Bizarre Beauty Trends Throughout History

TLDRLearn about the craziest and creepiest beauty trends throughout history, from using gladiator sweat as face cream to swallowing tapeworm eggs to lose weight.

Key insights

🤢In ancient Rome, women used gladiator sweat as a form of face cream.

😱Ancient Greek women embraced the unibrow look, considering it a mark of beauty and intelligence.

😬During the Middle Ages, women removed their eyebrows and plucked their hairlines to achieve a large forehead.

🦷Queen Elizabeth I of England blackened her teeth to appear wealthy and able to afford sugar.

🐛Victorian women swallowed tapeworm eggs to lose weight, as they believed the parasites would consume their food.

Q&A

Did ancient Roman women really use gladiator sweat as face cream?

Yes, it was believed that the sweat of gladiators had magical properties that could improve the appearance of their skin.

Why did ancient Greek women embrace the unibrow look?

Ancient Greeks believed that symmetrical faces were the most beautiful, and a unibrow helped achieve that symmetry.

Why did Queen Elizabeth blacken her teeth?

Queen Elizabeth blackened her teeth to show that she could afford sugar, which was an expensive and sought-after commodity at the time.

Did women in the Middle Ages really remove their eyebrows?

Yes, it was a common beauty trend among upper-class women in the Middle Ages to pluck their eyebrows and hairlines.

Did Victorian women really swallow tapeworm eggs to lose weight?

Yes, some women in the Victorian era believed that tapeworms would consume their food, allowing them to eat without gaining weight.

Timestamped Summary

00:19In ancient Rome, women used sweat scraped from gladiators as face cream, as it was believed to improve their skin.

02:21Ancient Greek women embraced the unibrow look, considering it a mark of beauty and intelligence.

03:33During the Middle Ages, women plucked their eyebrows and hairlines to achieve a large forehead, a symbol of beauty.

05:50Queen Elizabeth I of England blackened her teeth to appear wealthier and show her ability to afford sugar.

07:57Victorian women swallowed tapeworm eggs as a weight-loss method, believing that the parasites would consume their food.