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43 Things Women Did For The Sake Of Beauty In The Past That Look Bizarre Now
People will do almost anything to look and feel young and attractive which is why the beauty industry is thriving. And it doesn’t matter if the trends are incredibly strange, as long as others are following them—you’re likely to jump on the bandwagon. However, when you look back in history, there have been some very weird beauty practices in the past that have left us puzzled. Suntan vending machines and using a literal iron to iron hair are just the tip of the beauty iceberg.
Bored Panda has collected some of the best vintage photos of women doing very peculiar things, all in the name of beauty. So scroll on down, upvote your fave photos, and let us know which of these activities you personally thought were the most bizarre, dear Pandas. Oh, and be sure to let us know which modern beauty practices you think are objectively weird! According to Forbes, the global beauty industry is worth 532 billion dollars. The US is the world’s largest beauty market with around a fifth of the share. While China is in second place and Japan is in third place.
To learn more about the history of beauty and the beauty industry, Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Jane Nicholas from St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo. According to Dr. Nicholas, the global beauty industry has grown “substantially” over the 20th century. “Its expansion reveals the importance of beauty in people’s lives as it shapes their identities, especially in regard to gender.”
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#1
A Full-Faced Swimming Mask Helped Protect Women’s Skin From The Sun, 1920s
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#2
A Woman Having A Seam Painted Onto Her Leg, To Make It Appear That She Is Wearing Stockings, 1926
#3
Rita Perchetti And Gloria Rossi Try Out Their New Portable Bathhouse So They Can Change Their Clothes After Sunbathing On Coney Island Beach, 1938
#4
10th Century Chinese Tradition - Foot Binding
#5
Faceless Beauty Contest In Cliftonville, 1936
#6
"Ironing" Hair, 1964
#7
Before The Invention Of Sun-Screen In The Mid 1940s, Bathers Wore Garments Like This Freckleproof Cape To Protect Themselves From The Sun. The Cape Also Features Built-In Sunglasses
#9
Portable Hair Dryer, 1940s
#10
Tape Worm Diet, 1900s
Raine Soo 5 years ago
I will say that this is worse than having leeches suck your blood in the hopes of improving blood flow. Tape worms can attach themselves to other internal organs and other parts of the body. If they want to leave a body, they will exit where they please. It is not a pretty sight. The damage can also be quite extensive.
#11
Freckle Removal. A Complicated Apparatus Is Employed. Eyes Are Covered With A Special, Air-Tight Piece, And The Nostrils Filled In. Breathing Is Done Through A Special Tube. Sensitive Parts Of The Face Must Be Treated Separately, 1930
#12
A Perm In Germany In 1929
#13
A Policeman Judges An Ankle Competition At Hounslow, London, 1930
Capelli rosa e patate 5 years ago
“Yes these are the winning pair of ankles; congrats little lady. NOW COVER THOSE YOU LOOK LIKE A WHORE”
#14
Max Factor's 1931 Ice Mask
#15
Woman Tans Using A Suntan Vending Machine, 1949
#16
Contestants In The Miss Lovely Eyes Beauty Pageant In Florida Wearing Masks To Obscure The Rest Of Their Faces, 1930
#17
Customers Have Their Legs Painted At A Store In Croydon, London, 1941
Downunderdude 5 years ago
This was during the war. At that time, nylon had only just been invented. Both silk and nylon were needed to make parachutes and were either just about impossible to get or were prohibitively expensive.
#18
A Traditional Japanese Sign Of Beauty- Black Teeth, 17th – 19th Centuries
Laugh or not 5 years ago
Women used to put a white powder on their faces (made with rice, not lead) and that would make the teeth look yellow. So they dyed them black instead.
#19
X-Ray Of Female Torso With Corset (Left) And Female Torso Without A Corset (Right), 1908
#20
Hair Dryer, 1920s
#21
Wooden Swimsuits, 1929
Ray Martin 5 years ago
If Rose had worn one of those on the Titanic, Jack could could have had the door and the film would have had a happy ending.
#22
Rubber Beauty Masks Used To Get Rid Of Wrinkles In The 1920s
#23
A Fruit Mask From The 1930s
Jayne Kyra 5 years ago
And even today some people or articles will recommend using straight up lemons and lemon juice to "even out skin-tone" or better yet, "to lighten the skin".
#24
The Bra Claimed To Develop And Strengthen The Bust And Was Designed To Vibrate While The Person Wearing It Was At Work. Brussel, 1971
#25
You Have A Beautiful Face But Your Nose?
#26
Dimple Machine In 1936
Downunderdude 5 years ago
OK, I've got an idea... So, you attach wire to the inside of your cheeks (oh, I don't know. Superglue, maybe. Details. I'll work it out later). Then you wrap the wire around your teeth. Brilliant, huh? I'm going to be SO rich!
#27
Women Who Had Just Given Birth To A Baby Weren't Prohibited To Smoke In The Hospital. 1940s Ad
#28
Facial Warming Mask, 1940
#29
A Young Woman Holds Her Arms And Legs In Four Water Bathes With Electric Current, To Improve Blood Circulation, Circa 1938
#30
Taking Precise Measurements Of A Beautiful Young Woman's Head And Face With A Contraption Like An Instrument Of Torture, 1933
ADHORTATOR 5 years ago (edited)
1933? He may be looking for the measurements of the master race....
#31
Head-Shaped Hair Dryer, 1935
#32
A Form Of Folk Medicine Called Cupping Therapy Being Performed In A Sauna, Finland, 1935
#33
Backscratching Monitoring Visor, 1940s
#34
Weight Loss Fraud In 1940s
#35
This Shower Hood Was Used To Protect Hair From Getting Wet, 1970
#36
The Wave Machine, 1939
#37
A Woman Having Kemolite Mud Treatment At A Beauty Parlour, 1922
#38
Ancient Roman Make-Up Technique Consisting Of Crocodile Dung
Desiré Yen 5 years ago
Ewww imagine going hunting for crocodile poo 🙈 I wonder how much they charged for a treatment 😁
#39
In The 1700s Italians Used Dangerous Chemicals Like Saffron And Sulfur Powder Of Lye To Get A Golden Color For Their Locks
#40
Because When Someone Says “Refinement” I Think Toilet Mask
Final score:
26points
#41
Oomph, And How To Get It.
Final score:
24points
#42
Beauty Micrometer Analyzes Facial Flaws For Makeup, 1935
#43
19th Century Corset Separating Breasts
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Joonscrab 5 years ago
"Weird things women are conditioned to do thanks to the unrealistic af beauty standards on social media" would be more apt.
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Vorknkx 5 years ago
This whole thing reminds me of an old tattered notebook that we found among my great-grandma's stuff. It contained many recipes for homemade makeup and cosmetics (since they weren't sold at stores back in the years of her youth).
Joonscrab 5 years ago
"Weird things women are conditioned to do thanks to the unrealistic af beauty standards on social media" would be more apt.
Load More Replies... Vorknkx 5 years ago
This whole thing reminds me of an old tattered notebook that we found among my great-grandma's stuff. It contained many recipes for homemade makeup and cosmetics (since they weren't sold at stores back in the years of her youth).
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