Title: Makeup & Hairstyles of the 1700s | LEAFtv
Headings: Makeup & Hairstyles of the 1700s
Makeup & Hairstyles of the 1700s
Content: Makeup & Hairstyles of the 1700s | LEAFtv
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Makeup & Hairstyles of the 1700s
The 1700s was a time of big hair, elaborate fabrics and heavy makeup for both men and women. You might have heard "the higher the hair, the closer to God," referring to Nashville, but the saying applies equally to the aristocracy of the late 18th century. Just as in modern times, hair and makeup styles changed over the course of the century, going from big and bold to low and simple -- and back to bigger and more extreme than ever before. The middle classes mimicked the styles of the wealthy on a more modest scale, as did those in colonial areas including the Americas. During the first decades of the 1700s, women wore a hairstyle called the fontange. The hair at the front of the head was curled, waved, frizzed or teased to produce a very high and round style, particularly surrounding the face. The hair at the back of the head was styled simply and close to the head, often with a few curled tendrils of hair down the back. Middle-class women with the time and resources could mimic these styles with relative ease, either in Europe or Colonial America. Women did not typically powder their hair during this period. Aristocratic men wore wigs, typically heavily powdered.