A delicate art

Day 2

The Geisha. A Geisha is a female Japanese entertainer who performs various Japanese arts which include dancing, singing and playing classical music.

The traditional makeup is one of their most recognizable characteristics. It features white base with red lipstick and black accents around the eyes and eyebrows. Originally the base was made of lead and after the discovery that it poisoned the skin, rice powder replace it.

The application of a Geisha's makeup is a long process. It is applied before

getting dressed, so that it won't dirty the kimono (fold-around dress).

First a wax/oil substance is applied to the skin. Next, white powder is mixed with water into a paste and applied with a bamboo brush starting from the neck and moving upwards. It covers the face, neck and chest with 2 or 3 unwhitened areas that form a 'V' or 'W' shape left on the nape of the neck to accentuate this traditionally erotic area. A line of bare skin is left around the hairline which creates an illusion of a mask. After the foundation is applied, a sponge is patted over the area to remove excess moisture.

Now the eyes and eyebrows are drawn in, traditionally with charcoal and today with modern eyeliner. The eyebrows and edges of the eyes are coloured black with a touch of red at the edge of the eyes.

The Length of a Geisha's eyebrows are of significance. Short eyebrows are for the young whereas longer eyebrows reflect maturity. Geisha's can perform up until the age of 80. In earlier times, around the 17th century, older Geishas would stain their teeth black to create an illusion of a black hole in the mouth instead of their yellower teeth that contrasted or clashed too much with the white colour of their skin.

The role of a geisha has many different connotations. In some western countries, geishas are considered to be high-class prostitutes or escorts. Even some Japanese citizens see geisha in that way because of the lower class geisha who do infact sell their bodies and work as prostitutes. A successful geisha can entertain her male customers with music, dance, and conversation. The biggest misconception of a geisha though, is that they have sex with their customers. Most exclusive modern geisha do not. Their sex and love lives are personal and are separate from their job. Geisha may flirt and make a male customer feel that he is a king of sorts but they are not submissive and subservient. They are some of the most financially and emotionally successful and strongest women in Japan, and have traditionally been so as well. This may be possible due to the fact that the society is run by woman only. These women are some of the most successful businesswomen in Japan (Geisha, 2010)

My personal experience of today... beautiful, as I had beautiful insights to share about the culture. I could not make my skin as white as a geisha's as I didn't have the right makeup or enough time to achieve that. Most people recognized who I was emulating as the smaller painted lips gave the tradition away. It felt good to be a small part of such an old tradition today, despite the fact that I had an itching face the whole day. I blame it on the heavy amount of powder combined with the humid weather.

Reference

Wikipedia October 4, 2010, Geisha, Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha