Facts About The Victorian Era That Will Make You Glad You Weren’t Born Then.

You’d think that Victorian people would love makeup, but they actually thought it was a bit tacky.

In those days, only prostitutes wore lots of blush and lipstick, so you would find a high-class lady wearing makeup. In those days, a judge claimed lipstick and witchcraft went hand in hand. So, women resorted to pinching their cheeks to get a nice pink glow.

The mourning period during Victorian times varied based on who the person was in their lives.

In those days, only prostitutes wore lots of blush and lipstick, so you would find a high-class lady wearing makeup. In those days, a judge claimed lipstick and witchcraft went hand in hand. So, women resorted to pinching their cheeks to get a nice pink glow.

Taphophobia, which is the fear of being buried alive, was common during the Victorian age.

In those days, doctors had discovered that some people may have been buried prematurely. This was known as Vivisepulture, or in layman’s terms, it meant that the person only appeared dead, but wasn’t too far gone to actually be dead. So the fear of waking up in a coffin was well deserved.

Improving your skin came with some seriously dangerous risks back in those days.

Victorian women would use complexion water laced with arsenic and bathed with arsenic soap and shampoo in order to look more attractive and younger. Ironically, men took arsenic pills to increase their libido, which obviously didn’t work.

To achieve a 14-inch waist, some Victorian women resorted to using uncomfortable corsets.

Corsets were common as it helped support the bosoms, reduce their waist, and gave women the figure they wanted. The French singer and actress, Emile-Marie Bouchard, aka “Polaire,” became popular for achieving a 14-inch waist using a corset.

Nipple piercing was actually quite popular in the late nineteenth century, but only for women.

Once the nipple was pierced, jewelers would insert a gold “bosom ring.” In some cases, two rings were connected to a chain. Some believe that this fad grew because women believed this would make their breasts rounder and more appealing.

When doctors diagnosed women with hysteria, they would find an unusual way to cure them.

Women who had any sort of problem were always diagnosed with suffering from hysteria. To cure them, they found ways to get them to achieve an orgasm. In fact, the first vibrators would have never been invented if it hadn’t been for this fad.

If you felt sick, you could enjoy the effects of hydrotherapy but only if you were rich.

Hydrotherapy clinics were quite popular during the Victorian age, but were only reserved for wealthy patients who had contracted tuberculosis, or were suffering from insomnia, baldness, impotence, and in women, hysteria.

Food was downright creepy when it came to the Victorian era and you won’t believe what they ate.

Victorians were fond of offal and ate every part of their body, and we do mean everything, including the brains and hearts. Turtle soup was also all the rage, particularly the turtle’s fat, which added flavor to the soup.

Credits: lifebuzz.com