Friday Fun Fact: Satirical fashion prints

Hey folks, it's me Elizabeth, talking about historical fashion with you again!

Fashion history is full of weird and wild trends. But sometimes you might not realize you're looking at a satirical image that's poking fun at the trends, not the actual thing worn by real people!

Satirical prints became popular in the 18th century and really boomed with Punch magazine in the 19th century.

Prints that satirized popular fashion often took a trend and carried it to an absurd extreme. 

I've attached some of my favorite fashion satire images to examples of what the real thing would have looked like at the time. The real thing might look odd to us, but it's still wearable!

Next time you see an article about "10 Fashion Trends Men Hate," think about all these ways men have hated everything we've worn for centuries! (And then go wear whatever the heck you want!)

Check out all our Friday Fun Facts in the archive here!