wake-and-the-sun-is-coming-through-oh-you-fill/) The Paper Kites > [The short bloom of our brief and narrow life flies fast away. While we are calling for flowers and wine and women, old age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/the-short-bloom-of-our-brief-and-narrow-life-flies-fast-away-while-we/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [I'm not going to be the next Colin Farrell or Orlando Bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-sives/i-m-not-going-to-be-the-next-colin-farrell-or-orlando-bloom/) [Jamie Sives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-sives/) > [Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/let-a-hundred-flowers-bloom-let-a-hundred-schools-of-thought-contend/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [If we cut open the bud of a beautiful rose in order to see how it is 'packed' and what it is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gardner/if-we-cut-open-the-bud-of-a-beautiful-rose-in-order-to-see-how-it-is/) [Ian Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gardner/) > [“Hope always blooms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-neftzger/hope-always-blooms/) [Amy Neftzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-neftzger/) > [To make room for the parts that aren't you it gets harder to bloom in a garden of Love love love love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/to-make-room-for-the-parts-that-aren-t-you-it-gets-harder-to-bloom-in/) [Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/) > [“What if winters were only there to make flowers bloom and not to see them dying in summer heat?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crestless-wave/what-if-winters-were-only-there-to-make-flowers-bloom-and-not-to-see/) Crestless Wave > [No one is born the perfect flower. You have to give yourself time to bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-is-born-the-perfect-flower-you-have-to-give-yourself-time-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When the gardeners are good, the flower will bloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/when-the-gardeners-are-good-the-flower-will-bloom/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) Browse all 237 Bloom quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the earliest days, make-up and moralising were intertwined. 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