From breathtaking bodices to flammable frocks, these historical clothing and beauty trends really were to die for…
1. KILLER HEELS - PLATFORM SHOES
This staple of the 1970s was more dangerous than coming down with Saturday Night Fever. The heels put the wearer at risk of stumbling over and injuring themselves during a bout of enthusiastic dancing. Many celebrities, including Naomi Campbell and Spice Girl Emma Bunton have been embarrassed (and hurt) as they fell victim to the high-soled shoes.
2. BLOWN AWAY - CRINOLINE SKIRTS
The ostentatious wide skirts of old high-society ladies don’t merely look impractical – they could also be deadly. With side effects such as being blown off cliffs during windy seaside walks, to getting burned in fireplaces, these stiff cages were lethal to over 3,000 fashion victims who donned them.
3. GREEN-DYED MONSTER - ARSENIC TEXTILE DYE
If looks could kill, the vibrant green dresses of the Victorian era were drop-dead gorgeous. Literally. To get a brilliant shade of light green, the chemical arsenic was used as a dye, despite the fact that it was a known poison. The green frocks, bows and floral accessories may have looked striking, but they were toxic to their wearers, and to their makers – deadly.
4. NECK-BREAKING - NECK RINGS
Partly to express their tribal identity, women of the Kayan tribe of Southeast Asia have historically worn metal neck rings to give the illusion of an elongated neck. This process begins when they are as young as five, and as the child grows, more coils are added. This has the effect of forcing the collarbone and ribcage downwards, leading to bruising and deformation.
5. A TIGHT SQUEEZE - CORSETS
They say beauty is pain, and nobody felt this more keenly than corset-wearing Victorian ladies. Laced so tightly that they reduced lung capacity by anything from two to 29 per cent, it was not uncommon for a wearer to faint, especially while dancing. The corsets also did irreparable damage to the internal organs and bones. The small intestines, stomach and liver were pushed downwards by the years of pressure exerted by the corset, while bones could often be deformed. Ouch!
6. POSITIVELY GLOWING - RADIOACTIVE MOISTURISER
The 19th-century craze for radioactive materials knew no bounds. After the discovery of radium, the brand-new, glow-in-the dark element somehow found its way into beauty creams. They promised a radiant and bright rejuvenation to the skin, and brands such as Radior flew off the shelves in Boots, which sold the poisonous concoction in “all its 585 stores”.
7. HAIR-ERASING - X-RAY HAIR REMOVAL
People have been searching for painless and long-lasting ways to remove body hair for centuries, but none have been more deadly than the use of X-rays. When early experiments with radiation at the turn of the 19th century revealed that it made hair fall out, certain quack doctors advocated its wondrous use as an alternative to shaving. However, when many of the initial users started developing wrinkles, ulcers and even cancer, questions arose about its safety.
8. BOOTS AREN’T MADE FOR WALKING - FOOT BINDING
Imagine being so wealthy you didn’t need to use your feet to walk. Combine that with the trend for corsets, and you’ve got the shocking practice of foot binding, once popular with upper-class Chinese women. The feet of young girls would be broken and tightly bound for years, to ensure they had dainty ‘lotus’ feet when they grew up. The fact they wouldn’t be able to walk didn’t matter – they could be carried everywhere. The smaller their feet, the better a girl’s marriage prospects.
9. POISON POWDER - LEAD MAKE-UP
One of the most famous users of toxic make-up was Queen Elizabeth I, whose lead and arsenic face powder was corrosive and took away much of the skin’s natural moisture. It could also cause severe nerve damage. The Earl of Essex, who burst into her room unannounced, once remarked that she looked like a “crooked carcass”. Ironically, to hide its effects, she wore even more of the deadly powder.
10. MAD HATTERS - MERCURY HATS
When hats were all the rage in gentlemen’s fashion, mercury was used to turn animal fur into soft felt. Those who made the hats would later show symptoms linked to mercury poisoning, such as memory loss, confusion and hallucinations. The phrase ‘mad as a hatter’ became popular as a result.
In "History Revealed",UK, issue 49, December 2017, excerpts pp.44-45. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.