An era which lasted from 1837 to 1901 and judging by these rules, we’re truly glad it’s all in the past. Whereas the rules were not necessarily laws to abide by, it was clear that to break these rules was to stray from social norms, something which could have had a truly damaging effect for a woman who lived during this time.
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Breaking the rules could mean being mocked and publicly humiliated and for doing things that will seem almost trivial to us in modern times.
Many of these so-called social codes were based around the idea that women had to hide and almost disregard their female sexuality so as to uphold an image of innocence and avoid sparking any form of interest in their bodies. Women were forbidden to discuss their underwear as this was considered a taboo subject.
“They are not the things we talk about, my dear, we try not to think about them.”
However it has since been revealed that the undergarments of the Victorian era would likely be considered on the verge of risqué today as an opening existed where it would not ordinarily today, unless you are seeking a specific type of underwear.
Not all rules were simply to protect this illusion of innocence, there were also some that derived from medical ignorance of the time alongside rules which spread from old wives’ tales and others which were dependant on your personal social class.
Watch the video to find out the remaining 6 rules, and we’re glad they don’t exist today!
Image: GettyImages
