Being Cleopatra during COVID…
For her own person,
It beggar’d all description: she did lie
In her pavilion, cloth-of-gold of tissue,
O’erpicturing that Venus where we see
The fancy outwork nature…..
reads Shakespeare’s lines in Antony and Cleopatra as Enobarbus describes Queen Cleopatra. Applying these lines to the modern Cleopatra and especially in The New Normal, wherein the world is witnessing a seismic shift in all routines of life. With women setting out of homes in phases back at work, beauty treatments and essentials are growing to be a worry. Even with salons opening in specific areas, visiting a parlour is enveloped in fear. This leaves the woman with no other option but go back to the age-old remedies and beauty care that was adopted years ago.
Thoughts go back to the Egyptians about who we read about so many beauty tricks and stories. One civilization that believed in cosmetics and wherein men and women dressed with a lot of ornaments, wore clothes that had varied hues and who used cosmetics abundantly. COVID forced us to go back to some of these tricks that these Egyptians used. Interesting to hear fellow colleagues speak about how they learnt to clear and tweeze their eyebrows by themselves apart from enabling technology to do this job for them by using eyebrow shapers. Hair has been forced to fit into the most suitable hassle-free bun or a pony or with quick shaping and trimming done between friends and neighbours. Colouring grew all the more interesting as the hair was given henna treatment at home or simply an amazon ordered hair colour self-applied. Gradually the last few months ensured that beauty treatments became a homebound regimen, a ritual that otherwise meant spending the weekends in salons. Milk baths became a part of this ritual with salts, face masks went back to cucumber and honey packs. Coconut oil became a part of the hair treatment and also part of rejuvenating the skin. Egyptians also used honey and sugar for waxing once upon a time and the modern woman if not given access to gadgets chose to go back to the same ritual. Makeup gradually has moved into the realm of protection of the skin and the look and the effort to look as natural as possible. Celebrities led the way with their quick snapshots and videos of least make up looks. Henna entered the homes and water and cleansing to remove the toxic from the body leading to glowing skin grew popular. With gyms being still a scare, the natural diet got back to our systems and snack and the dreaded sweet and savoury carried no liking. Gradually we drifted into these so-called self-care rituals and turmeric and cucumber and milk and other greens occupied out platters. Egyptian makeup and cosmetics have captured our lives again. The struggle is to maintain that elegance, that exotic look, and style of Cleopatra during COVID. Changing beauty ideals indeed for the New Normal and with the least innovation and invention….
