Quote:
Originally Posted by findinghope
hey people, aristocrats and peasants alike were FULL of lice, and NO ONE bathed regularly, so i wouldnt exactly pick one over the other
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If you are talking about distant past, you'll be surprised.
In the Middle Ages, most people bathed regularly. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
From the Renaissance onwards and almost until the 20th century, people bathed less, but peasants were probably cleaner than aristocrats. They had more occasion to get SO dirty that they had no choice but to bathe -- whereas aristocrats just slathered on pomades and musky perfumes (plus grease and flour in their hair). There is a hilarious description in William M. Thackeray's
Barry Lyndon of an aristocrat who is about to become a spy, which would entail him posing as a commoner. The most heartbreaking part of his transformation from a proper courtier to a nameless schmoe is washing all that grease out of his hair with soap, and brushing it out.
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