Mona Eltahawy Instagram – Beauty in the time of fascism is solace and power. It is what I call Deliberate Beauty and as I adorn my eyes with liner every morning, it is also homage and healing.
Women and men of all social classes in ancient Egypt were wearing eyeliner as early as 6000 BC. I consider my eye liner brush a family legacy.
One of my favourite items at an exhibit on Egyptian queens that I went to for my birthday in 2021 was a kohl container with an inscription showing that it belonged to both the king and queen–the parents of Pharaoh Akhenaton
Being a writer, I am particularly delighted that the hieroglyphic term for makeup artist derives from the root “sesh,” which translates to write or engrave. As I hold that eye pencil or brush, I feel like a calligrapher, writing a letter of love to myself:
The ancient Egyptian word for “makeup palette” derives from the word meaning “to protect.” My ancestors believed Kohl eyeliner protected them against the harsh sunlight or the Evil Eye; I believe the eyeliner I apply every day protects me against the ugly days of fascism.
Fascism will have you wondering “What’s the fucking point of eyeliner in these grim days?”
When fascism aims to strip us of our hope and joy in living, I write those daily letters of love to myself around my eyes, determined and deliberate in my beauty.
Beauty as antidote; beauty as power. | Posted on 01/Feb/2025 22:19:19
