Owning Egypt: Appropriation Mechanisms in Beauty and Fashion Advertising in the United States, 1922-1924

Abstract

This paper examines how ancient Egyptian iconography was appropriated by American beauty and fashion advertisers between 1922 and 1924 following the rediscovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. While Egyptomania is often interpreted as a positive trend, I argue that advertisers deliberately appropriated ancient Egyptian motifs to uses as a commercial tool in three distinct phases: first illustrated as an exotic spectacle, then embodied as whitewashed figures, and finally reduced to a brand word. Through analysis of soap, perfume, cosmetic, and fashion advertisements, this paper demonstrates how sacred symbols, royal figures, and references to places such as Luxor were detached from their historical context and transformed into alluring signs of luxury, mystery, and exoticism. Advertisers used visual and textual strategies, like pharaonic imagery altered to fit contemporary beauty standards, and framed ancient Egypt as exotic yet accessible. By focusing on the advertiser rather than the consumer, this research reveals how the appropriation of ancient Egyptian imagery was not a harmless act of admiration but rather a calculated act of cultural appropriation used to sell product.