Cases of Bygone DaysMortally Dangerous OutfitsRisky Salon TreatmentsExtreme Weight LossFighting CosmeticsWhat Today? Plastic SurgeryAnorexiaTanorexia or Tanning Addiction Tattoo Addiction
Since ancient times, women have subjected themselves to unthinkable tests in order to become more attractive in the eyes of others. Crippling corsets, foot bandages in China, incredible crinolines, cosmetics with radioactive, lead and other dangerous additives - what tricks have not been undertaken by the fair sex in the race for beauty! However, the desire to become "the most-most" is inherent in men. On the eve of the International Day of Beauty, MedAboutMe invites you to remember what risks people take for the sake of their appearance.
The affairs of days gone by
To regain youth and become beautiful, our ancestors resorted to truly strange, shocking means. Sometimes the desire to turn oneself into an ideal meant torturing one's own body. Moreover, the matter could not be limited to physical and mental suffering.
Deadly Dangerous Outfits
The race for fashion is always a waste, a waste of money and funds to create an image. But sometimes bright outfits became the cause of illness and death. In the 1800s, green became extremely popular. A powder called "Parisian Green" was used to dye the outfits. However, fashionable ladies could not enjoy the beauty of the dresses for a long time and painlessly. It turned out that the pigment for dyeing fabrics was made on the basis of arsenic. And a spectacular outfit killed its mistress - leading to headaches, ulcers and other dangerous phenomena.
You can also remember the very fashionable - in the literal sense of the word - collars. Detachable collars were invented in the nineteenth century. These products were heavily starchy to maintain their shape, in some cases, such devices led to suffocation. There are cases when accessories cut off the blood supply to the carotid artery, men died, falling asleep in the collar.
It is a fact!
The concept of "Fashion victim" is not an exaggeration at all. This term appeared after the Great French Revolution of 1789, when women wore translucent dresses en masse, moistened them with water even in winter in order to follow the "nude fashion". The result was numerous deaths from pneumonia. Back in 1802, the French edition of the Journal de mode recommended that girls visit the Montmartre cemetery to see with their own eyes how many young beauties died because of the new fashion trend.
Risky salon treatments
At all times, women have disregarded reasonable arguments and came up with sometimes unsafe methods to deal with vegetation on the body and face. Epilation was invented in antiquity. And if then it was painful, but not deadly, then at the beginning of the twentieth century, women were offered to remove hair from the body without discomfort. The Tricho System really made the skin smooth without any pain. However, ulcers, tumors and indurations soon became a side effect of the procedures. The device destroyed hair with X-rays, and many of the company's customers later died of cancer.
Extreme weight loss
The sacrifices for beauty include the use of crazy diets. For example, Lord Byron practiced the vinegar diet. His diet included food soaked in vinegar. The romantic poet also suffered from bulimia. To combat calories, George Gordon Byron wore layered outfits to sweat more.
Used in the past and tapeworms for weight loss. This method appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is believed that it was thanks to the parasites that Maria Callas, the opera diva, lost weight.
And Elvis Presley chose a "sleeping" diet to deal with extra pounds. The king of rock and roll could sleep for 3 days so as not to eat, and then fit into a snow-white suit. At the same time, the star had obvious bad habits, which, together with a diet, led to high blood pressure, liver damage and other health problems.
Fighting cosmetics
Cosmetics were held in high esteem even in Ancient Egypt. Then the beauties did not think about the possible dangers of blush, lipstick and eye shadow. For example, toxic antimony was used for eyeliner and eyelash dyeing, eyebrows, and as a result people suffered from conjunctivitis, skin diseases and other ailments.
Lead whitewash, poisonous hair dye, nightingale dung "geisha masks" and other fancy cosmetics sometimes killed women at a young age. For example, Laird's Anti-Aging Youth Blossom Whitening Cream, created in the nineteenth century, contained lead carbonate and acetate. The product made the skin white, but caused weight loss, headaches, nausea, muscle atrophy, paralysis.
What about today?
Cosmetics can be extremely dangerous today, too. There are cases when products of well-known brands have led to allergies, burns, purulent acne and other problems. So, in 2013, a scandal erupted around the Japanese cosmetic brand Kanebo. Her funds caused a violation of the pigmentation of the skin - leukoderma. The supply and production of whitening cosmetics ceased, and millions of the firm's products were recalled.
Several major scandals are connected with Johnson & Johnson. One of the most recent is the case of Lois Slemp, a Virginia resident, who was awarded $ 110 million. After using talcum-based hygiene products, the woman developed ovarian cancer.
Fortunately, modern salon treatments and beauty products in most cases make grooming a pleasure and do not pose any health risks. However, sometimes the desire to be beautiful among modern women goes beyond reasonable limits. The most dangerous "fun" beauties and beauties of our time include:
Plastic surgery
Sometimes myrrh stars, and ordinary people, "reshape" their appearance beyond recognition. The list of plastic surgery victims is huge. The most famous fatal beauties include Jocelyn Wildenstein, the catwoman. At first, the billionaire's wife went under the knife for rejuvenation. But then, losing her husband's love, Jocelyn decided on a desperate step. She began to undergo plastic surgery in order to become like a cat, her husband's favorite animal. How many procedures Wildenstein underwent is not possible to say exactly. In pursuit of animal beauty, the socialite earned the title of "Bride of Frankenstein".
It is a fact!
About 18 million plastic surgeries are performed worldwide every year. Surgical interventions most often increase the breast, tighten the face, change the shape of the nose, and do eyelid plastic surgery.
Anorexia
Fighting extra pounds can take on intimidating forms. The risky obsession with your own weight includes various forms of addiction, including anorexia. Victims of thinness not only lose their beauty, but also health. And in some cases, an eating disorder is the cause of death. According to statistics, about 50% of people suffering from anorexia or bulimia are models. Accordingly, the mortality rate among them is high.
In pursuit of the body of dreams, Isabelle Caro died, suffering from anorexia for 13 years. She passed away at 28. Uruguayan model sisters Luisel and Eliana Ramos died at the age of 22 and 18 from heart failure caused by an eating disorder. And Edie Sedgwick, the muse of Andy Warhol, the style icon of the 60s, left this world at the age of 28. These are just some of the most famous deaths from anorexia.
It is a fact!
According to a study by the American Journal of Psychiatry, the overall mortality rate for anorexia nervosa is 4% among all types of psychiatric disorders. 80% of patients with this disease are girls aged 18-24 years. The overall prevalence of the disease among women is 1.2%, among men - 0.29%.
Tanorexia or tanning craze
If in the Victorian era consumptive pallor was admired, today women of fashion and fashionistas rush to the other extreme. It is believed that the fashion for tanning appeared thanks to Coco Chanel. Excessive desire to be tanned, like a chocolate bar, is called tanorexia. This is another new term in psychiatry. Passion for solariums and sunbathing on the beach leads to early aging of the skin, cancer. In the UK, the problem of tanorexia has become so acute that the British Medical Association, in conjunction with the Cancer Research Institute, has achieved an official ban on visits to tanning salons for persons under 16 years of age.
And the Briton Christie Reeves did not visit the tanning salon, she wanted to make her skin golden with the help of self-tanning. But the St Tropez brand lotion painted her body and face not chocolate, but made her look like Fiona, Shrek's bride. The cosmetic product not only made the girl's skin green, but also caused severe irritation. The company explained this effect by the leaky storage of the packaging.
Tattoo addiction
In the Middle Ages, tattoos were used as a talisman against evil spirits. Today, designs are applied to the body to emphasize individuality, following fashion. There are even terms "tattoo addiction" or "blue disease". This is a form of addiction in which people are obsessed with the desire to get more and more tattoos. Some even call tattoos a drug.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most tattooed person on Earth was Tom Leppard, or the "Leopard Man". Its body was almost completely decorated with leopard spots - 99.2% of the entire area. After Leppard passed away at the age of 80, Lucky Diamond Rich received the title of most tattooed. The man's skin is 100% covered with tattoos. Moreover, on some parts of the body, the drawings are superimposed in several layers.
It is a fact!
According to a professor at the University of Texas Myrna L. Armstrong, a researcher on the topic of hobby tattoos, 40% of visitors to tattoo parlors who have ever pinned their own drawings, returned to the masters again.
The beauty history of the past and the present knows many cases when people decided to do crazy things for the sake of beauty. Although it is said that good looks require sacrifice, it is better to remain prudent and not risk your health, or even your life, in an effort to become an ideal. Our appearance is just a shell, the inner filling is much more important.
Valentin Denisov-Melnikov, psychologist-sexologist
Making sacrifices for the sake of beauty, as well as completely stopping caring for yourself, are two extremes. The majority of women still do not take huge risks. And they rarely resort to something radical.
The main motive behind sacrifice for the sake of beauty is the belief that by changing the shape of the nose and the thickness of the lips, the plastic surgeon will magically change a woman's life. But this usually does not happen. And after unfounded hopes comes natural disappointment. Because it turns out that although the nose has become prettier, the tendency to scandalous behavior has not gone anywhere. And therefore, the woman's admirers did not increase.
Man is a social animal. We need other people. We want to have a good relationship with them. We need their approval and sympathy. And it seems to some that all this is only a matter of the attractiveness of the body. This is not entirely true. And a big mistake is made by women who, without real evidence, try to improve their appearance, without significantly changing anything in other significant parameters. As a result, even having acquired the desired forms, they may not get the result they hoped for. And all because it seemed to them that a beautiful body solves all problems. This is not entirely true.
You know, if you come across a beautiful luxurious mansion on your way, but upon entering it, you find out that it is cold and empty, there is no hot water, no electricity, and no communications at all, then perhaps you will not want to stay in this beautiful house. And you will prefer a less fashionable and not so chic outwardly, but still a house with all the amenities. Where it is warm, light and cozy.
Appearance is definitely important. Especially for one-off sex. And for a longer relationship, it is important that a woman has some other good, attractive qualities.
Anna Simbirtseva, founder of the online store of medical cosmetics
Women will never stop looking for rejuvenating apples. Therefore, the sacrifices of beauty are inevitable. Especially in our age, when marketers have become almost omnipotent. And any force can be turned towards both good and evil. Therefore, now women have to be more and more vigilant. Not so long history with Desheli is an example of this. In pursuit of beauty, the ladies were ready to pay tens of thousands of rubles for a suitcase with several tubes of ordinary creams from an unknown manufacturer.
What can you recommend? Trust your beauty and health to professionals and manufacturers with experience and reputation. Read about new brands and procedures only on professional portals. Purchase cosmetics in trusted stores, online stores. Don't buy crazy discounts or, conversely, cosmic prices. The truth is somewhere in between.
Remember, a quality salon service cannot be very cheap. The very low price should alert you. This means that somewhere the salon is saving. But your health and beauty are at stake.
A reliable store works only with proven laboratories, both European and Russian. Not a single questionable brand will be included in the assortment. In serious companies, there are no insane discounts, because quality manufacturers and sellers do not save on storage conditions, shelf life and specialists.
The best rule to follow if you do not want unpleasant surprises in the field of beauty and health, but want to save money: invest your money in one thing, but high quality.
Yanina Tsybulskaya, stylist, private consultant for forecasting trends and analyzing consumer demand
Why do you think the powdered faces of the 18th century went out of fashion? Because you were dying of zinc white? Not at all. Women have always believed that all is fair in war. Gone is the reason why faces had to be hidden so carefully - smallpox ruts. Medicine took a step forward, defeated one of the most terrible diseases of the Middle Ages, along with this there was no need to make such monstrous sacrifices for the sake of even skin.
It is no coincidence that in today's social paradigm there are so many disputes about who and what a woman owes - to please the eyes of others or her own in the mirror. The answer is unambiguous - her own, although many people still think that “a woman should” practice “losing weight” as a kind of eternal process, wear uncomfortable shoes, paint, “emphasize”, “hide” something there and in other ways please the expectations of others.
This is a healthy process - human brains do not creak so quickly, patterns sit tightly in us, do not have time to adapt to the rapidly changing world. Therefore, for the next "you must" remind ourselves: how many people - so many opinions. In principle, it is impossible to meet the expectations of all people, and that is why the dog barks, the wind blows, and the caravan moves on.
They go to dye their hair blue, nails to black, buy sack dresses, martens and sneakers, as well as insert implants into their breasts, do Brazilian hair removal, and even wear heels.
In this matter, it is much more useful to direct your efforts not on how to dance on a tightrope of approval of everyone and everything. And to find a high-class specialist: a beautician who selects the right products for your skin, a make-up artist who will reveal the uniqueness of a client, a hairdresser who attentively and attentively listens to wishes, or a stylist who can look a little deeper than just "beige suits your face" and "they wear polka-dot kerchiefs this season."
