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 HodgmanEditor, BBC History Revealed

Charlotte Hodgman is the editor of BBC History Revealed and HistoryExtra's royal newsletter. She was previously deputy editor of BBC History Magazine and makes the occasional appearance on the HistoryExtra podcast

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