Behind the Red Door: Stacy Cordery Shares the Life and Empire of Elizabeth Arden

By: Forgottonia Times™ Report

Historian and former Monmouth College professor Stacy Cordery captivated a large audience at the Buchanan Center for the Arts with her talk on business icon Elizabeth Arden. Cordery's latest book, "Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire," explores the life of the beauty magnate, tracing her rise from humble life in rural Canada to global fame.

Cordery, now a professor at Iowa State University, previously taught at Monmouth for 22 years. She is also known for her biographies of Alice Roosevelt Longworth and Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, which were written during her time teaching at Monmouth.

In her presentation, Cordery emphasized Arden's impact on the beauty industry, summarizing her life's work in three words: "Beauty is power." Arden, born Florence Nightingale Graham, revolutionized the industry by normalizing makeup for everyday women, transforming it from a taboo practice associated with actresses and prostitutes into an empowering art form. But Arden dared to ask, "Wouldn't you like to look like that?" as she described Arden's beginnings in the makeup industry. This shift, she explained, led to what became known as "the Arden look," which helped establish makeup as an art form and a mainstream practice for women.

Arden's business flourished, expanding from her flagship Fifth Avenue salon in New York to more than 350 locations across the U.S. and globally at a time when few were women-owned businesses. Her signature red storefront doors and "Arden pink" packaging became synonymous with luxury beauty.

Cordery also highlighted Arden's use of gorgeous women who served as traveling beauty demonstrators, bringing her products to department stores nationwide, attracting customers eager to emulate the beauty that these demonstrators portrayed and Arden promised. “They'd be in Des Moines or in Galesburg, and people would come (to department stores) just to see these beautiful women."

The discussion also touched on Arden's personal life, including two failed marriages and her pioneering efforts in creating the first luxury spa. "She believed beauty wasn't about landing a man but empowering women to conquer the world," said Cordery.

"Becoming Elizabeth Arden" has garnered glowing reviews and works to share the life of Elizabeth Arden with readers. The beauty icon is a testament to the common phrase "Look good, feel good," and wanted to encourage women to do their best while they feel their best. Though she passed away in 1966, her beauty empire continues to live on within the company Revlon, leaving a lasting influence in the modern cosmetics industry.