People will do almost anything to look and feel young and attractive which is why the beauty industry is thriving. And it doesn’t matter if the trends are incredibly strange, as long as others are following them—you’re likely to jump on the bandwagon. However, when you look back in history, there have been some very weird beauty practices in the past that have left us puzzled. Suntan vending machines and using a literal iron to iron hair are just the tip of the beauty iceberg.
Bored Panda has collected some of the best vintage photos of women doing very peculiar things, all in the name of beauty. So scroll on down, upvote your fave photos, and let us know which of these activities you personally thought were the most bizarre, dear Pandas. Oh, and be sure to let us know which modern beauty practices you think are objectively weird! According to Forbes, the global beauty industry is worth 532 billion dollars. The US is the world’s largest beauty market with around a fifth of the share. While China is in second place and Japan is in third place.
To learn more about the history of beauty and the beauty industry, Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Jane Nicholas from St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo. According to Dr. Nicholas, the global beauty industry has grown “substantially” over the 20th century. “Its expansion reveals the importance of beauty in people’s lives as it shapes their identities, especially in regard to gender.”
#1 A Full-Faced Swimming Mask Helped Protect Women’s Skin From The Sun, 1920s
Image credits: Hulton Archive
#2 Rita Perchetti And Gloria Rossi Try Out Their New Portable Bathhouse So They Can Change Their Clothes After Sunbathing On Coney Island Beach, 1938
#3 10th Century Chinese Tradition – Foot Binding
Image credits: Jo Farrell / Living History Project
#4 “Ironing” Hair, 1964
#5 Portable Hair Dryer, 1940s
Image credits: Easyart/PA
#6 Tape Worm Diet, 1900s
Image credits: Unknown
#7 A Perm In Germany In 1929
Image credits: Everett Collection
#8 Max Factor’s 1931 Ice Mask
Image credits: International News Soundphoto
#9 Woman Tans Using A Suntan Vending Machine, 1949
Image credits: ahtisham-ahmed
#10 Contestants In The Miss Lovely Eyes Beauty Pageant In Florida Wearing Masks To Obscure The Rest Of Their Faces, 1930
Image credits: FPG
#11 A Traditional Japanese Sign Of Beauty- Black Teeth, 17th – 19th Centuries
Image credits: Pierre Dieulefils
#12 X-Ray Of Female Torso With Corset (Left) And Female Torso Without A Corset (Right), 1908
Image credits: nyamcenterforhistory.org
#13 Wooden Swimsuits, 1929
#14 Rubber Beauty Masks Used To Get Rid Of Wrinkles In The 1920s
Image credits: Wellcome Collection
#15 A Fruit Mask From The 1930s
Image credits: vintage.everyday
#16 The Bra Claimed To Develop And Strengthen The Bust And Was Designed To Vibrate While The Person Wearing It Was At Work. Brussel, 1971
#17 You Have A Beautiful Face But Your Nose?
#18 Dimple Machine In 1936
Image credits: Unknown
#19 Women Who Had Just Given Birth To A Baby Weren’t Prohibited To Smoke In The Hospital. 1940s Ad
Image credits: Unknown
#20 Facial Warming Mask, 1940
#21 A Young Woman Holds Her Arms And Legs In Four Water Bathes With Electric Current, To Improve Blood Circulation, Circa 1938
Image credits: vintage.everyday
#22 Taking Precise Measurements Of A Beautiful Young Woman’s Head And Face With A Contraption Like An Instrument Of Torture, 1933
- You Might Also Like: Women’s Beauty Captured 100 Years Ago In Vintage Postcards From 1900-1910
Image credits: Hulton Archive
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