Greek+Fashion

__**To Wear or Not to Wear**__ By Grace How many of you girls like to put on makeup and wear the latest fashion? How many of you guys like to express yourselves through clothes and hairstyles? Believe or not, you are not very different from Ancient Greeks. They might have been an Ancient civilization, but they sure valued fashion, beauty, and expression, just like today. Ancient Greek clothing varied depending on gender, wealth and class. How does fashion and beauty in Ancient Greece compare and contrast to modern day impressions of fashion and beauty?

In Ancient Greek times, beauty was highly valued. Beauty is present even in Ancient Greek art; all are proportionally accurate. During those times, the spitting image of beauty that every woman modeled themselves after was the Goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. As a result of women wanting to improve their looks, they used cosmetics, which is not unlike the women of today. They used honey to help enhance the health of their skin, and olive oil was used to give their skin a shine and protect it from harmful substances in the environment. Just like modern day women, they used products to improve their health, which also improved their appearance. Pale skin was an attribute every Greek woman wanted because it signified that they were wealthy enough to not work in the sun. It showed they could live a leisurely life indoors instead of doing labor in the sun. They used chalk to whiten their face, as well as using white lead (which was toxic.) Lead was preferred over chalk however, because chalk wore off much quicker. Women also colored their lips, sometimes by staining them with wine. According to "Fashion in Ancient Greece," like in some cultures today, “…connected eyebrows were also fashionable, so women decorated their eyes with dark powder...” Make up was made of resources that were available, and so were their clothes. (”Fashion in Ancient Greece.”,”Hairstyles and Cosmetics in Ancient Greece.”)

Clothing was usually made of heavy wool material or imported linen fabric. It was also homemade. Wealth status had a great influence on clothing variations among different groups of people. One of the most common ways people distinguished different groups of people was by the colors of their clothes. Purple or white clothes were usually worn by wealthy aristocrats. Commoners could not afford to have their clothes dyed with bright, rich colors, so they wore more plain colors. However, the financially fit, like the wealthy aristocrats, were able to wear bright colors. Yellow was a color common among women. Clothing also varied among job occupations. For example, soldiers would wear dark red clothes so that they would not appear overly gory after a battle since blood would blend in with the dark red color. Another reason for clothing variation is gender. Both men and women wore chitons; a large rectangular tunic that was knee-length for men and ankle length for women. Men also wore himations and chlamyses for extra protection, but chlamyses were usually worn when more movement was required, like during hunting, since it was shorter. Women wore a long flowing robe called a peplos over their chitons. Clothing also might vary among family; children wore similar clothes to their parents. The first hat ever invented was invented by the Ancient Greeks, and they called it the petasos. It was broad rimmed and had a chin strap. This hate served the same purpose as hats do today; to protect you from the sun. Greeks not only had hats for their head, they also had many different hairstyles to go with it. (”Greek Clothing.”, “Fashion in Ancient Greece.”,”Ancient Greek Clothing.”, //Living in Ancient Greece//. 54-55., //Ancient Greece//. 43)

Ancient Greek women wore many different hairstyles. Hair styling was so popular among the Ancient Greeks, that they even had barber shops much like today! Today, women like to hang out at hair salons and chat while getting their hair done. In Ancient Greek times, males did this too at barber shops. Beards were not common in the Hellenistic era, but before that, having a beard and short hair was popular among men. Women’s hairstyle trends changed too; from curling and braiding hair to putting it up in a bun or ponytail. Blond hair was very rare among Greeks, so blond hair was a desired color. People would even try to bleach their hair to achieve the blond color. They would rub their hair with an ointment made out of natural substances like pollen and citrus juice and wait for a long time. Coloring hair is a very popular trend in the world nowadays. Shorn or short hair was a sign of slavery during these times. Wealthy women liked to decorate their hair with hair accessories. (”Fashion in Ancient Greece”, “History of Classic Hair Styles”,”Hairstyles and Cosmetics in Ancient Greece”)

Ancient Greek accessories were very detailed and beautiful. Accessories include earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, hair accessories; all things that we also use today. Not only did women wear them back then, but men did too, until the fourth century when this trend for males fell out of favor. Earrings were commonly made out of gold or silver and usually had intricate designs. Jewelry was another way to tell between the wealthy and the common people. Wealthy women especially liked to be adorned with jewelry and accessories. The more they had, the richer they were. Hair accessories were very common during these times. However, these hair ornaments were not just randomly placed; they had to be symmetrical on the head. The Ancient Greeks valued beauty and one of their values was proportion. They wore hand crafted hairpins, thread pearls and beads into their hair and wore ribbons woven with gems or flowers around their forehead. Men and women also wore wreaths that were made of “…flowers, bay, myrtle, scented oils, laurel, and ivy…” (”History of Classic Hairstyles”) These wreaths were made with scented oils so that the wearer would smell good to others. The use of these wreaths is like the use of perfumes today. We have many sources of bad odors that we want to cover up, and one of the most common is smelly shoes and feet. (”Fashion in Ancient Greece”, //Ancient Greece//. 41, ”History of Classic Hair Styles”)

Ancient Greeks had many different types of shoes. However, most Ancient Greeks liked to go barefoot. Everyone went barefoot indoors, no matter what wealth class they were. Outdoors, going barefoot was optional. People who could afford to wear shoes did, but peasants had to go barefoot outdoors as well as indoors. Spartans were another group of people who went barefoot outdoors, but their reason was not that they could not afford shoes; they just wanted to show off their toughness. Footwear became more and more popular as techniques and designs improved and made shoes more comfortable to wear. Shoes were commonly made out of leather, but sometimes they were made out of wood, smooth cloth, or felt. People tanned hides to produce shoes that were tan in color but could be dyed. Another popular process of making shoes was called “tawing,” which was when you used the soft hide of goats, sheep, and calves to produce a softer type of shoe that was white. People of very high class could even afford to coat their shoes in gold! Usually, Greek boots were worn by athletes and those who labored outdoors a lot, like hunters. Other types of shoes include: the Askerai (a winter shoe with fur lining,) the Cothurnus (leather boots that increased your height,) Embades (a shoe that was enclosed on all sides,) and the Kabartinai (a very convenient shoe to make that was often stored in case of emergencies.) (”Greek Footwear: Greek boots and shoes”, “Footwear of Ancient Greeks”)

Now the whole outfit is complete: cosmetics, hairstyles, clothes, accessories, and footwear! Ancient Greek women used make up to transform themselves into what was thought of as beautiful. They richly decorated and intricately styled their hair. Clothing color distinguished who was wealthy and who was not, and who was in between. Accessories were very popular; women put them in their hair and their clothes, and men had even worn accessories. Shoes were refined and made to be more comfortable. Fashion and beauty in Ancient Greece was different than modern day impressions, but they still valued the same things; keeping up with the latest trends and expressing themselves through their appearance.

__Works Cited:__

__Ancient Greece__. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. ”Fashion in Ancient Greece.” //12-5-09// //.// ”Footwear of Ancient Greeks.” //12-5-09 .// Fowler, Robin ”Ancient Greek Clothing.” 12-5-09. //”Greek Clothing.”// //12-5-09 .// ”Greek Footwear: Greek boots and shoes.”//12-5-09 .// ”Hairstyles and Cosmetics in Ancient Greece.” //12-5-09 .// //”History Of Classic Hair Styles.”// 12-5-09 . __Living in Ancient Greece__. New York: Thalamus, 2009.

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