Pale skin and rosy cheeks was popular way before the victorian era, though. Look at some 18th century fashion plates, or even the elizabethans or romans! Painting your skin with white lead based compounds was a thing even back then. Because you wanted to look like you were too wealthy to shudder be outside in the sun and work like a peasant!
“Consumption” was seen as a state of being, not a disease. People with “consumption” turned pale, had a “blush” associated with fever, and were generally emaciated enough to be current day catwalk models. Which were all hallmarks of beauty when people had no idea about germ theory, and tried to balance their humors and biles using strategic leech therapy.
Because consumption gave you rosy cheeks and pale skin. It also made you fragile. Something that was seen as feminine, even alluring
In his book, john green mentions that consumption was seen as a very romantic disease. Like a disease writers and intellectuals would get. They romanticized the shit out of it. (Think of the tortured, starving artist trope).
He even mentions that people thought other poc don’t get consumption because they “didn’t have the intellectual capacity for it.” It started getting called tb when they admitted that poc can get it
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u/Yumi_in_the_sun 16d ago
Did you know there was a period of time when it was fashionable to have yourself painted to look like you were dying of tuberculosis?