BEAUTY IS PAIN: 40+ DANGEROUS FASHION TRENDS PEOPLE SWORE BY

They say that beauty is pain, but some people have taken this saying a bit too literally in the name of fashion. Dangerous fashion and beauty trends have been around for centuries, and not only were they uncomfortable, but they were sometimes even deadly.

From corsets and crinolines to poufs and foot binding, historic fashion trends walked a fine line between questionable and downright harmful. Take a walk down the memory lane as we look back at some fashion and beauty crazes that took the common phrase pretty hurts to a whole new level.

Corsets

As far as dangerous fashion garments go, corsets don't need an introduction. It's not surprising that corsets are one of the most controversial fashion items of all time. However, there was a time when no self-respecting woman could imagine leaving her home without one.

In addition to being impractical, the corset’s tight lacing could lead to a long list of issues, with breathing difficulties being the most common. In more critical cases, regular corset-wearing could lead to fainting and poor digestion, and we're pretty sure that Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean wasn't the only woman who dreaded wearing them.

Belladonna Eye Drops

Belladonna, which is also called deadly nightshade, is one of the most toxic plants known to man. But that didn’t stop women from using it as a cosmetic product. Belladonna eye drops were all the rage in Renaissance Italy, where Belladonna translates to “beautiful woman”.

Eye drops made with this plant were used to achieve a doe-eyed look, which was a common standard of beauty back in the day. Like the plant itself, this product proved to be incredibly toxic, leading to skin irritations, heart problems, and even blindness if used regularly.

High and Tight Collars

Women weren’t the only ones who put their health on the line to embrace the latest fashion trends. Men fell victims to several dangerous fashion crazes throughout history, and high and tight collars were one of them.

These collars were all the rage in the 19th century, but mixing them with alcohol wasn't a good idea. They were pretty uncomfortable on their own, but adding booze to the mix was a dangerous combination because they cut off blood supply to the brain if they were worn for a long period of time.

Foot Binding

Lotus feet, achieved by the dangerous practice known as foot binding, were once considered a status symbol in China. Many women spent their entire lives struggling with limited mobility, due to this dangerous trend.

The main goal of this practice was to make a woman's feet tiny from a young age, by tucking her toes underneath the heel and wrapping them with bandages. Many women wore special shoes to function properly, but this still didn’t protect them from the many fatal infections this process led to.

Fontange

The fontange was a high headdress popular with French women in the late 17th century and it was named after Louis XIV’s mistress Duchesse de Fontange. They were usually made with lace, ribbons, and pins that helped them stick. But the designs became more elaborate over time, making them more difficult to wear.

They became larger and larger, with bigger pins used to hold them in place, which made them dangerous for both the person wearing them and the people interacting with them.

Rib Removal

The hourglass figure has been one of the most prevalent beauty standards since Victorian times and women have gone to great lengths to achieve it. They mostly used laced corsets to get there, but in more extreme cases, they had ribs removed to get the perfect shape.

Most doctors wouldn’t dare perform it because it was extremely dangerous and it didn't have a great track record. It's also not well-documented and there are still some people who don't believe it actually happened.

Venetian Ceruse

Today, if you want to buy high-quality makeup, you just have to head to the nearest Sephora, but that wasn’t always the case. Women were ready to use all sorts of questionable beauty products to achieve their desired look including lead face paint.

This is the best way to describe Venetian ceruse, a popular skin whitener that was used back in the 16th century. Water, vinegar, and lead were its main ingredients. It's not surprising that this combination was dangerous because constant use of lead can lead to skin damage, hair loss, headaches, and even death.

Hair Waves Machine

Curly hair was a gold standard in the 1900s and many women couldn’t resist a tool that promised they could get this look long-term. The look was achieved with a permanent hair waves machine. However, it didn’t take long to go out of style because it was impractical.

Women would have to sit under it for about ten hours to get perfectly curly hair. Not only was this a lot of time, but the machine would often malfunction, leading to burns and bald spots.

X-Ray Hair Removal

The list of hair removal methods is pretty much endless, but some of them don’t make a lot of sense. That happens to be the case with X-ray hair removal, one of the most senseless methods women used to get rid of their body hair.

X-rays were originally discovered in 1895 and it didn’t take long for beauty salons to introduce them as a hair removal method. This proved to be a disastrous idea, leading to burns, ulcers, and even cancer.

Neck Rings

Beauty standards differ from culture to culture. When it comes to Kayan women of Myanmar, elongated necks are the standard of beauty and neck rings are often used for this purpose, pushing the clavicle and ribs down.

This ancient practice prevails to this day, with women wearing up to ten kilograms of brass collars around their necks. Their neck muscles can worsen due to the weight and it can potentially lead to severe neck and back pain, especially when they get older.

Tapeworm Diet

Fad diets are still a thing, but Victorian women took things up a notch and embraced some questionable weight-loss methods. The tapeworm diet, which involved the consumption of pills made from “sterilized” tapeworm eggs is the perfect example.

The idea behind this diet was to have tapeworms eat all your extra calories. However, the tapeworms wouldn’t always attach themselves to the organs inside the digestive system which led to countless side effects including nausea, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Teeth Blackening

These days, people try to make their teeth as white as possible, but that wasn’t always the case—especially in Japan. Black teeth were once considered a sign of beauty in this country and the practice known as ohaguro was widely popular.

Women who tried to blacken their teeth would drink a mixture of an iron-based dye, dissolved in vinegar and combined with tea powder. Surprisingly enough, this mixture didn’t negatively impact their health, but it had a very unpleasant taste and it was eventually banned by the government.

Scheele's Green

Green dresses were all the rage during the Victorian era, but it wasn’t always healthy to follow this craze. Scheele’s green was often used to give gowns a beautiful green shade and the color was to die for—in every sense of the word.

Scheele’s green was made from the highly toxic chemical arsenite and it was very dangerous. If the dye was released into the wearer’s skin, it could lead to skin sores, headaches, diarrhea, and even cancer.

Muslin Dresses

Muslin dresses never really went out of style, but the way women wore them in the 19th century was lethal. They would wet their dresses before leaving their homes to show off their figure without paying attention to the weather conditions.

Wearing wet muslin dresses was all fun and games in the summer, but things turned deadly as colder days arrives. Putting beauty over warmth led to an increase in respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia, which was known as “Muslin Disease” during these dark times.

Chopines

Some women swear by high heels, while others avoid them at all costs. No matter how you feel about them, you probably wouldn’t be too crazy about chopines, a killer platform shoe that emerged during the 16th century.

They were mostly worn by society’s elite and their main purpose was to protect dresses from mud and street soil. It was a noble goal, but chopines turned out to be so unpractical and unstable that many women would fall over while wearing them.

Mercury Hats

If you’ve ever wondered where the phrase “mad as a hatter” originates from, it turns out it predates Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It’s actually connected to the practice of using mercury in the hat-making process.

The chemical was often used in the production of felt and it was dangerous for both hat makers and hat wearers. Inhaling it for a prolonged period of time negatively impacted their physical and mental health, potentially leading to serious mental disorders.

Hobble Skirt

Hobble skirts were sometimes jokingly referred to as the “speed limit skirt”, but there’s nothing funny about the way it impacted those who wore them. The trend emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, but it was short-lived due to its impractical nature.

The hems of hobble skirts were so narrow that they impeded the wearer's stride and significantly limited their movements. Following this trend proved was lethal because it prevented women from moving freely and it led to frequent falls.

Crakows

Crakows were named after the Polish city of Kraków, where they first emerged during the 15th century. A single glance at them makes it clear why they didn’t stay trendy for too long and ended up being banned in several countries.

Wearing crakows was dangerous because their long, long pointed beaks were extremely impractical. It was so difficult to walk in them that they would lead to fatal falls. So, they quickly became a thing of the past.

Styling Lard

Wigs will never go out of style, but they were worn quite differently during the 17th century. Many high society figures embraced “the bigger, the better” mantra and they tried some questionable methods to achieve the voluminous look.

Image by Claude-Louis Desrais/Wikimedia Commons

Lard was a common styling agent for wigs, which were powdered with lead after they were applied. This disastrous combo proved to be a magnet for lice and vermin and it was such a huge safety hazard that wig-wearers had to look for more hygienic alternatives.

Male Corsets

Women weren’t the only ones who had to go through the nightmare of wearing corsets. They have been wearing them since the 16th century, but this period was much shorter when it comes to men.

Male corsets were a short-lived trend between 1820 and 1840 when it was desirable for men to have a slim figure with a tiny waist. Some men continued wearing them claiming they helped them with back pain, but this trend mostly died out after the mid-19th century.

Crinoline Dresses

Crinolines continue to be worn to this day, but that's pretty surprising when you consider their history. They’re made from extremely flammable material, but that didn’t stop hundreds of women from risking their lives to stay on-trend.

Famed English statistician Florence Nightingale estimated that 630 women died from crinoline-related incidents in 1863-64 alone. Two of those women were Oscar Wilde’s half-sisters Emily and Mary, who passed away after their evening dresses caught on fire.

Radioactive Hair

Hair that glows in the dark was all the rage in the early 20th century, but it left a lethal legacy behind. This effect wasn’t easy to achieve and women had to brush radium into their hair for prolonged periods of time to make it shine.

This was only one of the examples of radioactive quackery to emerge after Marie Curie discovered this chemical, which proved to be highly radioactive. Many radium-based products ended up being banned after it turned out they could have serious adverse health effects.

Farthingale

Farthingale emerged in Spain during the 15th century and Catherine of Aragon was credited with bringing it to England. Farthingale was basically a predecessor of crinoline and its main purpose was to give a skirt a fuller shape and make the lower part of the body seem larger.

Image by Marcus Gheerraets thr Younger/Wikipedia

Unlike crinolines, farthingales weren’t made of highly flammable materials and they were exclusively worn by upper-class women who rarely found themselves in harm’s way. However, whalebone was one of the main materials used in their making, so we can imagine how uncomfortable they must have been.

Bandeau Tops

By the time the roaring twenties rolled around, hourglass figures achieved with bust-enhancing corsets were no longer trendy. A flat chest was in at the time and women started using bandeau tops to flatten their chest and achieve a more boyish figure.

Unfortunately, regular and unsafe breast binding led to several major complications. Shortness of breath, overheating, and back and chest pain were the most common problems, but this practice also led to rashes and infections under the breast.

Tudor Ruffs

Tudor ruffs became all the rage during the Elizabethan era and Elizabeth I of England was one of many royal figures who swore by this trend. This garment went out of fashion by the mid 17th century and it’s not difficult to see why.

In addition to being pretty uncomfortable and leading to neck pain due to limited mobility, Tudor ruffs were dangerous for another reason—their rigid shape was difficult to maintain and numerous pins were used to hold them in place.

High Foreheads

Speaking of trends that emerged during the Elizabethan times, high foreheads were also all the rage during this era. High foreheads were considered a sign of beauty and some women would pluck their hairline back to achieve this effect.

This practice can harm hair growth, slowing it down if the person frequently pulls out hair from their scalp. Once the follicle is injured, the hair doesn't always grow back, but Elizabethan women didn’t seem to mind it too much.

Cothurnus

Cothurnus were a form of buskins, laced leather boots that emerged in Ancient Greece. They could be quite practical, protecting the wearer from thorns and dirt, but the higher the heel got, the more difficult it was to wear them.

Image by dictionnaire des antiquites romaines et grecques/ Wikimedia commons

Ancient Greek tragedy actors would wear them to appear taller, emphasizing the importance of their characters. As with all platform heels, they limited the wearer’s mobility, leading to potential falls and injuries, which was the real tragedy.

“Macaroni” Fashion

“Macaroni” fashion is a term that emerged in 18th century England and it was used to describe men dressing in an outlandish and extravagant way, mostly wearing over-the-top wigs with long curls.

Image by Phillip Dawe/ Wikimedia commons

The trend wasn’t dangerous on its own, but the wigs often worn by “macaroni” men were impractical due to their size. Some of them even featured chapeau bras on top, which were usually removed with a sword.

Aniline Socks

Socks dyed with aniline were all the rage during the 1860s, but it didn’t take too long for people to turn their back on them. They were a silent killer because aniline was much more toxic than people anticipated.

Aniline socks rapidly passed the chemical through the skin, leading to a long list of possible health issues. From causing skin irritations and rashes to fatigue and dizziness, this mindless fad did more harm than good before it went out of style.

Panniers

Panniers were a popular undergarment in the 17th and 18th centuries, sharing many similarities with farthingales and crinolines. However, their shape was slightly different because they were very wide at the sides instead of expanding equally in all directions.

A single glance at a pannier makes it clear what their problem was. In addition to being uncomfortable and taking up a lot of space, they had a negative impact on the wearer’s movement due to their size.

Bustles

Bustles are another infamous version of the crinoline skirts, which emerged during the 1870s. This time around, they were worn under the skirt below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging on the floor.

They weren’t as dangerous as crinolines, but they were a huge pain in the behind (pun intended) for the women wearing them. The women wearing them couldn’t sit in natural positions when wearing them and they had trouble resting their backs.

Bloomer Suits

Bloomer suits, named after the women's rights activist Amelia Bloomer, emerged during the 1850s, as a more comfortable alternative to other trendy fashion items of the era. They featured baggy trousers worn under a knee-length skirt with a vest.

While bloomer suits weren't necessarily bad for women’s health, they could’ve had a negative impact on their social status. Women wearing them were often harassed because the trend was considered a symbol of usurpation of the patriarchy and there were even public meetings trying to put a stop to this fashion craze.

Bliauts

Bliauts emerged during the 12th century and they were worn by both men and women in the years to come. This ornate garment was characterized by floor length-sleeves, made from all sorts of different fabrics, ranging from wool to silk.

It’s impossible to deny that bliauts looked pretty classy and elegant, but they were also extremely impractical. Worst case scenario, the wearer could trip on their long sleeves, but even if that didn’t happen, a bliaut significantly hindered their movement.

Tooth Sharpening

Most people dread a trip to the dentist even with modern tools and painkillers at their disposal, but there was a time when these things weren’t available. But that didn’t stop some people from giving the practice of manually sharpening their teeth a shot.

Teeth filing was an extreme body modification method embraced by several cultures, especially in Africa. Unfortunately, teeth sharpening could have exposed the body to infections due to chipping the enamel, which could’ve been extremely dangerous without modern medical advances.

Wax Cones

Throughout history, people have struggled to hide their body odors and ancient Egyptians came up with their own solution to deal with this problem. They wore wax cones on top of their head and used them to camouflage bad odor.

How did this trick exactly work? The women would usually wear wax cones under their wigs, where they melted due to bodily heat, spreading the fragrance. Having wax melt on top of your head all day long doesn’t sound like a fun adventure, but that was the sacrifice they were willing to make to smell good.

Alexandra Limp

Alexandra, then Princess of Wales, was a huge fashion icon during the 19th century, and everything she did quickly became trendy. We’re not only talking about her signature choker necklaces and high necklines—people even copied her limp!

A serious illness in 1867 left her with a permanent limp, known as the “Alexandra limp”. English society women were so obsessed with her that they didn’t mind limping around at their own discomfort to copy her look.

Children Dressing Like Adults

Baby and children's clothing is a very profitable industry, but it’s common for them to wear the same types of clothes as their parents. This trend is not a novelty in the fashion world, and kids mostly do it for comfort these days, but that wasn’t always the case.

When we talk about kids dressing as adults throughout history, we’re not thinking of t-shirts and khaki pants. Like their parents, kids had to endure wearing extremely uncomfortable clothing for centuries and they only started wearing looser and simpler clothing at the start of the 18th century.

Hennins

We already listed several types of questionable types of headdresses, and hennins fall under that category. The cone-shaped headdress first emerged in France around the 14th century and they were usually worn by the noblewomen during the Middle Ages.

Image by Rogier van der Weiden/ Wikimedia commons

Hennins had a long veil attached to the top and keeping them on was difficult. Of course, it didn’t help that religious leaders criticized hennins because they believed they were a sign of vanity and extravagance.

Poufs

Many of the wigs worn by the European high society are pretty head-scratching and that certainly happens to be the case with poufs. They were popularized by Marie Antoinette, who started a true craze when embracing them in the 18th century.

Image by Jean Baptiste Gautier Dagoty/ Wikipedia

Poufs became a status symbol, often reaching two feet in height, but even Marie Antoinette’s own mother Maria Theresa was critical of this extravagant wig. They were sometimes characterized as “rat’s nest” due to their unhygienic nature. Not to mention, they were extremely impractical and a potential safety hazard.

Gigot Sleeves

No matter how uncomfortable some fashion trends looked, high-society women didn’t mind embracing them since they spent their days doing absolutely nothing. That’s how uncomfortable and impractical fashion items became a status symbol, and gigot sleeves are a great example.

Image by Louis Krevel/ Wikimedia commons

They became trendy during the 1840s, despite significantly limiting women’s movement. These huge balloon-like sleeves were meant to create an illusion of a slim waist, which made the lady wearing them look more refined.

Leech Therapy

Light skin was often seen as an indicator of aristocracy and women tried many methods over the years to achieve it. Some were ready to do everything in their power to look whiter and bloodletting was the most dangerous method they used to get there.

Using leeches to suck one’s blood became a common medical practice and many women embraced it despite its painful nature. Leech therapy is no longer a common medical treatment, especially when it comes to skin whitening.

Arsenic Wafers

Dresses painted with Scheele's Green weren't the only arsenic-related fashion craze with lethal consequences. Arsenic wafers were another popular beauty product during the 20th century that were dangerous and many women used them to lighten their skin.

Image by The Helena Independent/ Wikipedia

Skin whitening remains a controversial practice to this day, but it’s difficult to think of a product used for this purpose that was nearly as dangerous as arsenic wafers.

Bullet Bras

From Madonna to Marylin Monroe, many of the biggest fashion icons of the 20th century swore by bullet bras. These cone-shaped bras were extremely pointy and they were often connected to the “sweater girl” culture of the 1940s and 1950s.

Despite what their name suggests, these bras weren’t as deadly as bullets, but they were extremely uncomfortable. They provided support to some women, but others didn’t enjoy their pokey design, especially when wearing them under extremely tight sweaters.

Needled Eyelash Extensions

Eyelash extensions remain popular to this day, but they’re no longer a dangerous beauty procedure like they used to be back in the day. It depends on the method you use and women once went as far as to give needless a shot.

Needling lashes to one’s own eyelid became a popular practice in Europe during the 19th century. If you didn’t end up poking yourself in the eye, you could end up with an eye infection, making it was a lose-lose situation either way.

Edited by Vishal Subramanian