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Cosmetics, first used in Ancient Rome for ritual purposes,〔(An Ancient Roman Make-up Lesson ) The History Channel. Retrieved 2009-10-29.〕 were part of daily life for women, especially prostitutes and the wealthy. Some fashionable cosmetics, such as those imported from China, Germany and Gaul, were so expensive that the Lex Oppia tried to limit their use in 189 BCE.〔Stewart, Susan. ''Cosmetics & Perfumes in the Roman World''. Gloucestershire: Tempus, 2007, pp. 123-136.〕 These “designer brands” spawned cheap knock-offs that were sold to poorer women.〔(Ancient cosmetics brought to life ) BBC News. Retrieved 2009-10-29.〕 Working-class women could afford the cheaper varieties, but may not have had the time (or slaves) to apply the makeup〔Cowell, F.R. ''Everyday Life in Ancient Rome''. London: Batsford, 1961, pp. 63-66.〕 as the use of makeup was a time-consuming affair because cosmetics needed to be reapplied several times a day due to weather conditions and poor composition.〔Stewart, Susan. ''Cosmetics & Perfumes in the Roman World''. Gloucestershire: Tempus, 2007, pp. 9-13.〕 Cosmetics were applied in private, usually in a small room where men did not enter. ''Cosmetae'', female slaves that adorned their mistresses, were especially praised for their skills.〔(A Brief History of Cosmetics in Roman Times ) Life in Italy. Retrieved 2009-10-29.〕 They would beautify their mistresses with ''cultus'', the Latin word encompassing makeup, perfume and jewelry.〔Olson, Kelly. ''Dress and the Roman Woman''. New York: Routledge, 2008, pp. 61-70.〕 Scent was also an important factor of beauty. Women who smelled good were presumed to be healthy. Due to the stench of many of the ingredients used in cosmetics at the time, women often drenched themselves in copious amounts of perfume.〔Stewart, Susan. ''Cosmetics & Perfumes in the Roman World''. Gloucestershire: Tempus, 2007, pp. 32-60.〕 Christian women tended to avoid cosmetics with the belief that they should praise what God gave them.〔Tertullian, (''De cultu feminarum'' ), 2.5.〕 Some men, especially cross-dressers, did use cosmetics, although it was viewed as effeminate and improper.〔Angeloglou, Maggie. ''A History of Make-up''. London: Studio Vista, 1970, pp. 30-32〕 All cosmetic ingredients were also used as medicines to treat various ailments. Lead, although known to be poisonous, was still widely used.〔 ==Men's attitudes toward cosmetics== Roman attitudes towards cosmetics evolved with the expansion of the empire. The assortment of cosmetics available increased as trade borders expanded and the resulting influx of wealth granted women additional slaves and time to spend on beauty. Ideas of beauty from conquered peoples, especially the Greeks and Egyptians, greatly influenced the Roman paradigm of beauty.〔 Unlike their eastern trading partners however, the Romans felt that only the “preservation of beauty” was acceptable and not “unnatural embellishment”. Despite exaggerating their makeup to make it appear in the poor lighting of the time, women still wanted to appear natural as a sign of chastity. Artificiality denoted a desire to be seductive, which made men question for whom exactly a woman was trying to appear attractive. This was why men generally viewed the use of cosmetics as deceitful and manipulative.〔Achilles Tatius. ''Leucippe and Cleitophon''. 2.38.2-3.〕 Vestal Virgins did not don makeup because they were supposed to look holy and chaste. Postumia, one of the Vestal Virgins, defied this convention and consequently, was accused of ''incestum''.〔Livy, (''History of Rome'' ), 4.44.11.〕 Of all the surviving texts mentioning cosmetics (all written by men) Ovid is alone in his approval of their use. The consensus was that women who used cosmetics in excess were immoral and deceptive and were practicing a form of witchcraft. Juvenal wrote that “a woman buys scents and lotions with adultery in mind” and mocked the need for cosmetics, believing that they were ineffective. Use of perfumes was further looked down upon because they were thought to mask the smell of sex and alcohol. Seneca advised virtuous women to avoid cosmetics, as he believed their use to be a part of the decline of morality in Rome. Stoics were also against the use of cosmetics, as they were opposed to the usage of all man-made luxuries. Although there are no surviving texts written by women expounding the attitude of women towards cosmetics, their widespread use indicates that women accepted and enjoyed these products.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cosmetics in Ancient Rome」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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