Women, through most of the middle ages, plucked their hairlines back. The fashion of the time was a high, rounded forehead. These same women would pluck their eyebrows into very thin lines in order to make their forheads larger. I can only imagine how painful this was, since I wince whenever I take on my eyebrows.

I found this website recently, and it's quite interesting. Although about medieval women, there could be some application to the Tudors! The link should take you to the section on beauty and hygiene.

http://rosaliegilbert.com/beau…..giene.html

DuchessofBrittany, Thanx so much for posting the article as that has explained alot for me especially about how women viewed their monthly cycles and how they were dealt with as it's something that's puzzled me for a while.

I do wonder now when Mary thought she was with child it was down to the effect of her periods stopping through a strict religious life and possible poor diet that she was mistaken for a pregnancy.

Very interesting article

I seem to recall reading that KOA was warned to elimiate fasting and to eat (perhaps Tremlett's bio). I can only imagine how irregular eating could inhibit a woman's menstrual cycle, and harm any fetus she might carry.

Sophie, I've often wondered about where Mary I's menstrual problems stemmed from. I am not versed enough in her life to know if she was a frequent faster. I would suspect Mary suffered from high levels of stress, and that may have contributed to her issues with menstruation and fertility.

However, Elizabeth I also suffered from irregular periods, and subsequent concerns over feritility (not that she needed to be concerned). I know she was a light eater. So, not sure.

It seemed the Tudor diet was poor in general. They ate a lot of meat, little fruit and vegetables, and drank copious amounts of alcohol.  

Duchess, the Tudor diet sounds like your average Saturday night out in most places in England today.

Many thanks, Duchess!

I found this article and found it pretty informative. I dont usually agree with imposing 20th and 21st century ideas and motivations behind what people did in Tudor times, mostly because it was such a vast difference in the role church and government played in people's lives. However I found this article to be pretty well written and mainly focus on her religious reasons for fasting.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/hom…..oblem.html

I recently finished Tremlett’s bio on Catherine, and he mentioned several times about her eating habits, especially during the stressful years after Arthur’s death. Tremlett noted that her weight dropped, espcially given her perfectionist inclinations. It seemed she was unable to handle food, and given the circumstances of her life, I would be sick all the time. As for her plump figure, it came later in life after years of pregnancies.