Beauty ideals change over time and space, but how important they are to us is somewhat less so. In this article, you can see a list of 10 bizarre things that were done in the past to look better. Such a journey into the past can perhaps shed light on the absurdity of certain modern ideals of beauty.
These are 10 bizarre things people did in the past to look better. But what are the silly beauty ideals of the present?
Staining the teeth with black paint
In the 18th century, only rich families could afford sweets. Due to poorer hygiene standards than we know today, this meant that those who ate sweets often also had much worse teeth. People have started paint your teeth on purpose with black color to give the impression that they are rich enough to afford sugar and sweets.
Corsets and rib removal
In Victorian times, women wore uncomfortable corsets that narrowed and accentuated their waists. Today, some women are even remove the lower pair of ribs, to achieve the same purpose.
Narrow collar
Women are far from the only victims of unrealistic beauty ideals. In the second half of the 19th century, it was popular among men very narrow collar. Back then, collars were so narrow that some men even died from them.
Hairstyles
Popular hairstyles change all the time and whenever let's look back, we laugh at how they could find such a hairstyle beautiful.
Lotus feet
In the 10th century, the Chinese emperor Li Yu ordered his dancer Yao Niang to bind her feet in the shape of a moon and dance on her toes. Bandaging the feet and thus their violent transformation became a fashion that lasted in China until the 19th century. Girls who this beauty ideal did not take into account, they had very little chance of marriage.
A mud bath with crocodile excrement
Mud baths are still in use today. But sometimes they were used with a mixture animal excrement, which are said to have good effects against skin aging. Crocodile droppings are said to be the most effective.
Radioactive cosmetics
After the discovery of radium, radioactive substances also began to be used in cosmetics. This is said to have a miraculous rejuvenating effect. At that time, of course, they did not know the dangerous side effects of radioactive substances.
Belladonna plant
Belladonna plant were used in the past for eye drops. The juice of this plant dilates the pupils, which is supposed to be more attractive to us. However, such cosmetics are highly toxic and can even lead to permanent blindness if used excessively.
Drinking urine
In the past, they believed that drinking urine whitens teeth. It probably actually worked because urine contains ammonia, which is a good cleaning agent.
Beauty signs
Artificial beauty marks were initially used to cover various scars and other irregularities on the skin, but then they became a sign of the rich and were used by everyone who could afford them.
