The Ladies TeaStop in and grab a quick cup of tea! All sorts of ladies issues are disscussed here. Both Ladies and Gentlemen are welcome to join in the conversations.
This just out of curiosity. I was wondering if the women of the civil war era shaved their legs at all. Either on a regular basis or perhaps for those "special" evenings/occasions. Armpits too for that matter. I know, I know...I have way too much time on my hands...
__________________
'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'
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This just out of curiosity. I was wondering if the women of the civil war era shaved their legs at all. Either on a regular basis or perhaps for those "special" evenings/occasions. Armpits too for that matter. I know, I know...I have way too much time on my hands...
There are some things we are better off not knowing.
"In fact, armpit shaving was not common until May of 1915 when Harper's Bazaar magazine featured a model in a sleeveless evening gown that showed her bare shoulders and hairless armpits."
Think about it, fellows... what did men shave with back then... STRAIGHT RAZORS. It was not until the invention of the safety razor by King Gillette in the early 1900s that women could remove unsightly hair safely. The leg-baring fashions of the 1920s would probably not have happened without the safety razor.
There were hair bleaches and depilatories in the 1860s but they were mostly used for unsightly hair on the face and lower arms.
For those who don't know, I have reenacted as a soldier as well as a civilian (and as Rebel as well as Yankee!) You'll find me answering questions about both sides of reenacting.
"A French officer rushed out of their ranks and made a dash at one of ours, but neglecting the prudent precaution of calculating the chances of success before striking the first blow, it cost him his life. The officer he stormed happened to be a gigantic Highlander about six feet and a half--and, like most big men, slow to wrath, but a fury when roused. The Frenchman held in his hand a good small sword, but as he had forgotten to put on his spectacles, his first (and last) thrust passed by the body and lodged in the Highlander's left arm. Saunders's blood was now up (as well as down), and with our then small regulation half-moon sabre, better calculated to shave a lady's-maid than a Frenchman's head, he made it descend on the pericranium of his unfortunate adversary with a force which snapped it at the hilt. His next dash was with his fist (and the hilt in it) smack in the adversary's face, which sent him to the earth; and though I grieve to record it, yet as the truth must be told, I fear me that the chivalrous Frenchman died an ignominious death, viz. by a kick. But when one's own life is at stake, we must not be too particular."
Lopping off heads I understand, but "shave a lady's-maid" I don't.
So, shaving a lady's-maid (and presumably ladie) was not exactly unheard of.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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