Beauty marks were highly regarded during the 18th century and creating false ones became common. They were often in fanciful shapes such as hearts and stars. And while many people today, famous and not so famous, have beauty marks (think Cindy Crawford and some woman I saw in the mall a couple of weeks ago), they were a well used device by a number of actresses in the twenties and thirties. They often moved around the face to suit the whim of the wearer or a role being played. Here are a few images of actresses we have already covered, with and sans beauty marks. Two of the leading actresses of the day, Jean Harlow and Clara Bow, aren't featured here because firstly, I haven't covered Jean yet and secondly, they both had so many beauty marks in so many different facial locations, they would require their own separate beauty mark post.
Click the images for a larger view.
Greta Nissen unadorned in the center, but well marked for her role in The Lucky Lady (1926) opposite Lionel Barrymore.

I'm pretty sure that Gloria Swanson's beauty mark was natural, but there are as many pictures of her without a mark as with.

I've only seen one image of Joan Crawford with a beauty mark
and it was part of the makeup for Rain.

I guess Anita Page or her publicist thought she should have at least
one picture of her sporting a beauty mark.

Pola Negri had one of those moving beauty marks.

Alice Terry, wears two marks for what I believe was her role as
Aline de Kercadiou in Scaramouche (1923).
So if beauty marks are to your liking, go out and get one today, they were all the rage way back when.
2 comments:
Right now there is a fashion for, so help me, something called a "Marilyn piercing," which means a stud where Monroe had a beauty mark. Take a look if you haven't seen one. I prefer the old marks, myself; at least the stars could take off the mark at the end of the day, without a scar!
I'd rather a woman have piercing eyes :-)
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