Dr Kate Lister is scouring ancient recipe books, consulting leading experts, and even braving her very own bikini wax, all in the name of history to investigate when and why a completely natural part of the human body suddenly vanished from art, literature and history.
Kate is on a mission to find out why are we still so squeamish about body hair. What were people in the past doing to tame the tendrils? And how has it been depicted in art, if at all?
If you want to find out more check out Kate’s History Hit podcast Betwixt the sheets where they have a special episode featuring Jill Burke coming out on the 6th November.
Want to visit these sites?
Pitt Rivers: https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/
The Wallace Collection: https://www.wallacecollection.org/
Keen to find out EVEN more about this fascinating subject? We suggest reading the following books:
- Immaculate Forms: Uncovering the History of Women’s Bodies by Prof Helen King
- How to be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity by Dr Jill Burke
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