80s Hair and Makeup - Coursework Example

80s Hair and Makeup Table of Contents Table of Figures Figure Diamond Encrusted Codpiece Corset,” (2001), World Museum Liverpool; available at: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/exhibitions/westwood/ 5 Figure 2: Vivienne Westwood, (2004), Changing Styles; available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1231_vivienne_westwood/changing_styles_13.html 5 Figure 3: Anthony Nettle, (2005), Vivienne Westwood show; available at: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/antonynettle/fashion1.html. 7 Figure 4: 1980s Retro Makeup, (2005), Free Beauty Tips; available at: http://www.freebeautytips.org/80smakeup.html 10 Figure 5: Melissa Stevens, (2009); available at: http://melmakeup.blogspot.com/2008/01/catwalk-high-fashion-makeup-2004.html 12 80s Hair and Makeup During the 1980s, the Western world was moving toward a more right-wing agenda under Thatcherism and people were beginning to adopt more conservative views. To the degree that the sixties was a time of spiritualism, liberalism and rejection of possessions, the eighties was a return to religion, patriotism and materialism with the seventies acting as the fulcrum. Feminism was on the rise as more women were entering the workplace and insisting on gaining the same respect as men. This meant keeping their maiden names or insisting on the title Ms. instead of Mrs. or Miss. Coming out of the confusion of the seventies with its disco and punk rock, the eighties became increasingly concerned with symbols of power and business. This was encouraged by the privatization of industries and the de-regulation of the stock market introduced as a part of Thatcherism. As a result, the prevailing attitude regarding the economy became one of every man for himself. Electronics were gaining in popularity in many areas of life – synthesizers and keyboards in music, the introduction of the music video and digital animation, computers in the workplace and video games from the arcade becoming available in the home. New innovations in technology including the ‘nuclear age’, innovations in hair gel and mousse and increased use of personal technology made the science fiction shows on television seem possible just around the corner. All of these elements combined together to create a vibrant and outspoken era in hair, fashion and makeup that thrills me with its energy and innovative symbolism. Designer Influences One of the major influences on 80s fashions was the designer Vivienne Westwood, who developed her talents in the thick of the 1960s and 1970s rock and roll movement in Britain. Her fashions exemplify the sexual freedom and aggressive stance of female expression emerging in the women’s movements that rocked the world at this time. Through her early designs, Westwood discovered that “there was a dramatic potential in the clothes themselves that could be heightened: laden with associations, biker gear links sexuality, violence and death, in a twentieth century archetype” (Savage, 2001: 28). She began a new line of clothes that were based on these ideas by adding metal studs, chicken bones, chains, zippers and other gear to the clothing she made. Doing this, Westwood became the mother of the punk rock fashions (Savage, 2001: 28). These designs included a heavy use of the corset as a fetish object, frequently making it in leather, vinyl or other materials (see Figure 1) to denote a dominatrix-type image, imbuing the garment with a sense of power and control that differed significantly with the traditional view of this item. The corset featured in Figure 17 also presents a strong element of decadence and wealth not usually associated with submission and weakness that the garment once implied. Through these types of designs, she added excitement and life to the feminist movement that would carry her into the 80s in high popularity. Figure 1 Figure 1: “Diamond Encrusted Codpiece Corset,” (2001), World Museum Liverpool; available at: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/exhibitions/westwood/ Following her introduction of punk, Westwood entered the 80s by defining the new romantic “pirate” movement and the “savages” movement of asymmetrical skirts and ripped layers. In keeping with the historic nature of these styles, the corset continued to be used, this time in softer fabrics, but without reducing the image of power and control associated with her earlier designs. The sensuous images used in the Aphrodite and Adonis corset (see Figure 2) illustrates the type of soft, yet blatant, sexuality the corset has come to represent. Figure 2 Figure 2: Vivienne Westwood, (2004), Changing Styles; available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1231_vivienne_westwood/changing_styles_13.html “Westwood’s reworking of the corset for outerwear has become one of her most recognizable trademarks. Romantic and historically accurate, the corsets are also surprisingly practical. Stretch fabrics allow ease of movement, and removable sleeves convert a daytime garment to evening wear. Once a symbol of constraint, corsets are now an expression of female sexuality and empowerment” (“Vivienne Westwood”, 2004). Westwood’s designs highlighted the inverted triangular shape the corset pulled out of the female shape which emphasized the shoulder and de-emphasized the waist. Rather than allowing this to be used as a symbol of submission, Westwood’s making the corset public as outerwear helped to boost the strength of the female shoulders, again emphasizing female power at a time when women were seeking this kind of validation. Further impacting the fashion world, it was this period of Westwood’s career when she reintroduced the use of petticoats, combining them with bowler hats and head scarves and the concept of wearing bras and corsets on the outside. “Madonna’s now legendary conical bra, created by Jean Paul Gaultier and worn throughout her Blonde Ambition tour nearly ten years later, would never have happened if it hadn’t been for Westwood playing with the concept of underwear as outerwear some time before him” (Frankel, 2001: 143). The aggressive nature of her designs left little room for a simpering feminine portrait or even a trace of innocence, however there is a lot of fun and flirtation. Westwood introduced the possibility of women deciding for themselves how and where they choose to wear their clothing and what kind of an attitude they wish to convey. In introducing her various unconventional designs, Westwood recognized a large portion of the attraction to this mode of clothing was the inherent empowerment afforded the wearer. There is always a sense of the menacing just under the surface or the ‘bad girl’ lurking right around the corner, as is somewhat apparent in the example pictured in Figure 3. Figure 3 Figure 3: Anthony Nettle, (2005), Vivienne Westwood show; available at: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/antonynettle/fashion1.html. By closely examining this piece, it is possible to see how Westwood was instrumental in changing the meaning of the feminine from one of submission and restriction to one of dominance and power. In this piece, she is obviously going for a very sexually dominating look. The collar around the neck, for example, is almost a universal icon denoting dominance and self-mastery. The bodice, deliberately functioning as a modern day corset, is low-cut, under-wired and revealing, intended to amplify the wearer’s bosom while the tapering accented lines of the boning function to emphasize a thinner waistline without necessarily restricting the model’s natural body shape. Clean vertical lines serve to focus more attention on the skin rather than the clothes, and provide sharp, eye-catching contrast to the curved lines under the cups. Dark colors, always closely associated with the erotic, have been used to accentuate the “window” effect of the bodice. The mental connection made to the brothel through the use of the red boa further accents the sexual and powerful nature of the design. The boa is loosely hung around the arms indicating a freedom of movement and the red color intensifies the darkly romantic aspect of the entire image. The overall look becomes one of blatant, almost overripe sexuality that, by its outspoken expressiveness, refuses to bow down to the stereotypes of centuries past. Rather than restricting the feminine form, this outfit, as well as the other designs brought forward by Westwood and others who have followed in her footsteps, still defines the feminine in terms of a woman’s appeal to men, but now doing so in a way that allows the woman to claim mastery not only of her body, but also of the world around her. Fashion characteristics Other designers that took this new definition and made it into something of their own include Jean-Paul Gaultier, who has helped to revolutionize the costumes of the pop star Madonna, Thierry Mugler, Stella McCartney, Nicolas Ghesquiere and Tom Ford. In making the transition into the later 80s, fashions began to take on much more business-like lines, continuing with big shoulder pads and heavy use of fabrics with a high-tech shimmer woven in. The tops remained bulky while the bottoms became lean with popular styles including legging pants or tapered ankles and high waists. To keep in style with these opulent fabrics, which became more focused on the natural as the decade wore on, the styles in accessories also became more glamorous. “Big, almost huge gilt fashion earrings several centimeters across drew attention to faces drowning in shoulder pads. Stones could be fake or real. Diamante, pearls and gold chains were intended to tell the rest of the world you had arrived” (Thomas, 2009). The bold, bright colors of the clothing competed with the flashy brilliance of the large gems that were worn at wrist, neck and in the increasingly popular several holes in the ears and would have overpowered the face itself if not for the upswept hair and the equally vibrant makeup. Hairstyles Hairstyles were largely a rejection of the lack of style from the 70s. Rather than straight, long and no use of product, the eighties hairstyles were upswept in a deliberate attempt to bring the viewer’s eye up to the face and away from the flamboyance of the clothing itself. According to The Eighties Online, overall big hairstyles were in on older women while younger women tended to focus more on simply sweeping up the bangs with the use of hair gel, mousse and a bit of teasing (2008). Toward the beginning of the decade, the fashion was stronger for shorter hair, cut near the neckline and gelled back over the ears while allowing the top to puff up. However, as the decade wore on, this style became more relaxed, allowing hair to grow longer in back, encouraging it to sweep higher on top and a strong focus on lighter shades. “A bottle of peroxide was the cheapest way to bleach your hair. The accessories remained large throughout the decade” (Eighties Online, 2008). Hair without some form of product used in it was an indication of an individual’s inability to compete in the new world of consumerism and power business. However, having drawn the eye upward, hair also had to eventually direct attention to the face, which was accomplished through the careful application of color designed to add drama and enticement to the individual’s appearance. Make-up To compete with the big hair, the colorful clothing and the sparkly jewelry, makeup in the eighties was equally colorful and dramatic. “The trends were towards ultra-smooth color on the face, bright eye and lip shakes and plenty of makeup” (1980s Retro, 2005). Colors were vibrant, blending together in brilliant displays that would put a peacock to shame as he pales in comparison. Cheeks were sharply outlined with obvious pink highlights and eyelids turned a rainbow of colors, blue and green were particularly popular, behind heavily caked lashes in equally vibrant colors (see Fig. 4). Figure 4 Figure 4: 1980s Retro Makeup, (2005), Free Beauty Tips; available at: http://www.freebeautytips.org/80smakeup.html These makeup styles had the effect of making the eyes brilliant and impossible to miss even with all the other fashion distractions. A popular cosmetic item sold in these times was the makeup mirror that featured a variety of lighting styles. Depending upon where a woman was planning on going, her makeup needed to be applied differently. “The combination of workplace politics and cheap fluorescent lighting played absolute hell with women’s makeup, turning foundations and eye shadows (blue was popular) into strange colors indeed. And makeup was important if you wanted to be taken seriously. It was quite usual for a woman to apply a full set of makeup—foundation, powder, lipstick and liner, mascara, eyeliner and eye shadow—to go to work” (1980s Retro, 2005). Thus, they required fluorescent lighting at home in order to apply makeup that would look appropriate in the office setting, but would need to make significant adjustments if they planned to go out to the nightclubs after work or else look somewhat like death masks as they entered the darker lighting. Similarly, makeup applied for fluorescent-lit settings did not appear quite as natural when viewed by the light of the sun. “Like most fads, 80s makeup trends looked good then: nowadays, women who make up that heavily look like they have something to hide” (1980s Retro, 2005). The mystery and depth discovered in the 80s look is difficult to match, as seen in Fig. 5 below. Figure 5 Figure 5: Melissa Stevens, (2009); available at: http://melmakeup.blogspot.com/2008/01/catwalk-high-fashion-makeup-2004.html Conclusion The 80s was a decade full of conservatism and glamour that was nevertheless full of fun and experimentation. The colors and fabrics were vibrant and energetic, reflecting the new technologies and ideas emerging regarding the future. The glamour of the period was largely influenced by the television programs that were popular at the time, but also functioned to add life and energy to the fashions and provide opportunities for new forms of self-expression. However, these were not restricted to a singular look or formulaic combinations of clothing. Many of these concepts were introduced through the designer Vivienne Westwood as she experimented with various ways of combining inner and outer wear, ball gowns with grunge wear and attaching accessories in various ways and places to achieve heightened effect. Her use of the corset in her fashions helped highlight the way in which emphasis on the shoulders could increase the sense of power and force in a figure and contributed to some degree to the development of shoulder pads as a means of emphasizing female shoulders. Because of its beautiful use of color, its innovative use of materials and styles and its sense of fun and rebellious breaking all the rules, the decade of the 1980s is my favorite decade in hair, fashion and makeup. References “1980s Retro Makeup Application and Styles that Will Accentuate any 80s Party Costume or Fashion Outfit.” (2005). Free Beauty Tips. Available April 18, 2009 from Frankel, Susannah. (2001). Visionaries: Interviews with Fashion Designers. New York: Harry N. Abrams. Savage, Jon. (2001). Englands Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Thomas, Pauline Weston. (2009). “Power Dressing: 1980s Fashion History.” Fashion Era. Available April 18, 2009 from < http://www.fashion-era.com/power_dressing.htm> “Vivienne Westwood.” (2004). Changing Styles. Victoria and Albert Museum. Available April 18, 2009 from Read More