Poison by Advertisement: Cosmetics and the Art of Selling Whiteness c.1880–1920

Abstract

Summary The late Victorian and Edwardian beauty industry produced a wealth of visual material that promoted lily-white complexions as a privileged indicator of beauty, youth, health and hygiene. This was especially the case in advertisements for British and American skin lightening, skin whitening and skin bleaching products. These advertisements used visual and linguistic devices to convince white women that the application of often-toxic products would restore blemished, tanned and freckled complexions to ‘natural’ whiteness. Moving from sun-starved Britain to sun-drenched Australia, skin lightening products were actively marketed to white women living in Federation Australia, revealing particular fears associated with the darkening and reddening effects of the southern sun.