Quirky Collections

There are some very strange artefacts to be found here at Maidstone Museum, not least our 19th Century removable beauty marks, or ‘mouche’. The use of stick-on moles originated in the 17th century as a way to cover a female’s (or indeed male’s) blemishes or spots and create the desired ‘porcelain look’. In the 20th century they were reintroduced following the likes of Marilyn Monroe who created a vogue for beauty marks, encouraging others to mimic this look. They show the importance of self-image and the bizarre lengths that society would go to in the name of beauty!