20 Weird Things From The Past That Women Subjected Themselves To For The Sake Of Beauty

Throughout history, there have been various attempts at creating all sorts of unusual inventions and procedures that were supposed to make women appear prettier - but lucky for us, almost all of them are a thing of the past.

OCT 23, 2020

Everyone wants to look good and it appears that there's nothing some people wouldn't do to appear more beautiful, even if involves some pretty bizarre methods. Throughout history, there have been various attempts at creating all sorts of unusual inventions and procedures that were supposed to make women appear prettier - but lucky for us, almost all of them are a thing of the past and all that remains of them are pictures that look like could be screenshots from a horror movie. From full-faced swimming masks to eerie freckle removal contraptions, check out all of the things women used to subject themselves to for the sake of beauty in the gallery below!

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#1 A Full-Faced Swimming Mask Helped Protect Women’s Skin From The Sun, 1920s

Image source: Hulton Archive

#2 French Breast Washer, 1930s

#3 A Woman Having A Seam Painted Onto Her Leg, To Make It Appear That She Is Wearing Stockings, 1926

Image source: Fox Photos

#4 Faceless Beauty Contest In Cliftonville, 1936

Image source: Austrian Archives

#5 Rita Perchetti And Gloria Rossi Try Out Their New Portable Bathhouse So They Can Change Their Clothes After Sunbathing On Coney Island Beach, 1938

#6 10th Century Chinese Tradition - Foot Binding

Image source: Jo Farrell / Living History Project

#7 Tape Worm Diet, 1900s

Image source: Unknown

#8 Freckle Removal. A Complicated Apparatus Is Employed. Eyes Are Covered With A Special, Air-Tight Piece, And The Nostrils Filled In. Breathing Is Done Through A Special Tube. Sensitive Parts Of The Face Must Be Treated Separately, 1930

Image source: Mansell

#9 "Ironing" Hair, 1964

#10 Contestants In The Miss Lovely Eyes Beauty Pageant In Florida Wearing Masks To Obscure The Rest Of Their Faces, 1930

Image source: FPG

#11 A Perm In Germany In 1929

Image source: Everett Collection

#12 Before The Invention Of Sun-Screen In The Mid 1940s, Bathers Wore Garments Like This Freckleproof Cape To Protect Themselves From The Sun. The Cape Also Features Built-In Sunglasses

#13 Max Factor's 1931 Ice Mask

Image source: International News Soundphoto

#14 The Bra Claimed To Develop And Strengthen The Bust And Was Designed To Vibrate While The Person Wearing It Was At Work. Brussel, 1971

#15 Portable Hair Dryer, 1940s

Image source: Easyart/PA

#16 Customers Have Their Legs Painted At A Store In Croydon, London, 1941

Image source: G W HALES

#17 Woman Tans Using A Suntan Vending Machine, 1949

Image source: ahtisham-ahmed

#18 A Policeman Judges An Ankle Competition At Hounslow, London, 1930

Image source: sacredserenity

#19 A Traditional Japanese Sign Of Beauty- Black Teeth, 17th – 19th Centuries

Image source: Pierre Dieulefils