What springs to mind when you think of British Victorian men and
women? - manners, manners and more manners. Behavior that was as rigid
and constricted as the corsets women wore. From iron-knicker sexual
prudery to men so uptight they furtively released their pent up emotions
in opium dens and prostitute hot spots. All, of course, exaggerated
clichés worthy of a Victorian melodrama.
Each generation loves to think it is better than the last and loves to
look aghast at the horrifying trends of their ancestors. But are we
really any different? This glimpse at life for Victorian men and women
might make you think again.
Men and women were expected to live very differently from one another
with clearly defined roles regardless of class. However, lift the skirts
a little and not only will you see that they didn't wear knickers but
they were far less repressed than the persistent stereotypes would have
us believe. The Victorians were as weird and wonderful as we are
today.
From fatal beauty tips to truly hysterical cures for hysteria to grave
robbers playing skittles with human bones, we have cherry picked some of
the more entertaining glimpses into the lives led by our Victorian
brothers and sisters.
