Why Were Fake Eyelashes Invented?

On June 6, 1911, a Canadian woman named Anna Taylor patented the first artificial lashes, forever changing the beauty landscape.

Taylor's invention paved the way for the mass production of false eyelashes, offering women across the globe access to voluminous lashes previously reserved for the elite. From the stages of Broadway to the silver screens of Hollywood, false lashes would quickly become a staple in the world of entertainment.

Throughout history, longer lashes have symbolized beauty and allure. Anna Taylor didn't claim the first patented artificial lashes until 1911, but people were fixated on the idea of making their eyes more appealing long before that.

The ancient Egyptians, known for their extravagant makeup techniques, sought to achieve mesmerizing eyes framed by long lashes. To adorn their eyes and protect them from the harsh sun, they darkened their natural eyelashes with kohl and other substances. There's evidence that both women and men in ancient Egypt wore cosmetics.

Women in ancient Rome also used kohl, along with burnt cork, to accentuate their eyes. And in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, women used berries to dye their eyelashes a shade similar to that of the queen's hair, which was a novel shade of red at the time.

People were no less obsessed with their lashes when the Victorian era arrived. Eugene Rimmel, Queen Victoria's perfumer and the eventual founder of the Rimmel makeup brand, created the first mascara from coal dust and Vaseline (which, by the way, has been around since 1870).

People sometimes credit American film director D.W. Griffith with inventing artificial eyelashes, but there's little to no evidence to support this claim.

As the story goes, Griffith was working on his film "Intolerance" in 1916. Known for his attention to detail in important scenes, he recognized the impact of long lashes under electric lights.

To enhance the eyes of actress Seena Owens, he asked the film's wigmaker to glue human hair onto her eyelids using spirit gum, effectively creating a set of false eyelashes.

This story may or may not be true, but it's certainly false that Griffith invented fake lashes since Taylor had already patented her idea five years prior.

Just as the popularity of fake eyelashes was starting to soar in the United States and Canada, people's fascination with makeup was taking off, too. These beauty standards were on display in Hollywood more prominently than anywhere else.

Max Factor, a Russian maker of cosmetics who emigrated to the U.S. in 1914, developed a close relationship with the film industry and was soon supplying the studios with eye shadow, eyebrow pencils and other products. The makeup artists on film sets used these new tools to make their actors and actresses look good on the big screen.

In 1916, Factor began making his makeup available to the public, transforming the way women of that day and age approached eye makeup. In doing so, he kicked off a beauty revolution and set the foundation (pun intended) for what the beauty industry would become.

By the 1930s, curling eyelashes was also en vogue. The first device for curling lashes was patented on April 7, 1931, with the design looking virtually no different from the devices you see on the market today.

Modern false eyelashes come in various forms, each using different techniques to mimic the appearance of long eyelashes, creating a more glamorous effect.

"Falsies" is a colloquial term used to refer to false eyelashes in general, encompassing various types, such as glue-on lashes, magnetic lashes and eyelash extensions.

People's obsession with long, luxurious-looking lashes continues, although today falsies are such a common beauty staple that probably very few people even know the name of the woman who invented fake eyelashes.

The entertainment, fashion and beauty industries have significantly boosted the appeal of lash enhancement. This encompasses the many public figures, past and present, who became famous for treating the cameras to one glamorous look after another.

From the fluttering lashes of Marilyn Monroe in her classic films to the dramatic eye makeup of Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian on the red carpet, false eyelashes remain a timeless accessory that beauty enthusiasts wear and enjoy worldwide.

This article was created in conjunction with AI technology, then was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.