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Examples Of Racial Masquerade In The 1920's

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Examples Of Racial Masquerade In The 1920's
In the 1920s and the early 1930s, feminity was produced in a racial masquerade, so it could be worn or it could be taken off according to “Racial Masquerade” by Alys Eve Weinbaum. Weinbaum states that there are three main parts to this racial masquerade: transforming the visual surface of the body, consuming commodities produced in the mass market, and creating race as a performance. The cosmetic industry was one driver of this ideology of racial masquerade. For example, many advertisements promised “buyers the ability to transform not only the quality, tone, and texture of the skin, but also its racial significance” (Weinabaum, p. 129). The “Vienna Youth Mask” and the “Valaze Face Powder” were examples of products advertised during the 1920s

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