Appearance was everything in the Renaissance – a way to make a good marriage and gain power and influence. But what if you fell short of the era’s exacting beauty ideals? Speaking with Charlotte Hodgman, Professor Jill Burke ventures into the realm of Renaissance beauty culture, touching on everything from poisonous makeup and hair removal to 16th-century body anxieties and homemade cosmetic recipes.

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Jill Burke is the author of How to be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity (Profile Books, 2023)

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Authors

Charlotte HodgmanStrategic Projects Editor, HistoryExtra

Charlotte Hodgman is Strategic Projects Editor for HistoryExtra. She currently looks after the HistoryExtra Academy and was previously editor of BBC History Revealed, and deputy editor of BBC History Magazine - although not at the same time. She also makes the occasional appearance on the HistoryExtra podcast

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