You’re probably scrolling through Instagram thinking about how weird today’s beauty trends are—what with the people online flaunting full lips, lifted eyebrows, and other unrealistic standards. You might let your mind wander to the past, think times must have been much simpler in terms of beauty trends.

As much as we hate to burst your bubble, beauty standards were weird back then just as they are now. Every era has a different definition of beauty and your perception of beauty might not be the same as others.

So, if you think today’s beauty standards are whack then buckle up!

Here are some of the strangest beauty standards from history.

1. Prominent Calves

Today, when you spot someone with abs, you instantly admire them because we’ve learned to include this group of muscles in our beauty standards. Similarly, back in the Middle Ages, men’s calves were all the hype. Through the Middle Ages and the 18th century, calves were seen as a sign of beauty. This is why you might’ve noticed portraits during that time showing men wearing stockings.

Quora | King Henry VIII was known for her calves, what an odd thing to be desired for

2. Beauty Patches

Beauty patches gained popularity when women began wearing makeup. Along with the use of makeup came the strange trend of wearing a beauty patch, which was a small piece of fabric stuck to one’s skin to showcase the whiteness of their complexion, hide blemishes, or simply to signify a woman’s marital status. They came in the form of stars, circles, hearts, and even squares. Their placement was just as crucial; a beauty patch around the mouth was meant to be flirtatious and married women wore them on their right cheek, while engaged women gluing them to their left cheek.

Pinterest | On the corner of the eye, beauty patches signified passion

3. Gummy Smiles

Nowadays, you might have seen a lot of people visiting the dentist to get rid of their gummy smiles but believe it or not, it used to be a beauty standard during the Renaissance. Apart from the basic beauty standards such as having long legs, a narrow waist, and wide hips, there was another bizarre beauty standard: short teeth.

Pexels | Veneers for us, short teeth for them

So what do you think? Are today’s beauty standards comparatively stranger or normal than those of the past?