Abstract
In this essay, I explore the reasons why Victorian women anxiously wanted their garments to be "suitable for their complexions." In the Victorian period, "good complexions" not only meant fair skin that was fine in texture, they also signified the purity, fineness, and gaiety of the women to whom they belonged. In other words, good complexions were vouchers for good characters. This judgment was sanctified by the popular belief that good complexions were "a gift of Nature," and therefore a true exposure of one's purity in mind. The same belief demoralized people having different complexions. Reddened and flushed faces, blotches, freckles, even tiny black spots and oily skin were categorized as bad complexions. Such dichotomy idealized fair skin, while unreasonably denunciated all other types. Furthermore, women with bad complexions were labeled as immoral, because it was firmly believed that bad complexions were the result of indulgence, intemperateness, and vanity. They were stamped on the face as indelible badges of such sins. Cosmetics were also severely criticized, since they were incompatible with the ideal of "a gift of Nature." Under social and moral pressures, women had to find a means to improve their complexions. One of only a few socially acceptable options was to select the right colors for their garments.
