It is believed Elizabeth turns to cosmetics to hide her smallpox scars. She increases her usage of it as she ages, in order to retain an appearance of youth. Her makeup creates the mask-like white face shown in paintings of the time. Some people of her time call the skin-whitening practice "barbaric" and dangerous. Elizabeth also popularizes shaving facial hair for women. This takes place as race is consolidating as a concept, and protecting the “purity” of whiteness is also emerging as a justification for the enslavement of Africans.