Wow! These weird beauty trends used to be all the rage
They used to find these unique trends attractive
We all know that beauty trends change throughout the years. Can you imagine looking the way you look now, but thirty years ago? You’d be completely off-mark and get looked up and down by everyone around you. The trends of the 90’s seem to come from a completely different time in the universe, but if you look even further back you come across even weirder beauty standards.
You’ll read more on the next page!
Erotic piercing under a tailor-made suit
The styles during the governance of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901) are known as the Victorian times. This time period is known for its piety: men dressed themselves in tight three-piece suits, and women covered their bodies in large dresses.
This clothing often covered a hidden secret… People in the Victorian period were obsessed with erotic piercings. Affluent women often walked around with nipple piercings connected by a chain. Men also got their hidden gems pierced, known as the “Prince Albert piercing.” Rumor has it that the Victorian prince had the piercing himself.
Curious to read about more old beauty trends? Read on now!
Greeks and their eyebrow
Ancient Greece is known to be the birthplace of Western culture. When you think of this legendary culture, you probably think about philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. Or maybe you think of the beautiful temples the ancient Greeks built for their gods like Zeus, Minerva or Athena.
A lesser known piece of ancient Greek culture was their odd view on facial hair. The look for women in Greece was one bushy eyebrow. Women who weren’t blessed with a unibrow often drew it on themselves. This physical characteristic was a symbol of intelligence and purity, traits that were of great value to the goddess Minerva. This goddess is often illustrated with an owl, while a unibrow slightly resembles something with a pair of wings. Coincidence?
The English had some weird ones too… Did you know about the beauty trends on the next page?
Blue blood
In England in the 17th century, showing cleavage was super hip. Women were aware of the power of their breasts and showed them off with pride. This becomes apparent when looking at paintings from this time period.
At the same time, it was very à la mode to be as pale as possible. The darker your skin was, the more time you spent in the sun. The working class were out sweating in the sun all day. The wealthy showed off their pale skin to show that they didn’t need to work for their money. To look even paler, the rich women of the 17th century drew blue veins onto their bosoms to give the appearance of nearly transparent skin.
Did this trend send shivers down your spine? The next trend from Japan is even weirder!
A scary smile
The trends on the previous pages all got their starts in the Western world, but the East had some weird ones earlier too! Japanese culture is completely different from Western culture, even up to the symbolism of colors. In Western culture, white is often seen as a symbol of purity and cleanliness, while in Japan, it represents death.
Black also has different connotations in Japan, you’ll see what we mean with this next weird beauty trend. For thousands of years, having black teeth was an ideal beauty standard for women in Japan. Once women were married, they dyed their teeth black permanently. This practice lived on up until the 20th century. Having black teeth stood for beauty and loyalty.
Speaking of teeth, they also had a thing for weird ones in the Western world… read on now!
Small teeth
After the Middle Ages, Europe entered a new wave of culture and beauty. During the Renaissance, new customs of art began to blossom, making painters like Rembrandt van Reign and Leonardo da Vinci world famous. Wealth was increasing and room was made for more luxury and beauty.
Several beauty standards that got their beginnings in the Renaissance area are still popular in Europe today: long legs, wide hips, and a flat stomach. But a number of the trends from back then didn’t make it. Just like this beauty ideal: having small teeth. The gummier the smile, the better.
Want to hear about more beauty trends that didn’t stand the test of time? Click to the next page now!
Muscly calves
Beauty standards for men haven’t changed much in the past few decades. Men with big muscles are still ‘hot’. But we mostly focus on their arms, stomach, and chest. While many men still get their legs into their workout routines, it’s not the first thing we look at.
This didn’t used to be the case. In the Middle Ages and deep into the 18th century, it was ‘hot’ to have strong calves. Men wore tights that made their calf muscles more prominent. Some men even put padding in their tights to make their calves look bigger. That’s not something you see nowadays!
Some trends from way back when are making a comeback, like the one on the next page.
Drawings
One trend that was hip in the 18th century as well as today, is having drawings on your cheeks. In the 18th century, women started wearing intense makeup underneath their extravagant wigs. More is more. It was hip to be as lavish as possible.
Women in this time period often had small drawings on their cheeks. These could have several meanings: a star, circle, or square next to your mouth was seen as flirty, whereas a drawing on the right cheek meant that the woman was married. These drawings are making a comeback with e-girls, a subculture in today’s youth that can often be found on the social media platform TikTok.
This trend is pretty harmless, especially in comparison to the trend on the next page…
Small feet
One of the craziest beauty trends from a long time ago was this one from China. Little pieces of ancient Chinese culture can still be found all over the world today: The Great Wall, feng shui, terracotta soldiers… But the chance of seeing this specific piece of ancient Chinese culture is slim to none.
Back in the day in China, around the 13th century, it was all the rage to have extremely small feet. It wasn’t uncommon to see wives and daughters of affluent families with mini feet. When girls were between the ages of five and seven years old, the process of foot binding began. While the feet were trying to grow, they were held back by tightly applied bandages. The bones in the feet broke, the sole bent towards the toes and the toes were forced underneath the feet. This kept their feet as small and compact as possible. This was extremely attractive in ancient China.
The ancient Chinese weren’t the only ones who had a thing for misshapen bodies… The Mayans had their fair share of it too, as you can see on the next page.
Misshapen heads
Around 1000BC, the Mayans began reshaping their children’s skulls. The child’s head was held still in a specific position, so the skull was forced to grow in a certain position. This was done to both boys and girls alike. This misshapen head was a sign of beauty.
This practice wasn’t only found in South America. Other groups of people, like the Germanic Huns or the indigenous American Chinook and Choctaw people. Even in Hawaii and Tahiti the shape of children’s head was altered to make them, in their eyes, more beautiful. Yikes! Thankfully, this beauty trend is a thing of the past.
Take a look at the next page for the next trend!
Long nails
We’ve already discussed some weird beauty trends from ancient China. Thnakfully, the next beauty trend didn’t involve breaking any bones, but that doesn’t make it any less weird in the eyes of modern society. This trend had the same intentions as the drawn-on veins of the affluent women of the 17th century you read about earlier.
Men and women alike from the Qing Dynasty allowed their nails to grow up to 25 centimeters. Women protected their rather annoying nails with golden nail protectors. These nails were to show that the wealthy didn’t have to use their hands to work. But it made getting dressed, eating, and other simple tasks a lot harder… thankfully, they had servants to do all of that for them!
Source: Ranker | Images: YouTube videostills, Pierce, C.C. (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Source: https://www.tips-and-tricks.co/various/weird-beauty-trends/