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The idea of a modern person about what hygiene should be has been developing for a maximum of the last 200 years. Prior to this, representatives of European civilization were less scrupulous about cleanliness and caring for their own bodies. For example, many things that were commonplace for an average woman who lived a couple of centuries ago, our contemporary would be horrified and cause a feeling of deep physiological disgust. Therefore, do not trust idyllic paintings depicting high-society ladies dressed to the nines, because most likely, these beauties bathed no more than once a year, rubbed their faces with mercury, defecated in a chamber pot, and their amazing hairstyles were teeming with hordes of lice. Well, how do you like the portrait of a beautiful medieval young lady?
We present 10 shocking facts from the everyday life of women in the Middle Ages.
10 Bouquets of flowers instead of deodorants
As you know, in the Middle Ages, people were not very “friends” with water. This was primarily due to the difficulties of everyday life, because water had to be brought and heated, and then firewood was not so cheap. Secondly, at that time there was a belief that the water washes away the holy water that fell on the body during baptism. Women also believed that water ages the skin, so they tried to avoid “communication” with her under a plausible pretext. Of course, such a lifestyle could not but have consequences – most of the fair sex exuded a very specific aroma that was difficult to interrupt with anything. Therefore, before the advent of perfume, by the way, and created in order to drown out the smell of a dirty body, women used small bouquets of fragrant flowers that could at least soften the stench.
9. Urine for washing
At all times, women have come up with various unthinkable ways to preserve their youth and beauty. Any methods and means were used. In medieval Europe, young ladies of noble birth washed their faces with their own urine. For most of us, this seems crazy. However, then people believed in the antiseptic and regenerating properties of urine. Of course, modern science knows that the urine of a healthy person is sterile, but it does not have any useful properties confirmed by laboratory experiments. It follows from this that women tortured themselves in vain – you cannot return youth with urine.
8. Laundry was washed with a mixture of alkaline solution and urine
In ancient times, when mankind did not yet know what washing machines were, and store shelves were not yet full of all kinds of powders and detergents, people were looking for an economical and effective way to remove stains on clothes. And for some reason they chose a mixture of urine and lye. It can be considered a primitive analogue of modern laundry detergents.
7. Moss pads
This topic should be devoted to a separate scientific treatise. Throughout history, as soon as women have not managed to solve the problem of monthly uterine bleeding. However, the most popular medium was the resemblance of tampons and pads, made from materials found at hand. Usually it was clothes worn to holes, which had already fallen into disrepair. It was cut into pieces, wrapped around the moss and used for its intended purpose.
6. Underwear
Women did not often (as, for example, portrayed by Renaissance painters) wear underwear. Then delicate fabrics were quite expensive, so only wealthy ladies could afford them. In addition, underwear quickly fell into disrepair due to its fragile structure. Due to this, women were not accustomed to the daily wearing of pantaloons and bodices, and more often they wore these wardrobe items at the moments of meetings with their lovers in the boudoir. By the way, men, unlike the fair sex, wore pantaloons much more often.
5. Mouse skin for eyebrows
Thick and well-defined eyebrows on a woman’s face came into fashion only during the Gallant Age, before that the standard of a woman’s eyebrow was a barely noticeable thin thread and often created by applying mouse skin.
4. bath once a year
As already mentioned, washing in medieval Europe was not included in the list of mandatory rituals. Usually women allowed themselves this luxury no more than once a year. Because of this, the custom arose to arrange weddings in June, since the only bath in the year was taken in May.
3. Everyone bathed in the same water
Medieval Europeans had little understanding of infectious diseases and how they were transmitted. Therefore, they fearlessly belonged to places of mass use. People bathed in a common place where many others gathered. Of course, the water in such baths resembled a muddy slurry in which millions of dangerous microorganisms live.
2. Hair styling with goose fat
Well, who of us, admiring the works of masters of European painting, was not amazed how the women depicted in these paintings managed to wear entire architectural masterpieces on their heads? Of course, in order to create a hair sculpture, a hairdresser needed to have a skill. And ordinary goose fat helped them in this. Then he served as a means of fixation. With its help, even the most breathtaking hairstyle could maintain its original appearance for several months. However, this technology also had significant drawbacks. Firstly, such a product exuded a terrible stench. And secondly, goose fat is a wonderful environment for the life of lice and nits.
1. Eagle dung during childbirth
In the Middle Ages, female and infant mortality during childbirth was very high. If during pregnancy any pathology occurred that could affect the course of delivery, then most often medical care for a woman in labor was reduced to reading healing prayers or conspiracies. To alleviate the labor pains, a woman was sometimes given a drink of oil and vinegar, and compresses were also made from eagle dung. Such manipulations helped little, but they still continued to resort to for several centuries.