I am not well versed in the history of glamour magic, but I am quite aware of the art of beauty. In 2012 I dove into the history of beauty. Where did these expectations come from? Who has the authority to say what is and is not beautiful? I’ll tell you, it’s definitely not the people the expectations are placed on. That is the power of magic though. It empowers us to take advantage of stereotypes, oppression, and systems put in place to control us. Flipping them on their heads to work in our favor.
Generally (yes this is a generalization), in the United States the gendered world of beauty specifically for women has been dominated by Western European features including straight hair, slender frame, narrow nose, and double eyelids. Ignoring the fact that very few individuals meet these standards, they have prevailed. It is the power of idealization. A desire that is capitalized on by various industries. It sells us the idea that we can obtain these unrealistic standards through the consumption of products. The right diet, exercise regimen, beauty products, clothes, and objects will make you beautiful. Everything you want to be is just one click, swipe, or purchase away. Beauty is a commodity that rooted in standards that can have racist, sexist, and even economic consequences.
Even as the current beauty trends shift over time their foundation is set in a specific aesthetic based on ancient standards. Plato, Socrates and other philosophers wrote on the construction of beauty (Etcoff 1999). Beauty was in relation to the numbers. These resulted in the creation of artistic representations of ideal proportions such as Farkas’ Canons (Etcoff 1999). These measurements were done using only Caucasian subjects and even then, the numbers were rarely to be found in actual people and hardly ever found in women of color (Etcoff 1999). The preferred equation today, according to Etcoff (1999), “consist of phi or the golden section” which consists of the “ratio of the smaller section to the larger section is the same as the ratio of the larger section to the whole” such as with the human hand.
This falls so nicely in line with Libra energy. Oh we do love a balanced aesthetic. Perfection is a feeling. An experience that can be found in the dawn of early morning, the touch of a lover, the enticing scent of your favorite dish, a luxurious bubble bath – complete with a hair and face mask along with a body scrub.
What is a glamour with a Libran flare? It is a look that elicits a particular response. The modern morning, evening, and get ready routines shared across social media are prime examples of this art in practice. Start at the end.
What response are you looking to get? To entice romance, friendship, a job/promotion, protection, even just a better seat on the train? Pick a response and then move backwards.
Now think of an example of when you received the response you desired. Go through the details of that moment. Most importantly be aware of how you felt and your thoughts. Get back into that space.
If you have a clear idea of the look that puts you into that energy, recreate it. Otherwise find someone who inspires you and find pieces that resonate with your overall desire.
Design the look from the shoes, accessories, clothes, hair, makeup, etc.
Now you can enchant the items involved in your look to give them an extra umph or set your get ready time aside as a ritual. This is the sacred space for you to put out your intention. Picture yourself in your look getting the outcome of what you intended.
Now get dressed and make it happen.
Libra’s manifest through relationships. The relationship with themselves, others, and the physical world around them. Healthy relationships, communication, and boundaries are the true glamour of Libra’s. We are starting with the inside and working our way to shaping the external.
Happy Libra Season.
-Kamilah Rose
Kamilah Rose | The Bliss Institute 