Do you think that plastic surgery is a modern phenomenon? Well, think again. Plastic surgery has now become widely accepted, but it has been around since ancient times. In 1910, the Delineator, an old popular American home and fashion magazine, published a piece (scanned in by the lovely Lauren at Wearing History, who kindly allowed me to reproduce it here) about the ordeal women went through to turn back the hands of time.
The article, which was written by a woman who underwent the treatment herself, gives us a very detailed insight into the cosmetic surgery procedures of the Edwardian time, which were pretty horrific. If you’re squeamish, you may not to want to read it. But what made women undergo these treatments? Then as now, vanity. The writer of the article was a middle-aged woman who, having fallen in love with a younger man, spent a small fortune on plastic surgery to make herself more attractive to him. Her hands still gave her age away though…
To read the article, please click on the pictures to enlarge them.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
“I’m not squeamish!” Janessa thought. So she reads….
Page 1: No atiseptic or gloves + no proper anesthetics + slicing+ burns… Total horror!
I am going to continue when there’s daylight. I’m about to sleep and I don’t want my wild imagination to scare me.
So Janessa goes onto the next post and saves this for morrow.
Janessa, lol. And sorry for giving your nightmares. It’s horrific what some women are willing to do in the name of beauty…
No worries! This didn’t give me any nightmares, I just would be thinking about it too much. Thanks for replying to all my comments! You’re awesome.
I’m relieved to hear that. And you’re very welcome. You know how much I love chatting with you all.