We’ve all seen it: The woman who faints at the entrance of a villain (gasp!), or because she’s heard shocking news (“Johnny’s not dead?!”), or because they’re serving black tea with blueberry scones when everyone knows black pairs best with lemon (massive swoon accompanied by self-righteous shattering of teacup). I’m trying to be open minded, but all this swooning in the face of trouble so that a man can gallop in and save the day—instead of the woman just maintaining consciousness and dealing with it—feels false. I’ve known quite a few women and never seen one swoon, so I have to ask: Did all this swooning really happen?
Yes, swooning is a thing.
In Jane Austen’s time, upper class women definitely thought swooning was real. Victorian homes often had a fainting room and couch where women could retreat if necessary. (Isn’t that an great way to get away from unwanted company? “Excuse me! I’m off to swoon. Not sure how long I’ll be. Go ahead and let yourself out, will you?”)
Regency and Victorian women also carried smelling salts in decorative containers to ward off fainting spells. Known as lady revivers, they consisted of ammonia dissolved in vinegar or perfume. The ammonia irritated the lining of the throat and nose to revive the victim.
Fainting rooms and special cases just for smelling salts—were these women really swooning?
This site is ending, so I moved this post. Read the rest here. (Spoiler: yes, swooning is a thing, more so during the Regency era—find out why.)
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