So, while the workers certainly had red skin from working outside all day, the high classes would shutter themselves indoors or even slather on egg whites to achieve the palest complexion possible. According to " Into the Gloss," people at this time took being pale so seriously that they would regularly bleed themselves - as in with leeches - to remove overall redness from the skin. With this new development, the Middle Ages saw a drop in cosmetics use, as very pale skin had become a signifier of the high-class. But as with many cosmetics of this era, it was also deadly. The chalk or lead face powder they'd use to whiten their faces was actually toxic, so that turned out to be not such a good regimen.
Meanwhile, the Romans used red vermillion and the Greeks used crushed mulberries on their cheeks, which stood in stark contrast with their pale faces, and ended up becoming a status symbol of sorts. Queens of the Nile exhibition at Rijksmuseum van Oudheden.
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