#unmentionable

[deardiary17]

I took this one from the library and I'm shocked and intrigued and disgusted at the same time. This is such a dream-crusher yet I can't quite believe that things were that bad. My favourite historical era de-based... I'm only on page 100 though and now I'm about to start reading about how women dealt with periods in the Victorian era. I'm terribly curious. And scared.

[linguaphiliax]

COOL RANDOM IDEA: Someone should reboot Round the Twist as an animated series like they did with DuckTales - paying homage to the original series and the original short-stories by Paul Jennings, as well as fixing and addressing the various problems each of them have. (Also, by adding some f*cking continuity.) I would do it, but I don’t know enough about the cartoon industry to know even where to start. Other than the screenplays I guess - which I did try at one point. Maybe I should look at some screenwriting lessons or something.

[loserwitchbitch]

so for anyone writing about women in the victorian era, i can’t recommend Unmentionable enough both for the information and the laughs. Here’s one of my favorite photo captions

[whilereadingandwalking]

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners was a fun book by Therese Oneill. I loved the heavy sarcastic, irreverent tone that was meant to mirror someone lecturing you on your oh-so-silly 21st century ideas—you’re a Victorian lady now! how silly of you to believe in wearing  underwear that cover your crotch! 

It was fun to learn all of the strange and bizarre customs around medicine, underwear, bathrooms, hysteria, and more that haunted Victorian women, and to dig into the awful patriarchal systems of the time. I do think the book wavered in its coverage of eugenics and hysteria somewhat—it was a little too forgiving towards the eugenics of the time, and I think hysteria has a darker undertone of labeling women insane for being at all rebellious and putting them in dangerous asylums or doing surgery for it that the book didn’t quite cover properly. But overall, this was a fun educational book that reminds us that the Victorian era was much uglier, more sexist, and generally dirtier than it is often portrayed in our favorite films. It breaks down our modern misconceptions, and reminds us that we tend to over-romanticize Victorian life.

[greatmarta]

Hygiene (or lack thereof) in the Victorian Era

( @juliajm15 You probably know this already, but I know you research Victorian times, so I’m taggin you. )

What I learned about the Victorian times from the book “Unmentionable: the Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners” by Therese Oneill:

-         It is impossible to keep clean to the 21st century standards.

-         Full-immersion baths are discouraged, since filling up an entire tub takes a lot of time – especially if you do not happen to have indoor plumbing. Also, unless it’s Summer, you risk catching a cold. Most people keep themselves clean with a sponge soaked in water.

-         You will stink no matter what you do, but you may choose your kind of stink. Body odor can be masked with perfumes, which are much stronger than what we use nowadays. People will still be disgusted by your smell, but at least it won’t be your personal smell.

-         Washing your hair is not advisable. You are, however, expected to comb it thoroughly everyday – that way the natural grease from your scalp will be distributed evenly throughout the entire length of your hair.

-         Hair cosmetics include onion juice, egg yolk and ammonia.

-         Streets are dirty (horse carriages kick up dust, and horses themselves have physiological needs). Water is dirty (human waste is typically thrown to the nearest river). Air is dirty (majority of the households use chimneys). These are dirty times in general.

-         Your undergarments – made of cotton or linen – get washed. Your outer clothes not necessarily so.

-         Your outer dress is made of heavy, heavy wool. You wear a wire cage around your hips to evenly distribute the weight.

-         Women’s underwear is crotch-less, since it’s impossible to lift all those layers of wool and steel when you need to pee.  

-         This is also why cancan dances were so popular.

-         The earliest recognizable incarnation of toilet paper (soft, disposable and made specifically for undercarriage maintenance) wasn’t marketed until 1857, and people were reluctant to use it. The toilet paper as we know it (rolled, perforated, making actual effort to not feel like a fistful of bark chips) was introduced in 1890. It was distributed solely to pharmacies and sold from under the counter. Before then, people used newspapers and catalog pages, or wiped themselves with sponges soaked in water.

-         If you happen to be on your period – you will use whatever is available. You may use pieces of cotton, wool, or sea sponges. You may crotchet your own pads, if you have the time. If you are a rich lady, you may throw your bloody rags away with your general garbage. If you are a poorer lady, you will wash your rags and re-use them. Either way, you must make sure nobody sees them. Ever. Alternatively, you may just bleed into your clothes.

[darlinglilwitch]

“Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners” by Therese Oneill

You know how every romantic story from the Victorian Age makes you want to go back and experience it yourself? I read this book and can safely say I am very happy to be in this century. Also, I will never, ever buy Kellogg products ever again. This novel touched on subjects I always wondered about and things I really wish I hadn’t read before dinner. A straight-forward humourous non-fiction novel that tells you more about the Victorian Age than you ever cared to know. I highly recommend this for all ages, especially those who prefer the grit to the glamour.

My rating: 10/10

[manuscripts-dontburn]

Nonfiction November 2017 TBR

Challenge 1: Home

I actually took an advice from Olive, who hosts this readathon on booktube, and went with a book she recommended for the challenge. Unmentionable deals with various parts of Victorian female existence, including many things that are connected to matters of home life.

[anti-capitalistlesbianwitch]

“And the villain still pursues her”

I’m reading a book called Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners and came across this in the section on birth control. Anyway, this is my new favorite picture.