WHAT? The Cult of Beauty

WHERE? Wellcome collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE  

WHEN? Now until 28th April 2024. Free to visit 

WHY GO? For face-to-face facts.  Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? In an age when we are obsessed with beautifying ourselves, with selfies and ever conscious of our body image, this timely exhibition helps reassess the true definition of beauty, from ancient Egypt and Queen Nefertiti to the reality stars of today.

It’s a big subject curated from all angles. Scientifically, after all it is curated by the leading wellness museum, it talks of enhancing features through technology and artistically, it charts the media’s influence with beautiful imagery.

Mind boggling procedures and cosmetics past and present are exhibited, covering skin tones, hair textures, gender bending and body shapes. Some are downright wacky like beauty patches to cover smallpox scars and kohl to ward away evil spirits, others are challenging like corsetry that defies gravity to suppress waistlines. 

Beauty as an industry is traced way back before commercial mass marketing helped make it the booming success it is today, with the UK spending on average £6.4 billion per year on cosmetics alone.

Encouraging us to reflect on our own notions of beauty, this is a fascinating glimpse at a subject that will always intrigue across the generations.

There was and is no norm when it comes to the cult of beauty. 

IN THE KNOW:  Check out, How to Be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity by Jill Burke. This hefty book explores beauty through the eyes of the rich, powerful Renaissance woman.  Along with glorious Titian portraiture (and plenty of heaving bosoms), there are domestic herbal recipes for lotions and potions such as Violet Oil or Nettle Tonic, which was apparently used to whiten the face and hands!