The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships
by Kym on September 7, 2006
I was pontificating today whilst performing my morning ablutions – well…make that afternoon ablutions. It was one of those draggy sort of days and hey, the alliteration sounds neat, doesn’t it?
I was thinking about modern beauty aids, glancing about the family bathroom (our almost frightening tribute to the rubber duck), and thinking about all that modern advances have done for feminine beauty and hygiene.
To name just a handful, we have skin care products made from ingredients we usually can’t pronounce, hair care products made with delicious sounding words like eucalyptus and cammomile. There’s an almost bewildering array of lotions, creams, and scented sprays. And don’t get me started on hair removal. I don’t know where we’d be without hair removal.
As I scrutinized my reflection in the mirror, I couldn’t help wondering if Helen of Troy was really as drop dread gorgeous as history would have us believe. What kind of shampoo did she use? Did they have tweezers back then? Razors? And how did the women of days long gone survive without lipgloss?
I’ve formulated this new mental picture of Helen of Troy, which involves horrible combination skin in desperate need of exfoliating, a slight mono-brow (I’m sure they didn’t have tweezers), scads of other unsightly body hair, and some lingering form of body odour.
With that image firmly in mind, I hummed happily to myself, confident that compared to the face that launched a thousand ships, I’m heart-stoppingly gorgeous.
9 comments
LOL! Thanks! I feel gorgeous as well! I bet I smell WAY better after not showering for one day than they did after not showering for several days/weeks etc. without “real” soap.
by Tracey on September 7, 2006 at 6:55 pm. #
The body odor is the worst thought when yesteryear is romanticized. No matter how much soaking in frankincense and myrrh, there is no covering it up.
But I do love the story of dear Helen.
Thanks for visiting me today – so nice to meet you!!
by Katherine@Raising Five on September 7, 2006 at 9:10 pm. #
So true! LOL I hate getting sweaty and stinky, I could not have survived living in a time without my daily shower and sweet smelling shampoo, soap, deodorant, lotion; not to mention my razor. GASP!!
by Amanda on September 7, 2006 at 9:48 pm. #
Well… I hate to rupture your pontifications…
The myth that people were stinky was, uh, a myth. Well, for the most part, anyhow. I mean, there was stinky and there was stinky…
But make-up has been around since at least the egyptians. And depilatory creams were huge in ancient india. So… She probably didn’t have a mono-brow and she mightn’t have smelled too badly.
But you can take solace in this: no maxipads or tampons. And, uh… you wouldn’t have wanted a Greek or a Trojan anyhow. But I’m not elaborating. Because… well. Ew.
by Nurse Pickles on September 8, 2006 at 3:13 am. #
When I think of ugly, I think of – this is horrible – people in the 1800s. Even with technology as advanced as it was by then… pyew, and ewwww. Some of those folks were ugggg-leeeee.
by Thoroughly Mormon Millie on September 8, 2006 at 5:17 am. #
I don’t think any amount of beauty can overcome bathing only once a year like they did in the olden days. So, I won’t feel too badly if I happen to miss a day or so. ;=)
by Amber on September 8, 2006 at 10:00 pm. #
I have often wondered how I would have made it pioneer days without deodorant. I cannot fathom traipsing across the plains, unable to bathe daily or even change clothes, my armpits dripping in sweat. I have enough problems with that when I just walk outside on a hot day.
That is probably more than you wanted to know about me. :LOL:
by Bethanny on September 9, 2006 at 1:21 am. #
All so true! I read a history book about early america and how many people didn’t bathe at ALL. I mean, never! And they emptied their chamber pots in the streets! I could go on. I’ll just say, they were disgusting.
by The Lazy Organizer on September 24, 2006 at 4:41 am. #
Thank-you for your writing . Not a bad article . To naturally clean your
face , I think that you may like this article on taking care of your skin http://www.betweenclosefriends.com/2008/10/28/herbal-cosmetic-treatments-cleansers/
by Jean on November 2, 2008 at 12:27 pm. #