Cleopatra soaps, Venus Gillette razors, Ishtar moisturisers, Medusa hair products, and Kouros perfume: names and themes harking back to antiquity are omnipresent in the modern cosmetic industry. But why?
This conference examines the reception of antiquity in cosmetic advertising and marketing from the nineteenth century to the present day. It aims at better understanding the centrality of antiquity in the construction of modern standards of hygiene and beauty, as well as examining and critiquing the image of antiquity that emerges from the modern material.
Questions examined will include: How can we explain the prominence of certain ancient figures, be they divine or human, in the modern cosmetic industry? How are these ancient figures used to promote certain, often toxic, standards, such as whiteness or exoticism (which are not mutually exclusive in cosmetic advertising), thinness, femininity and masculinity, and youth. What role does the notion of ancient secret knowledge play in modern cosmetic advertising? How does cosmetic advertising intersect with and/or build on other media, such as Hollywood, Bollywood, or Nollywood films? How are tropes such as those of the odyssey or the metamorphosis exploited in the modern cosmetic industry? How do these receptions vary across territories, and to what extent are they encouraged or influenced by certain political and economic systems?
