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You might assume that people in the Victorian age were obedient, well-mannered, and stiff because that's the way they're portrayed in books, television, and movies. But the truth is, there were some odd fads in the nineteenth century that would probably make your eyes pop out. We're talking about some really weird stuff that became pretty popular between 1837 and 1901 that will make modern fads seem absolutely tame. So, if you considered yourself a huge cynical who cannot simply be surprised, you won't feel the same way after you take a look at this list. Our Victorian ancestors are about to prove that they were even more insanely trendy than we are today. The Victorian upper and middle-class folks entertained themselves by playing dress up. Friend and family would dress up in odd costumes and pose for one another. This was a perfectly normal thing to do, and you can´t really blame them. They had no televisions, or even a radio to enjoy music with. Poorhouses housed people who were mentally sick, not just people who were poor. Poverty wasn't just considered dishonorable, it was connected with filth and those lacking a moral compass, which was associated with societies unwanted at the time. But the people in poorhouses had to work for room and board and even entire families lived together. In those days, hospitals weren't reserved for wealthy people, but for the poor instead. Wealthy people got the opportunity to have a doctor come to their home to check them out. But the poor had to suck it up and find a way to make it to a hospital on their own. The chances of dying on the operating table increased during the Victorian age. Sometimes, even the rich had to go to the hospital, but a clean operating room gave you a 1 in 10 odds of dying, while an unsanitary operating room reduced your odds to 1 in 4. Of course, no one figured this out until it was too late. Surgeons in the Victorian age didn't have an issue wearing the blood of their patients. These days, surgeons can't wait to dispose of their bloody clothes after a surgery. But in the Victorian age, surgeons wore the blood on their frock coats with pride, and they didn't seem bothered by the nauseating scent. Surgery was not really seen as being part of the medical field, but rather something else. Surgeons were placed on the same pedestal as butchers but were somehow also seen as high class. Even the fact that they used hot irons or boiling water to cauterize a wound didn't diminish the way they were viewed. Surgeons in the Victorian age didn't order someone to suction the blood off during surgery. It's common to hear a doctor shout, "suction," when they need a nurse to remove blood from the surgical area so they can see. But in the olden days, they used leeches to remove blood before performing surgery. They took photos, and lots of them, of the people they loved, even after they were deceased. Sadly, people had lots of kids in those days, and a lot of them died before they turned 5. So, they propped their deceased loved ones and took pictures with them. In fact, memento mori photographic portraiture was cheap and popular in the mid-1800s. There was a clear advantage of taking photos of the dead, a practice which existed long before this age. Memento mori, which means, "remember you must die," often resulted in the living coming out slightly blurry because they would tend to move. But since the dead didn't move, they appeared a lot sharper in the images. In some cases, the dead didn't seem life-like, so photographers did the following to change that. They painted eyes on certain occasions, as you can see from the photo on the left to make them appear like they were still alive, while the right photo on the right can't mask the grim reminder that this loved one has passed on. It often took the death of a loved one to get everyone together to take a family photo. This practice ensured that the family would get to keep their beloved loved one immortalized in a photo. In this photo, everyone, including a cat, gathered around the deceased child, who looks like he's sleeping peacefully. Egyptian burial rituals were fascinating to people in the Victorian age and in the 1900s. In the early 1900s, Victorians were mystified by the artifacts that were dug-up from Egyptian tombs. And since mummies were unwrapped and placed on display, Victorian people would gather around to gaze at the exhibitions and attend several lectures on Egyptology. London fog, caused by pollution existed, so Victorians wore black to counter this problem. In Victorian times, no one placed regulations on pollution caused by factories. The run-down areas in London also caused fires, which led to coal pollution and smoke, which combined with Thames' smog. This smog would stain clothing, so Victorian people wore black to hide any discoloration. The concept of sex among people had society rules that didn't really make a lot of sense. Women weren't really allowed to enjoy sex, but men having intimate relations with other men was acceptable as long as it didn't become a public spectacle. But no one knew women could be gay, so two women could live together without arousing any suspicion. Fasting was virtually considered an Olympic sport among most Victorian women in those days. "Fasting girls" were in every newspaper and talked about women who allegedly survived without water or food. These girls pretend to not eat anything, just like in the case of Mollie Fancher, a woman who survived on air. For whatever reason, people thought this was cool. Bathing was not really considered to be a thing that you really had to do in Victorian times. Victorian folks were stuck on that old wives' tale that bathing was bad for your health. The upper class only bathed a few times a month in lukewarm water with bran added to it. The lower class bathed once a year. One girl was said to have washed her hair with a cracked egg. You'd think that Victorian people would love makeup, but they actually thought it was a bit tacky. In those days, only prostitutes wore lots of blush and lipstick, so you would find a high-class lady wearing makeup. In those days, a judge claimed lipstick and witchcraft went hand in hand. So, women resorted to pinching their cheeks to get a nice pink glow. The mourning period during Victorian times varied based on who the person was in their lives. In those days, only prostitutes wore lots of blush and lipstick, so you would find a high-class lady wearing makeup. In those days, a judge claimed lipstick and witchcraft went hand in hand. So, women resorted to pinching their cheeks to get a nice pink glow. Taphophobia, which is the fear of being buried alive, was common during the Victorian age. In those days, doctors had discovered that some people may have been buried prematurely. This was known as Vivisepulture, or in layman's terms, it meant that the person only appeared dead, but wasn't too far gone to actually be dead. So the fear of waking up in a coffin was well deserved. Improving your skin came with some seriously dangerous risks back in those days. Victorian women would use complexion water laced with arsenic and bathed with arsenic soap and shampoo in order to look more attractive and younger. Ironically, men took arsenic pills to increase their libido, which obviously didn't work. To achieve a 14-inch waist, some Victorian women resorted to using uncomfortable corsets. Corsets were common as it helped support the bosoms, reduce their waist, and gave women the figure they wanted. The French singer and actress, Emile-Marie Bouchard, aka "Polaire," became popular for achieving a 14-inch waist using a corset. Nipple piercing was actually quite popular in the late nineteenth century, but only for women. Once the nipple was pierced, jewelers would insert a gold "bosom ring." In some cases, two rings were connected to a chain. Some believe that this fad grew because women believed this would make their breasts rounder and more appealing. When doctors diagnosed women with hysteria, they would find an unusual way to cure them. Women who had any sort of problem were always diagnosed with suffering from hysteria. To cure them, they found ways to get them to achieve an orgasm. In fact, the first vibrators would have never been invented if it hadn't been for this fad. If you felt sick, you could enjoy the effects of hydrotherapy but only if you were rich. Hydrotherapy clinics were quite popular during the Victorian age, but were only reserved for wealthy patients who had contracted tuberculosis, or were suffering from insomnia, baldness, impotence, and in women, hysteria. Food was downright creepy when it came to the Victorian era and you won't believe what they ate. Victorians were fond of offal and ate every part of their body, and we do mean everything, including the brains and hearts. Turtle soup was also all the rage, particularly the turtle's fat, which added flavor to the soup. Credits: lifebuzz.com

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