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! 

( @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.

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.

Nonfiction November 2017 TBR

Challenge 1: Home

“And the villain still pursues her”