Eyelash extensions in the 20th century In 1902, Karl Nessler, a famous hairdresser and inventor, patented a method in the United Kingdom for weaving artificial eyelashes and eyebrows. By 1903, he was already selling artificial eyelashes at his London salon. In 1911, a Canadian woman named Anna Taylor patented artificial eyelashes for the first time, using a fabric half moon implanted with tiny hairs. In 1915, Karl Nessler, a hairdresser known for his permanent waves, opened a hair salon in New York and sold eyelash services, promoting false eyelashes in his salon as, according to the New York Times, “protection against the glare of electric lights”.
He also hired choristers to sell them and beat up customers. The false statement is accompanied by an image of contemporary French actress Alice Regnault. Regnault didn't invent false eyelashes and she wasn't a prostitute. Another viral image shows a screenshot of a Google search for “long eyelashes” (1882), generating results that support the false statement.
The search results appear to come from the meme website Americas Best Pics and Videos, where the meme was shared in late January. USA TODAY contacted several Instagram and Facebook users who published the statement. Throughout history, societies have coveted long eyelashes, and people have tried many techniques to meet these beauty standards. According to the magazine Marie Claire, women and men in ancient Egypt darkened their eyelashes with kohl and ointments to protect their eyes from the desert sun.
Women in ancient Rome followed similar practices, since they believed that long eyelashes indicated virtue. The first cosmetic mask was invented in the Victorian era by Queen Victoria's perfumer Eugene Rimmel. Griffith was falsely credited with the invention, after he ordered a movie wig manufacturer to use hair to beautify the eyes of silent film actress Seena Owen during the production of the 1916 film “Intolerance”. USA TODAY could not find any record of Gerda Puridle or any prostitute using false eyelashes for the purposes indicated in the meme.
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app, or e-newspaper replica here. Our fact-checking work is supported, in part, by a grant from Facebook. When you think of false eyelashes, what kind of look comes to mind? Is the modern aesthetic of a villain so loved by both the hottest celebrities and influential people? Is the explosive 90s look inspired by Pamela Anderson, who has recently resurfaced? Maybe it goes back even further: icons from the '50s like Sophia Loren, or even flappers from the (original) Roaring '20s.
As with most beauty inventions, the history of false eyelashes — including the reason why false eyelashes were invented — is a legitimately crazy story with experiments, pseudoscience, and methods of application that are strange enough to give even the most diehard beauty lovers goosebumps. The path to our modern false eyelashes may have been chaotic, but learning about it will make you even more grateful for the rows and rows of easy-to-use eyelashes found on the shelves of every drugstore in the United States. Get ready: it's time to delve into the history of false eyelashes. While eyelashes perform some biological function by acting as an early warning system if dirt, dust, or other foreign agents get too close to the important eyeshadow, their cultural importance is purely aesthetic.
While they're not inherently feminine (everyone knows people of all genders with long, wide eyelashes), they're considered a feminine trait, although it's not entirely clear why. Some experts theorize that it has to do with the relationship between youth and what society considers female beauty standards, while others speculate that long, dark eyelashes enhance the whites of the eyes and become a kind of indicator of health. However, the most accepted idea today is that long eyelashes simply make the eyes appear larger, and in most cultures, big eyes are one of the most important factors of “feminine beauty” in general. So it makes sense that the recorded use of false eyelashes dates back to the Roman Empire.
Eyelash improvements, such as rudimentary masques and even curling tools, also have a long history in ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic, but it was a Roman philosopher (really the first influencer) who perpetuated the idea that eyelashes fell out with age and sexual promiscuity; suddenly, the Romans became very important for the Romans to have the longest and most lush eyelashes possible thanks to botanicals, kohl and even minerals. Eyelash trends came and went over the years (in medieval times, it was fashionable to pluck them all together with the eyebrows to show the forehead, which was considered the sexiest part of the body long before BBL), especially with reports of real eyelash extension applications that appeared at the end of the 19th century in Paris, although their version requires needles that implant synthetic hair directly into the skin. Although that atrocious stitching began in 1899, it wasn't long before a different interpretation of false eyelashes appeared, and they look much more like modern false eyelashes. The first patent for false eyelashes was granted in 1911 to a Canadian woman, but five years later, it was an American film director named D, W.
Griffith, who was looking for a more dramatic and exotic look for his protagonist. Although the false eyelashes designed by the production's wig manufacturer were effective, since they were made of human hair and chewing gum, they were irritating and harsh. I can't imagine why. Perhaps the biggest change occurred when production materials were changed to plastic in the 1950s.
Synthetic fibers, similar to those in today's most popular styles, were easy to reproduce and mass-produce, which in turn made fake use more regular and widespread. Nowadays, you can choose false eyelashes made of plastic and other synthetic materials, as well as real animal hair such as mink. They are considered essential for full-scale glamor for everyone, from celebrities to teenagers, on graduation night. In 1911, a Canadian inventor named Anna Taylor patented artificial eyelashes.
These artificial eyelashes are made of fine human hair, woven into a metal band and worn with a headband. Owen later suffered severe allergic reactions, and the style became so popular that 20 million pairs of false eyelashes were sold a year in the 1930s. Eyelash extensions were invented and patented in 1911 by Anna Taylor. She owned a beauty salon in New York.
Taylor is credited with being the first person to apply false eyelashes commercially. W Griffith wanted her actress to have eyelashes that would touch her cheeks, so she told her wig manufacturer to make false eyelashes for her heroine, Seena Owen. At the end of the 19th century, several aesthetic specialists began offering implants for eyelash extensions. Asako (left) and Naoko (right) are certified eyelash stylists and owners of Divine Lashes, a site for eyelash lovers to meet and learn more about eyelash extensions and tightening.
In the past decade, many manufacturers of eyelash extensions have appeared in China, Vietnam, Thailand, India and other Asian countries due to the expensive nature of Korean false eyelashes. While the practice of artificial eyelash lengthening began in the late 19th century, the first patent for an artificial eyelash was not obtained until 1911. As the Middle Ages progressed, false eyelashes were used in competitive contests, in which each woman tried to surpass the next with her makeup and eyelashes. While COVID affected the eyelash extension industry like any other industry, it's not going to end anytime soon because the eyes are now even more important, thanks to the masks that cover the lips.
The popularity of false eyelashes and any type of makeup has continued to grow, and it is possible that false eyelashes will continue to grow in popularity. Eyelash extensions offer a different layer of beauty that highlights the eyes and completes an outfit. However, over the years, the function of eyelash extensions has changed and they are now used for a variety of purposes, such as making the eyes look bigger, fuller and more defined. According to the beauty magazine Marie Claire, humans were fiddling with and beautifying their eyelashes in ancient Egypt, although it wasn't until the late 19th century that people discovered that they could lengthen their eyelashes with human hair.
In the 1950s, false eyelashes reappeared when Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe began using them on a daily basis. The main reason for the invention of eyelash extensions was to enhance the beauty of the eyes and make them stand out. .
