The history of beauty: A new video series that is absolute magic!
It’s Friday afternoon, and you deserve a break. At least that’s how we’re justifying the million-years-or-so we spent watching the entirety of Cut Video’s History of Beauty series, prompted by the release of their latest: Japan.
Spanning 1910 to present day, the latest installment offers a glimpse into the past and present, showcasing mainstream approaches to aesthetic glory that have come to define a particular nation. (But the best part? Trying to calculate just how long this process took.)
Behold! Japan.
But see? You can’t just watch one. So we’ve put them all in a single place where you can watch and then argue amongst yourselves over which decade was best, and whether man buns are something to be applauded or shamed over.
China
The updos, the minimalistic makeup, the eighties-era glasses (that are officially back in style now). In China, even the 2000s looked great.
Americana tattoo
Not for the squeamish (I 100% had to turn it off so I wouldn’t get/feel sick), a woman named Casey steps up to get 11 tattoos, each representing a type of tattoo art true to their decade. You’ve been warned, and yes it’s super-cool.
Ethiopia
If there’s a single takeaway from this, it’s that the seventies were a flawless decade, and we were fools to wait so long to bring back scrunchies.
America (men)
And just when you thought things were going okay, the sixties show up to remind us that not every vintage beauty trend necessitates a comeback. (I’m sorry, guys.)
Brazil
Come for the flawless eighties-era curls, stay for the gloriousness of circa-forties accessories.
Germany
Cool thing alert: while each and every one of these videos are super cool (duh), Germany (like Korea, which we’ll get to) see a split in beauty standards to represent the division between East and West. Unsurprisingly, the differences are vast (and kind of surprising).
Italy
Now, when citing the origins of the fishtail braid, mention Italy, watch this video, and then use it to justify bringing a fishtail into your own life.
Russia
A little controversial, Russia’s instalment sees an evolution of beauty, yes, but also an injection of politics — particularly at the end. Whether Pussy Riot contributes to a “beauty trend” is up to you, but unless the mask represents the rejection of beauty standards instilled by the Russian patriarchy (a.k.a. government), it seems a little out of place.
India
Bright colours, bold, detailed accessories, and Henna make up India’s beauty narrative, with only one shocking twist: what was it about baby bangs in the 1970s that enticed so many people all over the world? (And what if it happens again?)
Phillippines
Full stop: the appearance of a gun prompts a serious, “What!?” to anyone who — up until this point — wasn’t aware that each video comes with another piece that explains the history behind each trend. Here, Christopher Santo Domingo Chan explains the militarization of women (though we should also be doing our own research about it, too).
Mexico
It’s here we begin to ask ourselves, were the 1940s the best hair and makeup decade of all? Or maybe more importantly: if a scrunchie wasn’t worn, did the nineties really happen?
Korea
And like the video featuring East and West Germany, we see Korea split after WWII to represent North and South, where differences between hair and makeup are vast and consistently so (but in this case, continue to be).
Iran
Don’t you dare even think of moving on before picking up some more historical context and how this video represents the Green Revolution.
America Pt. 1
America Pt. 2
Behold! The first two videos of the 100 Years of Beauty series. Or: why I’ve been trying to convince everyone to bring back beehives like it was 1965. (And nobody listened, except Katy Perry at the Golden Globes this year.)
Fine.
Behold! Japan.
But see? You can’t just watch one. So we’ve put them all in a single place where you can watch and then argue amongst yourselves over which decade was best, and whether man buns are something to be applauded or shamed over.
China
The updos, the minimalistic makeup, the eighties-era glasses (that are officially back in style now). In China, even the 2000s looked great.
Americana tattoo
Not for the squeamish (I 100% had to turn it off so I wouldn’t get/feel sick), a woman named Casey steps up to get 11 tattoos, each representing a type of tattoo art true to their decade. You’ve been warned, and yes it’s super-cool.
Ethiopia
If there’s a single takeaway from this, it’s that the seventies were a flawless decade, and we were fools to wait so long to bring back scrunchies.
America (men)
And just when you thought things were going okay, the sixties show up to remind us that not every vintage beauty trend necessitates a comeback. (I’m sorry, guys.)
Brazil
Come for the flawless eighties-era curls, stay for the gloriousness of circa-forties accessories.
Germany
Cool thing alert: while each and every one of these videos are super cool (duh), Germany (like Korea, which we’ll get to) see a split in beauty standards to represent the division between East and West. Unsurprisingly, the differences are vast (and kind of surprising).
Italy
Now, when citing the origins of the fishtail braid, mention Italy, watch this video, and then use it to justify bringing a fishtail into your own life.
Russia
A little controversial, Russia’s instalment sees an evolution of beauty, yes, but also an injection of politics -- particularly at the end. Whether Pussy Riot contributes to a “beauty trend” is up to you, but unless the mask represents the rejection of beauty standards instilled by the Russian patriarchy (a.k.a. government), it seems a little out of place.
India
Bright colours, bold, detailed accessories, and Henna make up India’s beauty narrative, with only one shocking twist: what was it about baby bangs in the 1970s that enticed so many people all over the world? (And what if it happens again?)
Phillippines
Full stop: the appearance of a gun prompts a serious, “What!?” to anyone who -- up until this point -- wasn’t aware that each video comes with another piece that explains the history behind each trend. Here, Christopher Santo Domingo Chan explains the militarization of women (though we should also be doing our own research about it, too).
Mexico
It’s here we begin to ask ourselves, were the 1940s the best hair and makeup decade of all? Or maybe more importantly: if a scrunchie wasn’t worn, did the nineties really happen?
Korea
And like the video featuring East and West Germany, we see Korea split after WWII to represent North and South, where differences between hair and makeup are vast and consistently so (but in this case, continue to be).
Iran
Don’t you dare even think of moving on before picking up some more historical context and how this video represents the Green Revolution.
America Pt. 1
America Pt. 2
Behold! The first two videos of the 100 Years of Beauty series. Or: why I’ve been trying to convince everyone to bring back beehives like it was 1965. (And nobody listened, except Katy Perry at the Golden Globes this year.)
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