I wanted to go back to the book you mentioned earlier. Have you noticed any patterns between what the book instructed women to do and contemporary beauty routines or makeup trends? Do you see similarities in how women have been guided to change themselves?
I think the obvious comparison is that back then, you had a guidebook about makeup for women, and now we have TikTok tutorials. Both are about being instructed on how to look, what’s trending, and how to apply makeup. What’s changed is who dictates those trends. It’s no longer a white male pharmacist with a radio show or book series being the sole authority. Now, with the internet, there are countless sources.
But what’s funny is how specific both systems are—like today, TikTok tutorials show exactly how to apply makeup with dots and lines all over your face, blending it out with brushes. It’s such a random method, but everyone does it. In the book, it was equally precise: step-by-step instructions, like “start with this concealer, finish with lipstick.” It’s fascinating that even applying makeup can be dictated so specifically.
It’s almost seen as scientific.
Exactly. But what’s really different now is the norms around who can wear makeup, when, and how much. The book made it clear—no dark, smoky eyes during the day, for example. It was very rigid and had real consequences if you got it “wrong.” Women faced societal punishment. Today, at least in Denmark, that danger isn’t there in the same way.