I SHAVED MY LEGS FOR THIS?
It’s my favorite country song title – and one thing a 19th century woman would never have to say!
But, that doesn’t mean women didn’t resort to all kinds of creative, and potentially dangerous, ways to get rid of excess hair that WAS visible.
In the days of floor-length skirts and stockings, it didn’t matter in the least if a woman had hairy legs, and honestly, most of the fellas probably didn’t know to notice. Western men who traveled to parts of the world where women were a lot more into depilating did sometimes write about how amazingly smooth the local limbs were…but they would definitely NOT expect their ladies to take up the fashion.
We can also dispense with any thoughts of the bikini wax. That particular variety of personal landscaping didn’t even show up on the map until the mid-20th century. Some folks probably did neaten up the downstairs a little in the Victorian Era, but they sure didn’t talk about it.
No, if women were worrying about hair, they were probably worried about hair somewhere on their face, whether it was overly energetic eyebrows, a bit of peach fuzz, or a more serious mustache situation. But whatever it was, they probably weren’t shaving it.
There’s a reason they called ‘em cut-throat razors back then. Most men used – or paid a barber to use – one of those big scary blades. Safety razors had been invented…but it wasn’t until the Gillette disposable hit the market in 1903 that they became popular. So if the missus wanted to address her mustache with a razor, she’d have to borrow a blade.
Probably not.
Which leads us to all kinds of depilatories. This could be anything from a relatively mild abrasive – to something used in a tanning factory. Women could be, and sometimes were, injured and disfigured for life by some of these preparations. And since it was before any serious safety regulations, they were just out of luck.
If you think that’s scary, how about radiation? No kidding. In the late 19th century, some doctors did X-ray hair removal. Eventually, the doctors decided it was too dangerous for them, but it continued in some private salons well into the 20th century.
Early electrolysis was also available, and almost as risky as those X rays. Long before the modern understanding of electricity, it could still result in burns and hair growing back. But – this one did get safer with time. Fun fact: a lot of Golden Age movie stars got their perfect hairlines thanks to state-of-the-art electrolysis. Rita Hayworth was NOT born with that widow’s peak!
But back to our 19th century lady glaring at her little mustache. She’s down to two of the things we still rely on today: wax and tweezers. If you control the temperature with wax, you’re not going to do much damage, even if it hurts to rip out the hair. Tweezers take time, but they work, even if they’re fussy and just as painful. Still a small thing compared to permanent disfigurement.
So yes, while we may sometimes question if something – or someone – is worth shaving for, it’s still a vast improvement over what Great-Grandma had!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments.
But, that doesn’t mean women didn’t resort to all kinds of creative, and potentially dangerous, ways to get rid of excess hair that WAS visible.
In the days of floor-length skirts and stockings, it didn’t matter in the least if a woman had hairy legs, and honestly, most of the fellas probably didn’t know to notice. Western men who traveled to parts of the world where women were a lot more into depilating did sometimes write about how amazingly smooth the local limbs were…but they would definitely NOT expect their ladies to take up the fashion.
We can also dispense with any thoughts of the bikini wax. That particular variety of personal landscaping didn’t even show up on the map until the mid-20th century. Some folks probably did neaten up the downstairs a little in the Victorian Era, but they sure didn’t talk about it.
No, if women were worrying about hair, they were probably worried about hair somewhere on their face, whether it was overly energetic eyebrows, a bit of peach fuzz, or a more serious mustache situation. But whatever it was, they probably weren’t shaving it.
There’s a reason they called ‘em cut-throat razors back then. Most men used – or paid a barber to use – one of those big scary blades. Safety razors had been invented…but it wasn’t until the Gillette disposable hit the market in 1903 that they became popular. So if the missus wanted to address her mustache with a razor, she’d have to borrow a blade.
Probably not.
Which leads us to all kinds of depilatories. This could be anything from a relatively mild abrasive – to something used in a tanning factory. Women could be, and sometimes were, injured and disfigured for life by some of these preparations. And since it was before any serious safety regulations, they were just out of luck.
If you think that’s scary, how about radiation? No kidding. In the late 19th century, some doctors did X-ray hair removal. Eventually, the doctors decided it was too dangerous for them, but it continued in some private salons well into the 20th century.
Early electrolysis was also available, and almost as risky as those X rays. Long before the modern understanding of electricity, it could still result in burns and hair growing back. But – this one did get safer with time. Fun fact: a lot of Golden Age movie stars got their perfect hairlines thanks to state-of-the-art electrolysis. Rita Hayworth was NOT born with that widow’s peak!
But back to our 19th century lady glaring at her little mustache. She’s down to two of the things we still rely on today: wax and tweezers. If you control the temperature with wax, you’re not going to do much damage, even if it hurts to rip out the hair. Tweezers take time, but they work, even if they’re fussy and just as painful. Still a small thing compared to permanent disfigurement.
So yes, while we may sometimes question if something – or someone – is worth shaving for, it’s still a vast improvement over what Great-Grandma had!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments.
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