Who was the Edwardian actress with the 14-inch corseted wasp-waist? 😲

The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1-month free trial of Skillshare: https://skl.sh/abbycox05234 Polaire was a world famous Edwardian actress known for many things - for being "The Ugliest Woman in the World", having a nose ring, and also for having "The Smallest Waist in the World". Yep - her waist was recorded as being a whopping 14 inches during performances and under 17 for her normal day to day life. By Victorian and Edwardian social standards, she was a freak, and yet, it's her photos that are shared time and time again on the internet whenever people talk about Victorian and Edwardian corset practices, tight-lacing, and wasp waists. We no longer know who she is, but we still see photos of her all the time. It's my fascination with her, her history, her shenanigans (cause y'all she was weird and also incredibly problematic), and her waist that made me want to make this video. So I hope you'll enjoy learning a bit about this fascinating French actress with a weird history and a wasp-waist that the Kardashians could only dream of. Thanks to ‪@NamiSparrow‬ for her feedback and contribution to the Nose Ring & Cultural Appropriation chapter of this video. ❤ Sources: DURBACH, NADJA. “‘Skinless Wonders’: ‘Body Worlds’ and the Victorian Freak Show.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences  69, no. 1 (2014): 38–67. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24631756. Durbach, Nadja. Spectacle of Deformity : Freak Shows and Modern British Culture . Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Accessed April 29, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central. Buy it here: [https://amzn.to/3ADPw0Z](https://amzn.to/3ADPw0Z) (affiliate) Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets (Chapter 2 is about Freak Shows specifically and features Nadja Durbach) (https://www.audible.com/pd/Stephen-Fr...) Scrapbook. Corset. Compiled by Bennett 1/82 Gift by Berlingen, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. Visited Feb. 15, 2023 Newspaper Articles via ProQuest Historical Newspapers The Tatler, The Sketch, The Bystander, and other British Periodicals via ProQuest British Periodicals Throwback Polaire website including Comic Sans and Papyrus font (10/10 nostalgia) [http://www.polaire-1900.com/](http://www.polaire-1900.com/) Chapters: 00:00 - 06:42 - Polaire's Early Career 06:43 - 10:00 - Polaire's Antics (Funny) 10:01 - 12:18 - Problematic Polaire Pt 1 12:19 - 14:42 - Freak Shows 14:43 - 19:11 - The Ugliest Woman in the World 19:12 - 22:38 - Problematic Polaire Pt. 2 22:39 - 29:30 - The Smallest Waist in the World! 🥳Socials Website: https://www.abbycoxcreates.com Instagram:   / iamabbycox   Patreon:   / abbycox   Tiktok:   / iamabbycox   Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @abbycox   📚My books: The American Duchess Guide to 18th-Century Dressmaking: https://amzn.to/2GrkAIQ The American Duchess Guide to 18th-Century Beauty: https://amzn.to/2TTwJtq 💌Business Inquiries ONLY [email protected] (This email goes directly to my management and not to me.) 📪 Abby Cox 642 N. Madison Street Bloomington, IN 47404 🎶Music via Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com) **I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. By purchasing items through the links listed above, I could earn a small commission for your purchase. Thank you.❤