The Works of Max Beerbohm · Chapter
The Pervasion of Rouge explained
Beerbohm argues that the Victorian era's obsession with naturalness and simplicity is ending, and a new epoch of artifice and cosmetics is dawning.
What happens
Beerbohm argues that the Victorian era's obsession with naturalness and simplicity is ending, and a new epoch of artifice and cosmetics is dawning. He defends the use of makeup as a means for women to achieve perfection and control over their expression, linking it to broader cultural shifts toward gambling and elaborate living. He critiques the hypocrisy of those who decry artifice while embracing it, and predicts that the 'era of rouge' will elevate both women and society.
Themes in this chapter
Artifice vs. Nature
Beerbohm champions artifice over nature, arguing that cosmetics and elaborate living are superior to the 'sancta simplicitas' of the early Victorian era.
Critique of Modernity and Progress
He critiques the modern obsession with naturalness and the 'horrific pioneers' of women's emancipation, advocating instead for a return to artifice and refinement.
Gender Roles and Womanhood
Beerbohm discusses women's roles, arguing that artifice enhances feminine perfection and that the 'natural' woman of the early Victorian era was ineffectual, while the modern 'pioneer' woman is misguided.
Characters to notice
- Max Beerbohm
The author and narrator, presenting his defense of cosmetics and artifice.
- Thackeray
Referenced for his phrase 'under the bonnet of any woman we meet' to illustrate the prevalence of rouge.
Key passages
“The season of the unsophisticated is gone by, and the young girl’s final extinction beneath the rising tides of cosmetics will leave no gap in life and will rob art of nothing.”
The era of innocence is over, and the disappearance of the naive young girl under the influence of makeup will not be missed by life or art.
Beerbohm dismisses the value of unsophisticated girlishness, framing its end as inconsequential.
“Artifice is the strength of the world, and in that same mask of paint and powder, shadowed with vermeil tinct and most trimly pencilled, is woman’s strength.”
Artificiality is the world's true power, and a woman's strength lies in her painted and powdered mask.
Beerbohm asserts that artifice, particularly cosmetics, is the source of women's power and societal strength.