The working class put in hours of physical labor, but the upper classes….didn’t. How did they stay so Keira-Knightley-thin? (Because no one can question the historical accuracy of the Keira Knightley casting decision.) I know there was exercise—horseback riding and walking—all done under layers and layers of fabric. But then there was rain and snow and cold winds in the winter that would have prevented much of the Regency upper class from getting their 10,000 steps in. There also wasn’t a lot of access to fruits and vegetables…and a lot of consumption of meat and bread. Sugar was in short supply, but the rich had the means to acquire it, and it seems like a central activity was drinking tea, eating cake, and offering unsolicited advice. (Lady Catherine, I mean that in the least judgmental way possible.) Plus, I’ve watched those Bridgertons spend their evenings at balls downing lemonade by the glass and popping sweets in one bite. Perhaps there are one or two gaps in the historical accuracy of the Bridgerton series, but the question still stands: How did a class with the means to be sedentary and access to an abundance of food manage to stay trim?
Waif-like wasn’t sexy.
This site is ending, so I moved this post. Read the rest of it here.
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