Queen Elizabeth I Was Reportedly ‘Horrifying’ To Look At

Queen Elizabeth I, who is regarded as one of the greatest monarchs of England, ruled fearlessly; however, behind the show of power, the monarch struggled with body positivity as she had to resort to the use of heavy makeup and wigs to hide her rough face and bald head.

Historians have noted that the Queen was quite horrifying to look at and had teeth so rotten from high-sugar consumption that people would go “in and out of consciousness” while she addressed them. TikTok creator Billy also revealed she later had a speech impediment “because so many teeth had fallen out.”

Queen Elizabeth I horrifying look

Queen Elizabeth suffered smallpox, which left scars and pockmarks on her face and body. Sadly, her choice of makeup, called Venetian Ceruse, was a mixture of toxic lead and vinegar, which caused her health and skin to get worse due to lead poisoning. “Do any paintings exist that depict her as she actually looked?” Billy asked.

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Most portraits of the Queen depicted her with “clear skin and a full head of hair,” which was likely a wig — common in her era. “A lot of portraits of the Queen, in fact, I think every single one was designed to make her look eternally youthful and glorious,” Billy added. “And her mouth is closed.”

The Queen’s dental hygiene

The iconic English monarch was fond of sugar, which was a new luxury import from America at the time and only available to the wealthy. “[Her teeth] were blackened and rotted because of her love for sugar,” the creator said, to which another user wrote in the comments, “Were these people not in pain? I get one cavity, and it’s painful.”

This explains the reason her mouth was always closed in the paintings and sculptures of her, as painters tried to make her look as flawless as possible.

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