What’s all the buzz about with glitter? We see it literally everywhere. Glitter bath bombs. Glitter beards, butts, boobs, even glitter tears as a makeup statement. Glitter hair, phone cases, and even kitchen appliances and work tools. Despite what many might think, this glitter craze is not such a new trend. This obsession with shiny materials has been part of humanity since the beginning of time. Of course, I’m not implying that cavemen used glitter as a beauty product or to make their tools sparkle, but there’s evidence that Neanderthals used similar natural products extracted from rocks to enhance the beauty of things and themselves. We’ve always been mesmerized by materials that glow or shine. We’ve always associated it to magic or something beyond us, and wearing it gives us that sense of mysticism.
Egyptians, Greeks, and even the Mayans mixed certain elements with shiny metals, such as mica, to give that effect. Take Cleopatra, for instance. She’s always depicted with luxurious surroundings and a glowing skin effect that was achieved with mica. Let’s not just associate glitter with only beauty products. Even in Greek imagery, the idea of a shining shimmer dust was present. Think of the myth of Danae, who gets impregnated by Zeus transformed into a shower of golden dust. There are many stories that use glitter –if we were to call it that way– as a representation of the divine.
In that way, divinity, the heavens, and all the mysticism around them are related to this shiny element that gets humans closer to what we can’t comprehend. This is the case of Catholicism (of course, I’m not saying Christ was particularly fond of glitter) and the depictions and descriptions of figures like angels and images of the Virgin Mary. In Mexico, for example, there’s the Virgin of Guadalupe, whose blue mantle, representing the sky, is depicted with shiny materials to symbolize the stars. This is because glitter is our earthly way to approach the heavens and the universe.
Religion has gone hand in hand with this material. It can be found, as it was mentioned, in graphic representations and even in ancient traditions and rituals. Glitter reflects light, an important part of nature, like trees, the seas, and skies. Therefore, rituals use it as a means to catch the attention of spirits and bring them closer to us.
Leaving the religious associations with glitter, think about the element we associate with it the most: magic. For a very long time, we’ve depicted magical creatures like fairies in a world where everything is shiny and sparkling. Fairies are like tiny specks of glitter flying around. We even talk about pixie or fairy dust as a means of power and magic. In the same way, we associate the word shimmer with princesses and royalty, although we don’t really see Prince William and Kate Middleton covered in glitter. We use the material to convey mysticism, magic, and everything that’s above us, mortal and common beings. It becomes a sort of aspirational product that makes us feel covered by a mantle of divinity and superiority.
However, since the invention of glitter in the twentieth century, it has passed to represent and symbolize popular currents. We now link this material with pop culture, drag queens, glam fashion. We can’t conceive a rave or music festival without this mesmerizing product. That’s how we’ve passed to associate it with frivolity and a sense of tackiness, without considering the backstory of glitter.
Glitter has the quality of bringing fun and joy into our lives, so why not convey these emotions with our clothes? While many think glitter fashion is excessive and way too flashy and showy, there are many options to embrace this fashion in a sophisticated way that will make you feel part of a magic fairy world.
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Fashion can be more than just wearing trendy clothes, it can represent many things. Check these Pink Outfits For Women Who’ve Finally Decided To Go Rogue and see the story behind the color or 7 Ways To Rock Your Leather Outfits In A Sophisticated Way.
Source:
Huffington Post
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