Here are three of some of the more bizarre fashions out ancestors enjoyed-
At 3 Beards.
Specifically soldiers with beards. During the Crimean War in the mid 19th century, Allied troops were living in desperate conditions (the British particularly) and infection rates were so high the troops were ordered not to shave anymore as the cuts could easily get infected. This was the first war which was photographed, and the images were reproduced around the western world so that many men (and women) assumed that this what a soldier had to look like to be taken seriously.
The US Civil War occurred less than a decade later and as America was heavily influenced by all things European at this time, the soldiers of both sides assumed that what was good for French and British Armies in Russia was good for them slugging it out in Virginia.
At 2 the cod piece.
In the 16th century a man, really wasn't much of man unless he had strapped to the front of his hose (trousers) an ornate covering for the...er...well the manhood. They reached their peak in the 1540s with monarchs such as Henry VIII exaggerating the family jewels in paintings while he wore the crown jewels.
At 1 Naked Olympics
Yes the original olympics in ancient Greece had naked athletes (except for the sprint in full armour). All athletics in the era, for both men and women, were carried out naked. It's a tradition that didn't make it to the modern Olympic Games which is a shame as it may further increase the TV viewing figures...
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