The Westmore Family is a well known name, yet perhaps now overlooked in the current beauty industry narrative, yet this family was so integral in the shaping of our contemporary beauty standards that this family created what we know as the “makeup chair” in Hollywood. The Westmores are an esteemed family who led makeup departments of film studios, wrote numerous books and worked to have the makeup chair as a standard norm in Hollywood studios. The family would go on to advocate for there to be an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The family’s name made an impact in Hollywood beginning with George Westmore, who created the first makeup department in 1917, where he freelanced through major film studios of the time. This experience also acquired a deep knowledge of how Hollywood studios operate, which would impact generations to come, with the achievement of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for the family.
George would go on to have six sons in leading makeup department roles in Hollywood studios, out of his 19 children during his marriage to Ada Savage. I am fascinated by the idea that each of so many of his sons were passionate enough to pursue a burgeoning industry, which undoubtedly crafted our idea of glamour and classic beauty, which holds firm in its concepts today. The family also found success in the emerging field of classic horror films, such as Frankenstein (1931). When Bud Westmore led Universal Studios, he took over for the role of makeup for Frankenstein – a truly artistic endeavor to create such an impactful and iconic film monster. According to Wikipedia, by 1926, four of George’s sons, Monte, Perc, Ern (Perc’s twin), and Bud all became chief makeup artists of four different Hollywood studios. They each became the champions of beauty in Hollywood, and they formulated the ideas of how women should look on screen. Their passion and impact was truly for the betterment of Hollywood studios. Monte, the first makeup artist to use airbrush makeup, tragically passed away due to a heart attack because of the demands of working on the film production of Gone with the Wind (1939). Monte was the only makeup artist working on such an extensive and expansive film production. His work on that film was the first use of airbrushing of makeup. Remaining family members went on to build the House of Westmore Salon, which served both Hollywood stars and the public alike.
The Westmore family brought innovation to Hollywood. They enabled Hollywood studios to have an in-house makeup artist, but they also crafted a narrative for the public to also hold themselves to a personal standard of grooming, which is to say that when you feel your best, you look your best. This is something that stands true today and will remain a timeless concept!
I own one of their books on the topic of 1940s beauty and most of the ideas presented are focused on ensuring skincare that suits your skin type and the overall enhancement of natural beauty with specific tools that are geared to bringing out the best of the features that person has. I think that’s more inspiring than some of the beauty standards we are seeing today, which emphasize so much “change” in the features of someone, so much so that people have normalized the idea of plastic surgery. This is not healthy for the most part to believe that changing oneself is a good thing, and it’s important to remember that we are all unique for a reason! Social media has unfortunately created unrealistic beauty standards through photoshop and filters and have impacted an entire generation to not be comfortable with their own features now. Beauty should be about elevating your best features and not changing them. It’s important to remember that beauty does come from within and that the attitude and mindset one carries is also reflected in your style makeup!
The Westmore family was not only critical in its development of major film studio makeup departments, they also learned to collaborate. Ern Westmore, for example, went on to work closely with Max Factor, another well-known Hollywood name. Ern, for his part, worked on Bette Davis giving her a fuller more natural brow and focused on creating the classic lip line we know her to have.
In contemporary Hollywood, the family has continued to work on major productions, including films like Blade Runner in the 1980s, and perhaps most notably, for the Star Trek series. Ultimately, the passion and commitment to quality and understanding of character development and presentation in Hollywood is how the Westmore family has persisted for so many generations. Today, the brand lives on through Westmore Beauty with his great-great granddaughter’s commitment to timeless beauty sharing its commitment to 100+ years of innovation.
Sources:
Rosy BVM 