For a long time, women lived with constant scrutiny from society and went to extreme measures to conform to societal expectations. The freedom we enjoy today is a relatively recent development. From constantly changing beauty standards to societal pressure and the fear of being mocked and rejected, women have gone to dangerous and even life-threatening extremes to adhere to patriarchal demands. Disability for a successful marriage, brain tumors in exchange for porcelain-like skin, giving up the ability to breathe properly for a wasp waist — these are just a few examples of the sacrifices women made in an attempt to meet societal expectations. Fortunately, women today have much more freedom of choice — we can wear any clothing that reflects our own taste rather than conforming to the preferences of others. However, this was not always the case.
Corsets, although still popular today, cannot compare to the corsets women were forced to wear in the past. The corsets made of fabric and whalebone that emerged in the 16th century were designed to "squeeze" a woman's waist to the desired measurements and maintain a perfect posture. Corsets were also seen as a symbol of a woman's moral strength, and their abandonment was considered promiscuous and immoral. It is difficult to imagine the daily struggle of women as they confined themselves in these restrictive garments, which restricted their ability to breathe and move. The consequences of such torture were devastating: compressed ribs and heart muscles, miscarriages (corsets were worn even by pregnant women, as removing them and showing a rounded belly was considered improper), fainting, suffocation, and even death. It wasn't until the 19th century that doctors began warning women about tightly lacing corsets. Starting in the 1860s, the medical journal "The Lancet," which is still published today in the UK, regularly published articles about the dangers of tight lacing. Fortunately, in the 20th century, corsets were replaced by bras, completely eliminating this crippling piece of women's clothing.
In the first half of the 19th century, wide crinoline skirts became fashionable, which were a framework of hoops made of whalebone or linen. These skirts, with a diameter of up to 180 centimeters, were believed to maintain the necessary distance between women and men and give women's walking a light and flowing appearance. This item of clothing became so popular that the British magazine Punch introduced a special term, "crinolinomania," dedicated to this fashion trend. Naturally, such a structure caused its wearer a lot of inconvenience: difficulties in passing through doorways, sitting down, or getting into a carriage, and it was impossible to use the toilet. Women had to endure these challenges, which caused problems with the urinary system. Accidents were also common — women who underestimated the size of their skirts would get too close to an open fire, resulting in fires. Since it was not possible to quickly free oneself from such a complex structure, unfortunate women would simply burn alive. However, the invention of French designer Charles Frederick Worth remained popular among fashionistas for a long time, and it is unknown how many women lost their lives to follow this trend.
If you think modern high-heeled shoes are uncomfortable, you are not familiar with the shoes worn in Europe from the 15th to the 17th centuries. These shoes, known as "chopines," had platforms about 50 centimeters in height. Women wearing such shoes could not move freely, so they either used a cane or had to be accompanied by maidservants who would do their best to "keep" the fashionable shoes on their feet.
Women today use makeup techniques and colored contact lenses to make their eyes appear deeper and larger. However, our predecessors did not have access to such methods and used what they had at hand — deadly nightshade juice. This poisonous plant was used as a narcotic, and Italian and French fashionistas would put its juice in their eyes. The effect was definitely noticeable: the gaze became radiant and deep, and the pupils dilated significantly. However, there were also side effects: blindness, hallucinations, and sometimes death. Belladonna juice remained popular until the 20th century when scientists began linking cases of blindness and death to its use.
Foot binding in ancient China was one of the most barbaric and cruel practices in human history. In the 10th century, tiny feet were a mandatory attribute for aristocratic women, and the size of their feet determined the prestige of a bride. Chinese girls would start binding their feet with bandages at the age of four or five, while their feet were still forming and the bones were flexible enough. By around ten years old, a girl would have achieved a delicate foot called a "lotus," along with disability and excruciating pain that would accompany her for the rest of her life. The process consisted of four stages: "attempting binding," where the girl's toes would be broken and her feet first bound, "attempting tightening," where the bindings would be tightened more and more, the "tight binding period," during which the characteristic curvature of the foot emerged, and "arch binding," when the curvature took its final form. Specially trained people were often hired to perform these "rebindings" because it was believed that a mother would not be able to bind her daughter's foot tightly enough due to her feelings of pity. It is easy to imagine the consequences of such a practice: broken toes, ingrown toenails, excruciating pain, infections, necrosis, and the inability to walk independently. However, this crippling procedure was popular not only among the upper classes but also among the working classes, who subjected their daughters to it to increase their prestige on the marriage market. Foot binding was widely practiced in China for a very long time, despite repeated attempts to eliminate this tradition. It was finally banned in the 20th century and remains prohibited today.
In the past, having fair, unblemished skin untouched by a tan was a distinguishing feature of high-class women. Therefore, women in the 16th to 18th centuries went to great lengths to achieve this goal — they used lead-based cosmetics, makeup containing arsenic, and even underwent the frightening procedure of bloodletting. Little consideration was given to the consequences of such radical measures; the most important thing was the result — a fair, almost translucent complexion. To help women achieve porcelain-like skin, they used face powder that contained lead. The cosmetic product effectively achieved its goal, but among the side effects were the appearance of ulcers on the skin, hair loss, brain tumors, and paralysis. A little later, a novelty appeared on the market — powder based on arsenic. This poison was also recommended for internal use to improve the complexion. Needless to say, once women started taking arsenic, they couldn't stop, as not doing so would result in death. However, even regular intake of arsenic often resulted in fatal consequences, as the poison tends to accumulate in the thyroid gland, which can lead to goiter and death. Another effective method of achieving porcelain-like skin was bloodletting. This practice originated in the 14th century and was performed using leeches. It was believed that leeches would draw out the "bad" blood, and as a result, the skin would become smoother and acquire the desired light tone. Often, specially trained individuals were hired to perform these "treatments" because it was believed that a mother would not be able to bind her daughter's foot tightly enough due to her feelings of pity. It is easy to imagine the consequences of such a practice: broken toes, ingrown toenails, excruciating pain, infections, necrosis, and the inability to walk independently. However, this crippling procedure was popular not only among the upper classes but also among the working classes, who subjected their daughters to it to increase their prestige on the marriage market. Foot binding was widely practiced in China for a very long time, despite repeated attempts to eliminate this tradition. It was finally banned in the 20th century and remains prohibited today.
