Body Painting

Body painting is a combination of sport and art…definitely not for the timid or inhibited.
Body painting can range from actually painting designs or symbols directly on the body, or body painting can be achieved in a more uninhibited fashion by rolling in paint to create a melange of colors over the entire body.

In effect, body painting is a sort of temporary tatooing. Body painting can simply be removed at will, and a whole new body painting event take place. Body painting can, of course, be applied to any part of the body. If one wants body painting only on the face, there are any number of decorative patterns that might be used in this area of body painting…anything from flowers to insets to abstract designs.

Body painting has been practiced for most of recorded time among native tribes in several countries, including Africa and Australia. Today's body painting is a derivative from the earlier tribal forms of body painting which were often associaed with rituals of one kind or another, including preparation for war. This early form of body painting of course preceded tatoos as used in the present time.

Simple forms of body painting include the face painting done at festivals and carnivals, primarily for children. It seems it is a primitive instinct to decorate the body, as children love this kind of body painting. It is of course important to use only natural and non-toxic paints when doing body painting. Caution should be used especially when applying body painting to children whose delicate skin might be more sensitive than adults'.

In a real sense, the use of cosmetics is a form of body painting. It is more subtle than overt painting of objects and symbolls on the skin, but nevertheless it is body painting. Different shades of base and power are applied to enhance the complexion….red or other colors applied to lips to strongly define them in this form of body painting. And eyes are often boldly colored and lined for exotic effect in the costmetic form of body painting.

A great deal of money is made by companies who produce the cosmetics used in this form of body painting. Since it became popular, and permissible, in the US and Europe in the early 20th century for women to "paint" their faces, huge companies have jumped on this particular body painting bandwagon to promote products worldwide with which women can enhance their features with cosmetic body painting. New colors, new trends, new types of cosmetics are introduced daily to assist women, and men as well, particularly in the entertainment industry, to effectively use cosmetic body painting.

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