The Bizarre and Dangerous Beauty Trends of Ancient Times

Cheek Pinching

Makeup had some strange connotation back in the early 19th century. Ladies that wore makeup were considered "floozies" or "unbecoming" by men at the time. So, in order to appeal to the male gaze, women would pinch their cheeks just like this to lightly bruise them, bringing blood to the skin and giving off a "rosy" appearance.

Foot Binding 

The modern food binding trend started with a dancer named Yao Niang who had tiny curved feet and performed a popular routine where she wore tiny shoes. In order to mimic Yao Niang's curved feet, women would break and tie their feet until they arched towards the heel. Ouch!

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The More You Know

  • There is a museum of bad art.
  • A German and British aeroplane shot each other down in Norway during WWII. The crew met and helped each other survive. Two of them later visited each other many years after the war was over as friends.
  • George Lazenby wasn't an actual actor. He got himself a suit, a Rolex and a new haircut, then met with the producer and made up movies he had been in. He later landed the role of James Bond.
  • The first roller coaster was invented to stop sinful behavior.
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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.