Welcome, to a brand new bonus episode, my loves!
From extreme historical beauty demands to clothing laws that targeted women, to the era when pants were treating like a public threat, this bonus episode uncovers the absurd systems that shaped, and still shape, women's lives.
These restrictions weren't about fashion; they were about power, discipline, and keeping women in their place. These beauty "rules" weren't random; they were deliberate tools of control.
What begins as curiosity quickly turns to outrage as the same patterns repeat across cultures and centuries. And once you hear them, you'll start noticing their modern echoes everywhere.
Are. You. Ready?
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Sources & Further Reading:
Medieval & Early Beauty Practices
Monica H. Green — The Trotula: A Medieval Compendium of Women’s Medicine (2001)
UNESCO Chair Salerno research on medieval cosmetic recipes (ongoing project; key publications 2010s)
Pliny the Elder — Natural History (c. 77–79 CE)
Victorian & Early Modern Cosmetics
Kathryn Hughes — “Women and Makeup in Victorian Britain” (BBC History article, 2016)
Rachel Weingarten — The History of Makeup (2020)
Ancient Rome
Janet Stephens — Research on Roman hairstyling (2010s)
Kelly Olson — Dress and the Roman Woman: Self-Presentation and Society (2008)
Japan (Ohaguro)
Liza Dalby — Geisha (2000)
M. Ashikari — “Black Teeth, Red Lips: Beauty and Identity in Japan” (article published in the 1990s)
Joseon Korea
JaHyun Kim Haboush — The Confucian Kingship in Korea: Portrait of an Ideology (2001)
Sumptuary Laws
Alan Hunt — Governance of the Consuming Passions: A History of Sumptuary Law (1996)
Colonialism & the Sari
Emma Tarlo — Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India (1996)
20th-Century Clothing Restrictions & Pants Laws
Jo B. Paoletti — Sex and Unisex: Fashion, Feminism, and the Sexual Revolution (2012)
Modern Dress Code Enforcement
National Women’s Law Center — Reports on school dress code discrimination (ongoing; key reports 2017–present)
Human Rights Watch — Studies on dress policing (various reports, 2018–present)
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Apple Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beauty-unlocked-the-podcast/id1522636282
Spotify Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/37MLxC8eRob1D0ZcgcCorA
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INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC:
FASION/ '1-800-DIRTY'/Courtesy of Epidemic Sound
www.epidemicsound.com
