100 Years of Make-up, Part 8: 1970s

1970s
In an era of increased political activity, the women's liberation movement emerges, generating a backlash against the concept of prettying oneself to please men.

Women also realize that the beauty industry is governed by and perpetuated by men, and eschew the defiant lipstick-wearing of their suffragette sisters to denounce make-up and embrace the natural look.

The publication of Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch inspires an anti-establishment look. Boiler suits are donned, bras are burned and women stop shaving their armpits and legs.

Despite the growing assertion of black culture – symbolised by the popularity of the Afro hairstyle – major cosmetics companies continue to ignore the need for a beauty range suited to darker skins. Iman, a Somali-born diplomat's daughter, becomes the first black supermodel.