Monroe’s Mark

For most of human history, beauty marks have not always considered to be beautiful. In Ancient Rome, the standard of beauty was fair and spotless skin. In medieval Europe, pigmented lesions were one of several cutaneous signs associated with "evil" or demonic connection, the so-called Devil's mark. The attitude toward beauty marks improved in the 18th century, when moles became popular among the royal courts of Europe. Artificial beauty marks, known as mouches, were created from silk, velvet, or taffeta and were worn by both men and women. After a several-centuries–long period of quiescence, however, the beauty mark reemerged in the 1950s in association with the era's greatest sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. She quickly became known for the off-center mole above her left upper lip, and with it she appealed to generations of women for many years to come.