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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.”

#1

A Full-Faced Swimming Mask Helped Protect Women’s Skin From The Sun, 1920s

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

A Woman Having A Seam Painted Onto Her Leg, To Make It Appear That She Is Wearing Stockings, 1926

Fox Photos Report

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back when hosiery was probably rather expensive, women of more modest means, did they best they could to appear chic.

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#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

Rita Perchetti And Gloria Rossi Try Out Their New Portable Bathhouse So They Can Change Their Clothes After Sunbathing On Coney Island Beach, 1938

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Dr. Nicholas explained to Bored Panda that modern culture is a visual culture. Meanwhile, modern living meant finding yourself in an increasingly-dense but anonymous city. And that means that appearance becomes more important than ever. After all, when you’re a stranger to someone, they judge you by your appearance.

“So how one appears is often presumed to be who one is. Historically, the rise of the modern city was seen as the place of quick judgments on appearances in places that were crowded but also built for observation. Evaluation by one’s appearance, then, took on new importance. This has only intensified,” the history expert explained.

#6

"Ironing" Hair, 1964

"Ironing" Hair, 1964

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Women are still doing it today. Those with frizzy hair flatten it with a hair-straightening appliance.

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Sasy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Brown paper bag over hair then iron, super shiny

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Amy Gannon
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to use an iron like that to put my Mohawk up in the 90’s.

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nanashi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I ironed all my friends' hair a few times back in all-girls boarding school days. I only managed to burn one scalp lol

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BusLady
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember teen girls doing this in the early 70's to achieve the Marcia Brady/ Susan Dey look. Yes, they used a real iron.

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Patti Vance
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

mom didn't use an iron. she had a flattening comb heated on the stove. whereas my sister didn't want straight hair & i didn't have the need for it, my brother would have her do this for him but only after my sister & i were banned from the kitchen. i can still remember the smell of this.

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Monika Soffronow
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So I had this friend who had perfectly straight shoulder-length hair and one day she appears with the most wonderful curls that I could have died for. My heartfelt compliments pissed her off and with an annoyed expression she said "I didn't have the time to straighten it"!

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Brenda Suttles
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've done that years ago, but with my course hair I had to put the iron on high and wound up burning my hair. LOL

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Lorraine R
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never did this because my hair was already straight, but I thought that one was supposed to put a damp towel between the iron and the hair.

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Renae Weidman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom did this and her cousin used concentrated orange juice cans to roll her hair at night.

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Donald Holder
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No different than today. Appliances have just gotten more advanced and the girls can do it themselves.

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Louloubelle
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandmother (born in 1901) had a curling iron that one put into a flame to heat. Lots of burnt hair, she said.

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Mary Tonningsen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had very long hair back then, and my sister and I tried that once. Never again! LOL!

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Lisa Tetlow
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Um, my sister used to iron her hair. She always put a towel between the iron and her hair!!

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Edie Hart
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember seeing it done in the late 60's/early 70's. I didn't do it, though I did do dastardly things to my hair during that time!

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Ann Collingwood
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, I used to do this for a friend when we were students! Of course, one ought to put brown paper (shiny side down) over the hair to stop the iron from scorching it!

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Denise Mclean
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing wrong with Curls or Wavy Hair. Women with Straight Hair want Curly and those with Curly want Straight. I say be yourself.

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Silvia Jafet
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ashamed to confess that I also did this in my 15, 16 years. Only I wore a cotton cloth over my hair so I wouldn't burn it. How stupid!

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Katchen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My friend in college in the 2000s straightened her hair with a clothes iron and ironing board. Her hair was too coarse for a flat iron. She only did it like once or twice a year because it was tedious.

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Louise Stange-Wahl
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL! Wow do I remember this! My sister hated me because my hair was naturally straight and I kept it short (in the middle 1960s). She kept hers long and was always ironing it...her and her friends. Now I still have the same straight hair and no gray. I wear mind below my waist, have never had to iron it.

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Sparky
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When straight hair is in, women use hair irons. When curly hair is in, they use hair crimpers. Plus ça change.

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Claire Armstrong
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have naturally curly hair and used to use my straighteners on my hair almost every day (I've stopped using them now and just embrace my curls lol!). I got my auntie to iron my hair for me once like this - it's amazing how straight it leaves your hair! Loads better than proper straighteners!

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Louise Bindley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A couple of girlfriends and I snuck to TO stayed st the king ed hotel to see the Beatles when they came yo town my hair was down to my butt and iron it we did

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Virginia Anziani
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still remember doing this to my sister's hair, while she watched the Beatles "landing in America." Finally had to stop that day, as she was much too excited to sit still. But I did it several times for her. Talk about nerve-wracking! Leave it too long and scorch her hair?! Didn't bear thinking about.

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MoodyBlue
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3 years ago

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MellonCollie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Didn't I recently see a picture of Ozzy Osbourne having his hair ironed by Sharon??

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She pointed out that beauty is (at the same time) deeply personal, as well as culturally driven. That means that the beauty industry is relational to the consumer.

“It provides products and images for consumption and how consumers take those up largely determine its success. Beauty products and practices have to resonate with consumers, who are not simply dupes but often thoughtful and measured in what they want and can consume,” Dr. Nicholas said.

“Gaps in services and products lead to further innovation. Throughout the twentieth century, for example, women of color struggled to be appropriately represented and struggled to find appropriate products. In multiple ways, the industry was forced to grow and expand to respond properly to their needs. Black entrepreneurs often led the way,” she said.

#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

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

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#9

Portable Hair Dryer, 1940s

Portable Hair Dryer, 1940s

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It’s no surprise that some vintage beauty procedures, treatments, and practices seem strange to us now. “When dislocated from their context, what was typical in one time period seems strange in another. Today, we see the highly filtered, fully made up selfie as quite ordinary. When you pause to consider it though, it is interesting to think about how those reflect changes in technology (both digital and in cosmetics), as well as in dominant presumptions of what is considered beautiful. It can also be reflective of the democratization of techniques in lighting and makeup application that were historically reserved for insiders within modeling. Now, anyone can use them.”

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Dr. Nicholas said that beauty is deeply interwoven with the wider social and cultural context. That means that it reflects more than just beauty itself. “Using X-rays for hair removal, for example, also reflects the fact that technology emerges before the full impact of its use is known,” she gave an example.

The history expert also told Bored Panda that we can expect some of the practices that we take for granted today to seem outdated and peculiar in the decades to come. “It’s quite ordinary today to inject a form of botulism into your face or to dress in the skin of another animal. Over time, though, as our collective beliefs and values change, these ordinary acts might come to be seen as extraordinary.”

#10

Tape Worm Diet, 1900s

Tape Worm Diet, 1900s

Unknown Report

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Raine Soo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#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

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

Mansell Report

#12

A Perm In Germany In 1929

A Perm In Germany In 1929

Everett Collection Report

What I find the weirdest, personally, is the size of the hairdryers in the past. They’re absolutely humongous and they look like something straight out of a sci-fi flick.

The very first hairdryer was invented in 1890 by French stylist Alexander Godefroy. His seated version had a bonnet that attached to none other than the chimney pipe of a gas stove. You read that right, dear Pandas! Imagine going to a beauty salon and being told to put one of those stove-connected bonnets on your head.

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We got the very first handheld hairdryers around 1920 due to technological innovations at the time. However, these were nothing like our modern-day equivalent: they weighed around 2 pounds (that’s 0.9 kilograms) and were very difficult to use. They were also prone to overheating and electrocuted people from time to time.

#13

A Policeman Judges An Ankle Competition At Hounslow, London, 1930

A Policeman Judges An Ankle Competition At Hounslow, London, 1930

Prismatic Pictures Report

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Capelli rosa e patate
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Yes these are the winning pair of ankles; congrats little lady. NOW COVER THOSE YOU LOOK LIKE A WHORE”

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#14

Max Factor's 1931 Ice Mask

Max Factor's 1931 Ice Mask

International News Soundphoto Report

#15

Woman Tans Using A Suntan Vending Machine, 1949

Woman Tans Using A Suntan Vending Machine, 1949

ahtisham-ahmed Report

Before you rush to poke fun at these vintage beauty practices, keep in mind two things. First of all, even if something is trendy, far from every person follows the newly-minted flavor of the month beauty techniques.

Second of all, if you think that we’ve ‘advanced’ much beyond silliness, turn on the TV and flip to an infomercial channel! The things you’ll see there are just as weird (and maybe even weirder).

#16

Contestants In The Miss Lovely Eyes Beauty Pageant In Florida Wearing Masks To Obscure The Rest Of Their Faces, 1930

Contestants In The Miss Lovely Eyes Beauty Pageant In Florida Wearing Masks To Obscure The Rest Of Their Faces, 1930

FPG Report

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ML
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This would be applicable today also with this Covid hanging around

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#17

Customers Have Their Legs Painted At A Store In Croydon, London, 1941

Customers Have Their Legs Painted At A Store In Croydon, London, 1941

G W HALES Report

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Downunderdude
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#18

A Traditional Japanese Sign Of Beauty- Black Teeth, 17th – 19th Centuries

A Traditional Japanese Sign Of Beauty- Black Teeth, 17th – 19th Centuries

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Laugh or not
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#19

X-Ray Of Female Torso With Corset (Left) And Female Torso Without A Corset (Right), 1908

X-Ray Of Female Torso With Corset (Left) And Female Torso Without A Corset (Right), 1908

nyamcenterforhistory.org Report

#20

Hair Dryer, 1920s

Hair Dryer, 1920s

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#21

Wooden Swimsuits, 1929

Wooden Swimsuits, 1929

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Ray Martin
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#22

Rubber Beauty Masks Used To Get Rid Of Wrinkles In The 1920s

Rubber Beauty Masks Used To Get Rid Of Wrinkles In The 1920s

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#23

A Fruit Mask From The 1930s

A Fruit Mask From The 1930s

vintage.everyday Report

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Jayne Kyra
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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".

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#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

The Bra Claimed To Develop And Strengthen The Bust And Was Designed To Vibrate While The Person Wearing It Was At Work. Brussel, 1971

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#25

You Have A Beautiful Face But Your Nose?

You Have A Beautiful Face But Your Nose?

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#26

Dimple Machine In 1936

Dimple Machine In 1936

Unknown Report

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Downunderdude
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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!

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#27

Women Who Had Just Given Birth To A Baby Weren't Prohibited To Smoke In The Hospital. 1940s Ad

Women Who Had Just Given Birth To A Baby Weren't Prohibited To Smoke In The Hospital. 1940s Ad

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#29

A Young Woman Holds Her Arms And Legs In Four Water Bathes With Electric Current, To Improve Blood Circulation, Circa 1938

A Young Woman Holds Her Arms And Legs In Four Water Bathes With Electric Current, To Improve Blood Circulation, Circa 1938

vintage.everyday Report

#30

Taking Precise Measurements Of A Beautiful Young Woman's Head And Face With A Contraption Like An Instrument Of Torture, 1933

Taking Precise Measurements Of A Beautiful Young Woman's Head And Face With A Contraption Like An Instrument Of Torture, 1933

Hulton Archive Report

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ADHORTATOR
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1933? He may be looking for the measurements of the master race....

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Note: this post originally had 43 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.