Beauty, Beyond the Surface
The 1898 guide, Beauty Culture, by H. Ellen Browning, not only provides practical advice for daily beauty maintenance, but explorations of the topic on a conceptual level. What is beauty, after all? Is it merely in the eye of the beholder, or is there some objective quality that defines it?
Browning proposes that beauty is so hard to define because it’s tied to our feminine essence; individual features can vary, fashion changes, and personal tastes diverge, but femininity is essential to all women. Empathy, gracefulness, and sensitivity are traits often associated with femininity, but these characteristics can differ widely among individuals and cultures, shaped by various social and cultural influences. Here is how Browning articulates this point:
If we analyse very closely, however, we shall find that a woman’s greatest attraction lies in her femininity. Far above symmetry of form or the most perfect features must certainly be placed that wonderful and mysterious psycho-physical quality of personal magnetism, which, for lack of a better definition, we will designate as soul-beauty. This atmosphere of fascination often emanates from women who are totally devoid of exterior attractions ; still, the possession of this quality alone renders them so intangibly beautiful that they are well-nigh irresistible. It is this sort of woman who enthralls every man who falls under her spell. You may seek in vain to portray her charm. The beauty is indescribable, but it is nevertheless there in its most potent form.
And this is just the species of beauty that every woman may possess and retain to the last day of her life—if she chooses, because it is the outcome of a perfect nervous organisation. Only a foolish woman will consent to alter the colour of her hair and smother her delicate skin in powder and paint. It is better to be a “naked truth” than an “artful lie,” more especially if we are striving to be women instead of dolls or slaves. Besides, it is neither necessary nor artistic. There is absolutely no reason why we should go down to our graves,“sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything,” with “wrinkled brow, bald pate, and rheumy eyes of age, peaked chin and parchment chap,” providing that we will only pay attention to our own physical condition. A sound mind in a sound body is the great secret of perpetual youth. There is nothing that robs us of our youthfulness like ill-health, and there is no species of ill-health that turns our hair grey or ploughs deeper furrows in our brows than that tragic list of functional derangements and nervous ailments set down in medical text-books under the comprehensive heading of : Women’s Diseases.
Browning focuses on the importance of inner beauty or "soul-beauty" in women, and argues that it surpasses mere physical attractiveness. This inner beauty, rooted in a healthy inner state, can be maintained throughout life. This should be encouraging news indeed. Browning also criticizes the use of cosmetics and artificial enhancements, advocating instead for natural beauty and a healthy lifestyle. Cosmetics, she says, risk obscuring the feminine soul-beauty, so they must be used with discretion.