Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

138 Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks
On long journeys, men sometimes wore short lace-up boots, turned
over at the top. But, while sandals and boots were fairly common,
probably most Greek men went barefoot, even when performing
military service.
Perfume was popular among both men and women. It was generally
made by boiling the petals of flowers. Athletes applied perfume
to their bodies after exercise, as is indicated by grave reliefs
that show them carrying a small bottle attached to their wrists by
means of a thong. Guests at a symposium also liberally sprinkled
themselves with perfume. A highly prized perfume container was
the alabastron, so named because it was carved of alabaster.
Makeup
It was a sign of beauty in a woman to have a pale complexion,
which is why women on vases are frequently depicted with whitened
faces. Their paleness was a natural consequence of spending
most of their time indoors. However, some women sought to
enhance their natural appearance by applying makeup. They also
applied round spots to their cheeks and darkened their eyebrows
with the soot produced by lamps. Eyes, eyelashes, and lips were
painted a variety of colors. Not everyone approved, however. In
Xenophon’s treatise Household Management, crusty old Ischomachos
makes the following acerbic observation:
One day I noticed that my wife had put makeup on. She had rubbed white
lead onto her face to make her complexion look paler than it really was
and rouge onto her cheeks to make them look rosier than they really were,
and she was wearing platform shoes to make her look taller than she really
was. (9.19.2)
This drew the following stern lecture from him:
You are to assume, my dear, that I do not prefer white paint and red dye
to your real color, but just as the gods have made horses so as to give
pleasure to horses, cows to cows, and sheep to sheep, so humans find the
natural body most delightful. (9.19.7)
Ischomachos concludes his puritanical homily:
Mix flour, knead dough, and shake and fold the cloaks and the bedclothes.
This will increase your appetite, improve your health, and add redness to
your cheeks. (9.19.11)