Before images of haute couture regularly invaded our timelines and news feeds, our ancestors made use of an ancient form of art to vent their creative impulses: face painting.
We have done many things to show off what we are wearing on the outside, paying attention to the latest fashion and makeup trends, putting on the most gorgeous clothes that we can get our hands on, shoes and accessories as well as making sure that our makeup game is always on point. But it’s the freedom of using our flesh as a canvas that is fun and somewhat magical, allowing us to briefly transform ourselves with this temporary ‘mask’. So it is no wonder that face-painting is always a popular part of parties, theme parks and carnivals, with the young and the young-at-heart queuing up enthusiastically at such booths.
Bring The Scary Faces Out
Another time when face paint is seen very often is when Halloween rolls around. Also called “All Hallows’ Eve”, this widely celebrated festival is dedicated to remembering the dead and revolves around the theme of using humour to confront the power of death. The one thing most associated with Halloween festivities is definitely getting dressed up in costumes everything from supernatural figures (vampires, ghosts, zombies, witches, devils, skeletons) to popular fictional characters and even inanimate objects. But for those who don’t want to break the bank and still get into the festivities, face painting is definitely the way to go.
Fashion & Functionality
Rock musicians had also taken to performing with extensive face and body paint during their on-stage performances, with the most notable band being KISS. Other rock bands, especially those from the black metal genre, deviated from the way KISS did their makeup and opted for a scarier style that made them resemble corpses, appropriately dubbed as “corpse paint”.
In the world of professional wrestling where gimmicks are aplenty, face and body paint is not an uncommon occurrence. Famed wrestlers such as The Road Warriors, Sting, Goldust and Ultimate Warrior has until today become well-recognised for their use of crazy face paint. In recent years, veteran pro wrestler Finn Balor has also gained popularity for his incredible face and body paint designs that range from comic book characters to downright ‘demonic’.
Baseball and American football players have taken to drawing black rectangles under their eyes (called “eyeblack”) for their respective games in order to reduce the amount of unwanted glare that gets into their eyes, which increases their ability to see things and perform better.
Camo Cover
For militaries all over the world, soldiers involved in combat scenarios in jungles also take to painting their faces in colours such as black, green and brown to camouflage with their surroundings.
What kind of face and/or body paintings have you tried before? Share with us in the comments section below!
