>>19938601No effort is so great that woman will not make it in order to achieve this
metamorphosis. No make-up can cost too much, or take too long to put
on, when it is a question of the final product which will distinguish them
so markedly from men. By rubbing cream into their skins they make
them smoother than men's. Their hair is curled or worn long for the
same reason. They do not put black mascara around their eyes for the
sake of beauty — it is to make their eyes differ from male eyes —
strange, mysterious, disturbing.
All this was the original purpose of the female masquerade, but it has
almost been forgotten now. In the course of the last few decades, the
average middleclass married woman has developed from a rather busy
domestic servant into a kind of demimondaine, well padded with the
comforts provided by men. As a result of this, her former games, which
were for the specific purpose of transforming her appearance, have
become an end in themselves. And since amusing themselves with their
own bodies is their favourite game, and well-to-do middle-class wives
frequently have nothing else to do, they occupy themselves in this way.
What is more, they are encouraged to do so by men. After all, it is men
who manufacture their cosmetics, design their fashions and hair styles,
and make a living by doing so; they do their best to provide these
women with new variations, helped by the editors of women's
magazines and by women's radio programs. In fact, women have almost
succeeded in producing a totally new feminine culture, a sort of
women's arts and crafts. In this sanctuary they live among themselves,
disturbed by none, being led to heights, or rather into depths, where no
man can follow, apart from those specialized slave laborers mentioned above.
From:
https://archive.org/details/esther_vilarthe_manipulated_man_1998 
