|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/7/2009
Posts: 33,659
Neurons: 100,155
Location: Inside Farlex computers
|
 Geisha: "Art Person"A geisha is a traditional Japanese artist-entertainer skilled at conversation, singing, and dancing. The geisha system likely originated in the 17th century to provide a class of well-trained entertainers separate from courtesans and prostitutes. Even though geisha are usually women, the first ones were actually men. The numbers of geisha have declined from some 80,000 in the 1920s to a few thousand today. Why did geisha often paint their teeth black as part of their formal make-up? More...
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/23/2011
Posts: 567
Neurons: 170,308
Location: Orillia, Ontario, Canada
|
It is done partly because uncoloured teeth seem very yellow in contrast to white face makeup; colouring the teeth black means that they seem to "disappear" in the darkness of the open mouth. This illusion is of course more pronounced at a distance.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/3/2009
Posts: 3,917
Neurons: 15,842
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/3/2009
Posts: 3,917
Neurons: 15,842
|
I was wrong with that picture. Not Japan geisha but China.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 12/26/2010
Posts: 538
Neurons: 23,973
Location: Hebron, Connecticut, United States
|
The Geisha painted their teeth black so that their own teeth wouldn't interfere with over-all look of beauty they were attempting to achieve. Naked teeth against power white skin would look rat yellow--unslightly. Why did paint the teeth paper white--more natural than black? But Geishahood is an art form and they knew what they were doing for centuries so who am I to offer advice?
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Joined: 3/3/2014
Posts: 22
Neurons: 3,431
Location: Cebu City, Central Visayas, Philippines
|
curmudgeonine wrote:It is done partly because uncoloured teeth seem very yellow in contrast to white face makeup; colouring the teeth black means that they seem to "disappear" in the darkness of the open mouth. This illusion is of course more pronounced at a distance.
made my day!! 
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012
Posts: 5,045
Neurons: 34,900
Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
Memoirs of a GeishaA novel I can really recommend.
|
|
Rank: Member
Joined: 1/26/2014
Posts: 309
Neurons: 11,475
Location: Steubenville, Ohio, United States
|
Great posts! Great article!
|
|
|
Guest |