The Bicycle Face Warning: Victorian DoctorsHow fake medical conditions restricted female independence
From the show
Historically Bad AdviceDiscover the bizarre history of a fabricated deformity designed to control female mobility. Late nineteenth-century medical professionals claimed that balancing a two-wheeled machine would permanently distort a rider's facial muscles, causing bulging eyes and a clenched jaw. This diagnosis was nothing more than a desperate attempt to stop women from gaining the newfound freedom and autonomy that came with personal transportation.
0:00
2:58