The Beauty Seekers

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 297, 1 December 1928, Page 11

The Beauty Seekers

Eternal Quest of the World

we of to-day as beautiful as the women of old ? Can our standard of beauty compare favourably with the different types throughout the centuries ? Opinions differ, but certainly the quest for beauty to-day is more feverish than nt any other time. One has only to open a newspaper or magazine to be confronted with pages of tantalising beauty advertisements—every conceivable aid to rectify Nature’s mistakes and omissions is pictured there—“a skin you love to touch,” ‘‘that schoolgirl complexion,” “teeth of dazzling whiteness, and so on, ad infinitum. You know them all these tempting offers to better beauty Well, it seems as though woman’s beauty has seen better days, if it takes such a deal of bolstering up; or it is that this bustling modern world of ours exacts more toll than the more leasurely days of yore, when women sat' still and learned the art of being graceful, instead of tearing around frantically from bed—bath—breakfast—bridge—ballroom? Such exertion, naturally, causes much more “wear and tear” and raises ‘‘overhead expenses” to undreamed of heights. Just read the huge annual bill for cosmetics for the country in the statistical returns and you will realize “where the money goes to.”

To these hurrying seekers of the beautiful nothing seems unpardonable but ugliness. They speak tolerantly of sin and wink an eye at law-breaking, but an unpowdered nose or neglected nails will cause them utter anguish—“ Just too revolting for words, my dear!” Their lives are in the hands of mysterious priestesses of strange cults, who perform rites (secret rites) of face-lifting, wrinkle-smoothing, hair tinting and waving, injecting the bloom of youth into withered cheeks, and so on. Then I think of the repair outfit every smart woman possesses! Lip-stick, face and talcum powder, vanishing and cold creams, rouge, perfume, mascara, and all the other indispensibles.

Even the men seem to be catching the germ—l heard recently that in Wellington each week between 50 and 60 of the town “shieks” get their hair marcel-waved. To me that really is beyond a joke—it too weak for words. However, beauty wins the day, and a good soldier must have good equipment. That reminds me—must get a new box of face powder on the way home!