The Dung Ages: Difference between revisions

* Queen Isabella II of Spain bathes only twice in her entire life. This is the ''queen'' we're talking about here. That's saying something.

** The reason why is often cited for the same reason mothers still warn their children not to get wet in the rain. The guy who gets cold and wet is more likely to get sick. Showers involve getting cold and wet. So logically, those who don't shower don't get sick.

** Louis XIV of France is another famous ruler who is said to not have bathed more than a few times in his life (most of the occasions when he did get clean from head to toe was when he was about to enjoy a new mistress for the first time). The contrast with the [[Gorgeous Period Dress]] of the time is all the more glaring.

** Mariners of later parts of the Age Of Sail (when water was at a premium on board all ships) would help this process along with some tar.

** It should be noted that the queen would be bathing far less than anyone else. That is why she bragged about it, because she was an exception that proves the rule. Commoners who worked had to bathe far more often to clean off dirt, sweat, and other things that made them smell. She was showing off that she was rich and powerful enough that people did everything for her; she didn't work up a sweat, so she didn't need to bathe. Moreover, she had oodles of servants who could give her ''sponge'' baths whenever she wished. Bathing in a tub like a villager, or a pond like a peasant, meant doing the work of scrubbing yourself.

* A family that lived for several years on a replica Iron Age farm said that the modern convenience they missed most was welly boots. Every winter was a losing battle against mud. Hence the tradition of Spring Cleaning.

* An interesting subversion in ancient Rome - there is the story of a nobleman who was very proud of his gleaming smile (by virtue of cleaning them with the acidic properties of urine). A rival nobleman called him out on it, saying "You brag about having the whitest teeth, but this only means that you drink the most piss."

* In the Philippines, Spanish friar historians frequently cracked down on the "unholy" practice of bathing in rivers by the natives, mainly because men and women bathed together though they still covered themselves up. Note that up until the late 19th century, the Philippine culture as it was run by the Spanish was described by some observers as medieval.