Have you heard of glossers, glissers, eyeliners, shaders, blushers and highlighters? Probably the answer is yes. It is unlikely, however, that women who are deaf have any knowledge of them. Or so Esme Smart, supervisor for a New Zealand cosmetics firm, reasoned.
“My mother was deaf for 20 years before she had an operation which restored her hearing,” said Mrs Smart, “so it’s not surprising that when considering a group needing help with make-up I should think of the deaf.”
If you have been deaf from birth you have obviously never heard sound. So how do you reproduce something in speech which is beyond your experience?
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“It can be embarrassing for women not confident about the way they talk to go into the cosmetic department of a chemist’s shop and try to explain what they want. It’s unlikely that anyone will ever have shown them how to apply make-up,” said Mrs Smart.
She decided to approach the Society of Friends of the Deaf, who thought her idea of make-up sessions at their women’s classes would be a big success.
The first two classes that Esme and consultant Babs Ockhuysen instructed were so popular that Esme decided to invite a few of the ladies to a make-up session and lunch in her own home.
“That is better than in a hall. Just half a dozen ladies, one of whom will be the model for the demonstration. They help each other, and help us communicate with them,” said Esme.
“All women like to look good, to make the best of themselves. If you look good you feel more confident. This is very, very important to these women,” said Mrs Smart.
“They have learned how to cope with their disability in essential ways. Cosmetics are not essential, but they are fun and can be used to give a woman a bit of a boost,” she contended.
Caption: An attentive audience listens to Esme Smart’s commentary as Mrs Laura Hunt is made up by consultant Babs Ockhuysen.
