Long before it became a trend on TikTok, blue eyeshadow was a symbol of female self-expression. It is one of the iconic fashion statements which has a rebellious history; an unforeseen symbol of women’s liberation movements; a visual declaration from ancient Egypt to the twentieth-century women who refused to play by society’s rigid beauty standards.

It all began in ancient Egypt, where blue played a significant role in society. For Egyptian queens like the iconic Cleopatra VII, the blue eyeshadow was not only a simple act of personal beauty statement but also a carefully studied political statement.

The pages of history remain silent on its influence in the millennia that followed, and it was not until the 1920s that the makeup trend saw a resurgence. During this time, known as the Jazz Age, society began to change rapidly, and the old Victorian ideas about “good” manners were being challenged. Women started using bold colours in their makeup that were previously tagged as “scandalous”, “inappropriate” and “deeply immoral” in society.

By the 1960s, people began to question gender roles and rights and to challenge societal limitations in their lives. Women now had the right to vote, work, and make

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