Historian Reacts To Weird History'S History Of Powdered Wigs (I Like To Suffer...♀️)
- Posted on 12 June, 2022
- T Part Wig
- By Anonymous
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Weird History is at it again, and this one was pretty painful to watch.
References:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1664/... - show my head
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/... - first mention of perriwig
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/... - picks up and pays for his perriwig
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/... - he wears his perriwig out for the first time
http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/66909/ - Emma Markiewicz's PhD
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/... - this article does try to make the argument for syphilis, but their sources (a 1905 newspaper article) and the interpretation of other the sources is garbage (plocacosmos).
https://doi.org/10.1111/apaa.12091 - Another academic article that agrees with Kenna's and I’s interpretation of Pepys's "show his head" comment.
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Hello, ( laughing ). I don't know how to start this other than saying ``. Weird History'' is back.. They made a video about 18th century wigs and why people wore them and I watched it and then I died inside. And then I was like you know. What stop right there self. Get some help. If you're gon na die on inside. You should do it on camera, because this is an excellent learning. Opportunity. Griffin stop it. Again, as you guys know, Hello Fresh has been a sponsor of this channel, for I think well, over a year at this point I love them.. I love working with them. And I love using Hello Fresh to help ensure that I have a very balanced, healthy meal, at least once a day.. We use them even when they're not sponsoring this channel. And we love it because there's so many delicious meals to pick from. Hello Fresh now has 30 separate dinner recipes to pick from every week.. So that way, you can always find something that works for you., Whether you're looking for something that's pescatarian, vegetarian kid friendly or just family friendly, there's, so many options to pick from. Hello Fresh is super easy to work with. If you're going on vacation or you need To pause your meal plan for a few weeks, it's super easy to do that at no additional cost. You just kinda clicky clicky.. It'S called good to go. No problem. Whatsoever. Hello, Fresh is the first carbon neutral meal kit, company. We're going completely carbon neutral. ( crowd. Cheering ), Almost all of their packaging, is actually recyclable., No joke.. So if you haven't given Hello, Fresh a try, yet I highly recommend that you go to HelloFresh.com and use my code ABBY16 to get 16 free meals and three free surprise. Gifts from Hello, Fresh. Link is in the description below. And with that. Thank you so much to Hello, Fresh for sponsoring this video.. Now, let's go back to suffering internally and screaming inside. The real reason people from history wore wigs., Totally based on fact, and not at all over bullshit history.. There'S no group today.. This is, I guess, a solo meeting of the Catherine de' Medici's Time Travel Society.. If you get the reference cheers to you., Yes, there is booze in that. I have been researching 18th century hair and hair dressing, hair hygiene, hair practices.. I do have a book that I wrote called'' The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty''. That covers a lot of what I've learned.. It is definitely the research rabbit hole that I've spent a lot of time.. This is my research baby., So I know what I'm talking about., Let's suffer together, shall we [ Narrator ] European men refuse to go outside without first donning an enormous, wig.. Okay, I have to stop it right. There. Enormous wig really In the early part of the 1700s, very late 1600s. Yes, the wigs were enormous, but by the end of the 18th century they were not. Moving on. [ Narrator ]. Today we're going to take a look at the real reasons. People wore huge powdered-, The real reasons people wore huge powdered wigs.; No, no, no, no, no! No! No, no no. Wigs cover up syphilis. Gon na spoil that one for you guys. Everything you're about to listen to is wrong. [ Narrator ] Syphilis began to spread in Europe in the 1490s.. This is so nasty. [, Narrator ], Which might explain why guys like Christopher Columbus were so desperate to get out of there. Or maybe Christopher Columbus left, because he was a piece of shit. [ Narrator ] Syphilis was spread by sexual contact., But because this was before The development of antibiotics- ( Abby laughing ). This is nothing to do with the wigs, but why is people in gold body paint like rubbing up? Why is that their- [ Narrator ], This last symptom was an especially big problem.. Having long hair- That's my hairbrush. Was an extremely important status symbol at the time., So syphilis was more than just an incurable STD.. It was also a social disaster.. I liked how the social disaster part is related to how long your hair is and not I don't know it being like a sexually transmitted. Illness. [, Narrator, ], Samuel Pepys perfectly summed up that attitude in a diary entry. He wrote after learning that his brother had syphilis., So Samuel Pepys's brother gets syphilis because he's not being an monogamous.. I guess we could put it that way. And when you actually read that quote within its context, instead of ripping it out of context, he's so embarrassed and so ashamed that he has syphilis that he can't show his head as in. He can't show face. It's not. He can't physically show his actual literal head.. It'S that he's embarrassed., So that diary entry is from March of 1664. In November of 1663, Pepys writes ,'' By and by came the Duke and he walked ,'' and at least they went into the Duke's lodgings.''. The king stayed so long'' that he could not discourse with the duke ,'', and so we parted.'', I heard the Duke say that he was going to wear a periwig ,'' and they say the king also will.''. I never till the day observed'' that the king is mighty gray.''. So that's the first kind of reference, Kenna and I'cause could find, or mostly Ken honestly, to be honest, could find about a periwig being mentioned in Pepys's diary. And obviously that statement after mentioning the king's gon na wear one about the king observed that the king is Mighty gray and then all of a sudden he's not maybe it has something more to do with. I don't know just vanity and fashion, just me just a thought. And then what actually happens, though, is if you go to the next day so Tuesday, November 3rd Pepys. Being Pepys takes himself to the periwig maker.'' By by comes Chapman, the periwig maker.'' And upon my liking, it the wig.''. Without more ado, I went up and there he cut off my hair., You mean shaved. His head, ``, Weird History'' Pepys, doesn't have syphilis as far as we're aware.. This also happens a year before his brother gets syphilis.. Do you wan na explain that ``, Weird History'', ?'' And away? We went with my own hair to make up another of.'' And I, by and by after I cause all my maids'' to look upon it and they concluded it do become me.'', Though Jane was mightily troubled'' for my parting of my own hair.''. So not only did he buy a wig from the wig maker and he cut off all of his hair to do it. He then sent the hair, along with the wig maker, to make another wig.. So I think we can be safely assured that this is not actually a medical thing in that it's to cover up syphilis, but actually a vanity thing and a fashion thing. [ Narrator ], Wealthy Europeans turned to wigs'' to hide the symptoms of syphilis.''. So obviously the whole Pepys thing we were able to debunk that. Kenna did some research into trying to figure out where that myth and rumor came from, and the best that we could find was an article from a Winterthur publication by the way, which I was extremely Kinda disappointed in that they used a 1905 source as some scholars.. No, we don't do that.. Furthermore, if you are actually interested in the medical reasons behind wearing wigs, because there were medical theories behind it, I think is a good way. Emma Markowitz's PhD called `` Hair. Wigs ,'' and Wig Wearing in Eighteenth-Century England ,'' it's a free, PhD. I'll, have a link below.. I have referenced her work before.. She actually does dive into the medicinal theories behind wearing wigs.. So, if you're actually interested in the medicinal reasoning behind wig wearing she's the PhD for you. - And I will tell you it's not syphilis. [ Narrator ], The 18th century publication, ,'', Encyclopedie, ,'', largely written by French philosopher, Denis Diderot. - I mean I respect the fact that They'Ve referenced Diderot in here, but I'm also kinda, like you're gettin', ready to drag this man's good name through the mud with your bullshit, and I think that every material culture historian right now is just screaming. [ Narrator ] In it Diderot claimed that long hair was The mark of royal blood dating back to the beginnings of France., So Motley Crue were all French kings. That'S so stupid. It's a bad joke.! That'S a bad joke.! That'S not a funny! Joke. Diderot was so into long. Hair- Diderot is so into long, hair and Diderot. In the portrait has really short hair, that's not really powdered.. It looks like it's this natural gray and it's not even been styled.. I really wonder about the script writer, the image B, roll finder and the editor and, in my mind, at ``, Weird History ,''. They all hate each other, because they're all like ..., [, Narrator, ] Haircuts were more or less short, depending on the degree of inferiority in the ranks in such a way that the monarchs head of hair became so to speak. The yard stick of social rank.. Also, can we just talk about the fact that, like they're, literally contradictoring, ... Contadictoring ... Within this own video., Because they first go? Oh it's because it's syphilis'cause, Pepys. And now they're like eh. It'S actually a fashion thing, because the aristocracy liked having long hair. And I'm like which one is it guys: [ Narrator ], Concealing the bald patches and bloody sores of a syphilis infection which rivaled the black plague in how quickly it spread across Europe. Syphilis infection, which Rivaled the plague in how fast it spread across Europe. ♪ I've been feelin' tryin', ♪, [, Narrator ] Louis XIV became king when he was only five years old and he started going bald when he was still a teenager. Like a Kardashian Louis (, Abby laughing ) Was obsessed with his reputation. Okay, another thing about ``, Weird History'' is like little aside like shitty aside comments, I'm kind of like I don't. Are you a satirical website? Are you a satirical channel Because you make ... [ Narrator ], But even though the wigs covered up Louise's baldness, they couldn't hide the rumor that the king had syphilis.. Oh there, it ties back to Louis XV had syphilis. What kinda romance novels. Are you reading ``? Weird History'', The King's penchant: Oh Alan Rickman., [ Narrator ] For wigs, had a big effect on the market.. Suddenly everyone was clamoring for wigs to hide their bald heads.. I hate their bad use of images. Like they're good images. They'Re just used completely in the wrong context.. Wigs became a big business, so big that in 1673-, That was an image. Wigs became a big business of a woman having a wig again, a satirical image. [ Narrator ] Independent Wig Makers Guild for Master Wig, Makers-. Well, yeah: it's trade guild, that's good.! We should be organizing our professions and having professional organizations to help protect us from being taken advantage. Of. Women also wore wigs. By the latter half of the- Okay. First off, this is the second that's actually gon na make me extremely hostile, because you're all's use of my images and my friend's images without any sort of citation and credits, especially when it's with this filth is extremely upsetting.. That'S Hannah., She's lovely. Hannah does good research. Unlike you, guys. [, Narrator ], Wigs weren't, just for men., They were all also popular for women.. Okay. Now we have this God awful white plastic thing.. This is .... I hate this freakin' wig.. I hate this wig guys., It's the worst wig ever., I just oh. It makes me like ..., While women did wear wigs in the 18th century, because you can never say never within the context of history, because humanity and society and culture is diverse. It'S unique., While it did exist, usually the way it is presented within the historic context. Within the period is of a few things. One. The woman is being portrayed as very silly and vain. The woman is old and vain.. The other reason is because of illness or disease. ( classical music ), There's also a certain level of poverty about trying a commentary almost about trying to be above your station. [ Narrator ] Colorful hair powder was also very popular among the ladies.. You are also correct.. Also low key, this video came out May 18th.. My video came out on rainbow hair came out on the 15th. [ Narrator ], Pretty much everyone smelled like old milk, back then., Pretty much everyone smelled like old milk. Back then How the fuck do you know dude? Were you there? Obviously, not. [ Narrator ] Wigs were also quite adept at concealing, rodent chefs.. Oh, I know that's a joke.. I know it's a `` Ratatouille'' joke., It's fine., Don't. [ Narrator ] In 1663, Pepys was driven to the wig shop by the pains of keeping his hair clean.. Okay, you literally just brought up the Pepys thing again.. What are you guys doing? [ Narrator ] Pepys declared ,''. I have no stomach for it.'', In other words, wigs not for me.. What Wigs? Not for me. He literally the next day paid like three shillings for a wig and then gave the wig maker his hair to make another one.. What Pepys diary are you reading guys, [ Narrator ] Cleaning, the enormous and costly wigs which had to be almost architecturally designed with support-? That'S me., That's from my book., It's literally a book about hair dressing. And we did not use a wig., That's Rebecca. And that's her natural hair.. I did that. That's Nicole and that's me dressing Nicole's, hair for the book.. I am not convinced at this point that `` Weird History ,'', I swear they're trolling me.. That image of Rebecca is not an easy one to find.. They dug for that one.. That'S my ... Me literally, my work. [ Narrator ], The process of powdering, a wig that size certainly added to the daily work. ( sighing ). If you'd read the book that you stole the images from you would know that wasn't the case. [ Narrator ] Soon the lice infested, the wigs instead, which was less good. Still. It was much easier to delouse a wig rather than pick them off a person's head.. We deal with lice today: guys. We don't defeat lice by just washing our hair. Lice are attracted to clean and dirty hair alike.. It doesn't actually matter., Pomades and powders are scented with natural oils and scents that actually deter lice.. Since wigs became- ( Abby sighing ) [ Narrator ] required accessories for noble men during the reigns of Louis XIV of France and Charles II of England-, It hurts guys. [, Narrator ], The term big wig came to indicate a powerful and wealthy person.. I have not looked up the entomology of the phrase big wig, but I am ... I'd be interested to see if it actually has 18th century origins or not. [ Narrator ] Aristocrats saw the wig as a marker of status. And why? Wouldn'T they Wigs, certainly weren't cheap. Okay. Wigs is a marker of status.. Again, I'm gon na send you guys back to Emily Emma Markowitz's PhD. She actually dives into how they are not actually markers of status.. It'S not a marker of fashion.. It'S a marker of what you do. [ Narrator ], A man came up to me wearing black silk clothes and a well-powdered wig.. He introduced himself as the oldest son of my blacksmith or a saddler., The depressed aristocrat lamented ,''. Everyone has become a messier.'', It's new money., It's a new money. Issue., It's not a wig issue. Guys., It's just a general new money. Issue. In his well-known portraits America's most important founding father sure looks like he's wearing a wig., That's debatable., But he's not., George Washington. Actually wore his own hair styled to look like a wig.. This makes no sense guys.. He had real hair that he styled to look like fake hair or maybe hairstyles had styles and fashions, and people just followed. Them. Whoa, that's crazy., [ Narrator ]. That is the kind of cunning that wins revolutions., I'm not ..., [ Narrator ]. In truth, Washington's hairstyle was considered a common military style at the time.. In truth, Washington's hairstyle was considered a military style at the time.''. Weird History'' is literally telling you they're full of shit. [ Narrator ]. Washington'S hair was long in the back and curled at the sides, smoothed down with oil to show his forehead. Smoothed down with oil to show his forehead. It's pomaded and then it's powdered.. You can't add oil on top of the powder, because then the powder will disappear just so we're clear., [, Narrator ] Washington wore his hair powdered.. The powder may have been talcum powder, starch, rice powder, chalk or even Plaster of Paris.. No, it was wheat starch.. If it had anything else in it like Plaster of Paris, chalk clay, it would not have been talcum powder, but if it had any of those other additives in it, it was considered lesser quality and dangerous to use.. If you bothered actually reading a primary source, ,'' Weird History, ,'' you'd know that. [, Narrator, ], Driving out the aristocratic imitation of the ancient regime in favor of a more egalitarian look, enormous powdered, wigs simply didn't fit with the new, simpler trends.. Obviously, the French Revolution had impact on fashion and everything because it was happening in France and France was the pillar of fashion, but the shrinking of hair. It doesn't actually happen that ( snapping ) overnight., It's actually a gradual deflation.. If you actually look at images from like 1770 to like 1795, you can see how it goes up out round and then it shrinks back down.. The hair powder tax that they're getting ready to kinda touch on absolutely has a part in this and the shifting of hairstyles, but it's it's just a normal ebb and flow of fashion. It'S basically what I'm getting at. [ Narrator ], William Pitt pushed for a heavy tax on hair powder. ( laughing ) When it comes to the tax. That'S actually probably the most historically correct thing that they stated because it didn't actually pontificate on it in any way shape or form., But in the late 1790s there was a tax put on hair powder ,'cause. There was issues with the wheat industry and prices and trade and flour. And a lotta people were taking their frustrations out onto the hair powder industry, to which people in the hair powder industry were like hey. No, it's not our fault. Wheat starch doesn't take away from flour. They're, not competing products, but they did put a tax on hair powder that basically made it. So the lower sorts couldn't really afford it., And so it just kinda faded out.. It'S not banned. It'S just more expensive., So that's just something to keep in mind., But with that we have suffered through that 11 minute and 14. Second long, hellscape of a video.. If you guys like hangin' out with me, don't forget to subscribe. I post every other Sunday.. Sometimes we just drag `` Weird History, ,'' because, as I said, we're either in a really screwed up, symbiotic relationship now, where they produce content. That just makes me see red and just gets hostile and extremely angry or we're in a blood feud.. I really can't decide between the two, but there's something going on here and ``, Weird History ,''. I am watching you. And one day I might get so weird as to do some Googling. I'll see you all back here next time with another video. Bye. (, classical music )
Comments
Jessica Bell: You should send them a copyright infringement notice and an invoice for licensing the photos without permission. Photos are not free to use just because they're online and as someone who works in a photo department of a newspaper, it's infuriating when people go with the better to beg forgiveness than ask permission theory.
Jeanne Greenlee: Weird History has a long-established practice of pulling alternative facts from their arses. I totally support you sending them a copyright infringement notice.
Madame Fortuny: They discussed the long hair thing being a class and status sing and not even ONCE mentioned were the hair from the wigs came from mostly. Not ONCE, NOT EVEN A SINGLE MENTION
Briala B: The insult of them saying incorrect nonsense while showing stolen images of your work is infuriating to me. If they're going to make poorly researched, poorly produced, piece of crap videos that claim to be about history but are almost entirely false drivel, literally the least they can do is not steal images from independent creators who put time, research, love, passion, and scholarship into their work. If you decide not to seek legal action (because of the hassle or any other reason), then I understand and I support you in that decision. But I would love to see them face legal repercussions for this. It's just so wrong.
Silly Jellyfish: * with a shaky voice and tears in my eyes: * We all gathered here today to honor a very special person, Abby Cox. She has left us mere hours ago after witnessing horrible lies, out of context facts, and overall the most garbage content the youtube can deliver. Let's honor her by a moment of silence and by clicking on the like button under her last video where she forever documented the unforgivable act of her own demise by the most awful historic channel this site can host.
AnnaCatherine Sendgikoski: The phrase "big wig" is attributed to a British Parliament member George A. Selwyn in a letter written in 1781. "The first written record of the expression goes back to 1781 in G. Selwyn’s “Letters in 15th Rep. Hist. MSS. Commission,” where it appears as, “A new point of discussion for the lawyers, for our big wigs, for their Lordships.” This is the only record I could find, I could not find the actual document, it's buried in the 1781 Parliament papers archive.
Kristen Stieffel: Best takedown by a costuber since Bernadette bought and reviewed the dress a cut-rate costume company ripped off from her Instagram. A+ work here, Abby!
The MetatronGirl: It’s so frustrating to see a channel like Weird History putting out videos full of complete bullshit…the sheer number of people who watch those videos and BELIEVE them is frightening! It’s absolutely trolling…especially since they used images from your own book!! On a happier subject…looking forward to seeing your upcoming sewing videos while you get ready for the cruise! What an exciting trip! Sending you good vibes, always.
Bjørn Egil Larsen: Channels such as weird history are outright dangerous in my opinion since people is led to believe they are credible sources and not satire
Debbie Collington: I hope you can make a copyright claim and get their revenues for stealing your work!
DragonriderEpona: This is the reason I rarely watch any history related videos on YouTube. And those that I watch gained my trust because they linked sources and/or actually show that they did their research thoroughly. So thank you Abby for making this video <3 - a history student that has to listen to a lot of weird (and mostly false) things that people think about the past, especially during the last two years.
Julie Blair: More than once i have fact-checked a claim on Weird History... and found a 2010’s blog post that they are reading almost verbatim. The Victorian Foods one was all from one blog post nearly in the same order.
Kathy Barylski: You need to "get so weird" as to have a lawyer send them a cease and desist order, including they pull that video down until you have approved the use of your content and they have paid any licensing fee you require.
Katharine Donnelly: I literally just re-watched your reaction to the Weird History corset video and as a historian who has put years (not to mention $$$) into research and learning to be responsible in my research, I just… aagghh!!! This physically pains me to see history butchered like that, and don’t even get me started on the use of your images while also touting BS…. Btw, I LOVE your book and learned so much from it! I’ve been pomading and powdering my hair since April and this is the healthiest my hair has ever been!
LadyBirdieBop: I think it’s also very important to mention that NOBODY should be going to Weird History to comment OR dislike their videos. If it’s getting a lot of interactions, YT algorithm sees that as something they should promote. Yes, literally every video they produce is filled with concentrated garbage and fecal matter, but it’s very important NOT to engage en masse. Leave it to pros like Abby to take them down. Plus, it’s all the more enjoyable that way.
Pokhraj Roy: Quote of the Day: “We should be organising our professions and having professional organisations to help protect us from being taken advantage of.”
Hiromi Sugiyama: I didn't realize this when watching the original on their channel, but the image shown at 15:33 is from video made by Lemoncholy (called: Art, Fashion, & The French Revolution) which is more well-reserarched and uses quotes from diares of people who knew the subject of the video. And Lemoncholy managed to create creative art based on actual facts while WH failed to even say correct facts.
m: Abby, please consider making a copyright claim for their use of your work. Please protect your work.
Katie Behrens: The “syphilis spread like the Black Plague” comment got me too - like… let’s think about our comparisons a little before we publish them in a video (though that is the LEAST of this video’s problems).
Pokhraj Roy: Abby Cox believes in Communal Brain Cell Depletion after watching s**tty takes on the Internet and I’m here for it!
Hailey Bradley: They have to be trolling you. There's no other explanation.
Kathy Johnson: Absolute History is the 5 Minute Crafts of 'historical' content. Should we all start calling it "Absolutely NOT History?
Mia Lemon: I even have my spouse ranting about this and he really doesn't care about the 18th century. He's not into any of this and still knows better. I had to pause twice in the first 5 minutes and got a "Okay just put it back on let's get this over with" This is an incredible experience. Update: He's got SALT and has gotten into the early history of the US. I am blessed this day.
Alice G: So many people got their work stolen without credit.... to support false claims. That's infuriating.
Kirsten Paff: Weird History is basically the Ancient Aliens of YouTube. They take a crazy theory and slap on a thin coat of historical veneer to sell their tabloid gossip as "educational" content.
Vianney Bourdin: The number of images they took from small creators is infuriating they dont credit and probably dont even ask like god as an artist seeing illustrations from modern artist who asked nothing and get their art stolen and used in a shitty video legit makes me wanna puke
Pokhraj Roy: I love your conspiracy theory about the working of ‘Weird History’ (Also, I find the video funny because it feels like a giant piece of irony but should absolutely not be taught in schools because you along with video essayists exist)
Alicia B.: That video was recommended for me and I just knew, "oooooh, Abby's gonna HATE this!" but for a moment, I will admit, I was sorely tempted to watch it. But then I decided to wait for your inevitable reaction video instead. Glad I did.
Jessica Clakley: Waiting for Nicole’s response to Weird History’s the “real origin of clothing”
Dominic H.: I feel actual concern for people who instead of watching Weird History (& co.) for entertainment, presume to get educated by them. And the anachronistic quips just annoy the hell out of me. There's dumbing down a subject for laymen to understand, and then there's this farce. At least I get two laughs out of each of their videos... watching theirs, then watching their utter destruction through reactions. I do discover the best - actually - educational channels because of that!
Ewe Sew You: Had to google bigwhig/bigwig - and almost everything that came up went with the wig idea. However, I’ve always assumed it was associated with the (now defunct) British centre-left political party, the Whig party. I only remember seeing it spelt as bigwhig growing up in the UK. British English has become more Americanised now than it was in my childhood/teen years, and I am now seeing the simpler spelling of bigwig and big wig more often (this may be correlation rather than causation). Clearly I’m not an academic source, but it is my suspicion/theory that the British spelling of bigwhig implies a connection to the political party. Of course that doesn’t rule out the term also being connected to wigs.
Johanna Häyhtiö: Oh dear, I thought it was poor Catherine de'Medici again but no, im litterally speechless right now and wonder where in earth they got these "infos", ideas and nerves to spread these brainfarts into internet and yes, make a serious copyright claim, that was wrong and rude.
Elizabeth Redmond: The great Abby Cox and Weird History battle continues!! Abby Cox, knight of the tearing down of bullsh*t historical analysis!
Nidomhnail: At the risk of being misunderstood, you may consider that Weird History's use of your work is a compliment. In grad school, I had my work plagiarized by a professor in the department, and my advisor (who experienced it himself) said that I should consider it a compliment. Twisted, yes, but I know my work is good enough for others to try to rip off. My advisor and I had a long discussion on how can I protect my work. Congratulation, your work is good enough for others to rip off. It is a shame that Youtube does not give away plaques for that. Weird History produces satirical versions of history, but the stuff is sophomoric. A better title of their powdered wigs piece is "Guess how many times we can say "syphilis" in this piece?" In this video, you strongly argue that the actual history is from your work and others who produce research-based, historical videos. If you know the other historians, you may want to collectively make a very large copyright claim - if successful, you put out a video to show others how to do it. You may want to talk to a lawyer to learn what you can do to protect your work.
Penny Underbust: It’s infuriating how many views a clickbait video that tells people gossipey lies always gets…
Km Scheid: First, thank you for your historical research. Apparently, college made me a citations junkie. Go watch "Chariots of the Gods?" if you want full-on weird bullshit ripping of shit out of context and then making shit up. It's a genre. Maybe somebody should do research? "A Modest Proposal" as founding document?
Mary Eckel: Go after them for copyright infringement. They are where facts go to die and they deserve to be taken to court not only for stealing your photos, but for ignoring your text.
Esme's Vintage Closet: They've done another one on the history of fashion, which is.... interesting...
Molly Vandever: I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this, Abby. I agree with Jessica Bell. Slap 'em with copyright infringement. Make them understand that this is NOT okay.
lysblack: i swear, i saw abby's soul leave her body (and then return) a couple times during this video as she reacted to weird history's bullshit. and i feel the frustration as well.
Pokhraj Roy: The video where you alongside a group of YouTubers reacted to the history of the corset and it will never stop being iconic. When will all of you come back?
dany f.: Not an historian here, but I skipped the weird history video because I knew it would be full of bs! I mean...not all of their videos are so bad but many are. I am glad real experts like Abby debunk all the mistakes and inaccuracies! She probably needs a stronger drink next time though Adding: also STEALING from Abby's work??? Good to know, I'll unsubscribe from them.
K. Glena: No better way to start a week than with a cup of tea and then the whole pot from Abby with heavy dose of snark and realness about a niche topic-Thank you!
secretsquirrel: I really enjoyed this. I would have enjoyed seeing clips of the very first time you watched this - I’m imagining the roller coaster of emotions you went through as you lost your mind. I think the “weird history” dude just really likes saying the word Syphilis. Which is SUPER weird - Syphilis syphilis syphilis syphilis....oh baby. I imagine that along with hating each other, the weird history people have a wheel that they spin to decide who will do what irregardless of their skill set. I’m also now expecting another Weird History video about corsets and stays, that blames Syphilis for fainting women. I’m still stuck on the “everyone smelt like milk” comment. WTF does that EVEN MEAN? Ahhhhhhhhhh. And, there were NO wigs in Ratatouille. A tall chef’s hat or Toque Blanche (white hat) but ZERO wigs. I’m just so confused Did they give you image credits? Can you annoy them with many stern emails? (and share the reply) “That’s a stupid...a bad joke That’s a bad joke That’s not a funny joke “ I’m absolutely a-mazed that I didn’t see that Marie Antoinette “boat wig/hair” image. I would have thought that an overused pastiche like that one would have been right up their syphilis/Peeps obsessed alley (yummy). I’m actually reading Peeps at the moment ❤️
Sandie M.: Good for you, Abby, for slapping Weird History silly! I do believe they owe you for using images from your book. I just love your videos because I am learning something, and I am getting the correct information. xoxo's Sandie
Nathryl03: Thank you so much for providing us with the right, truthful information instead of the nonsense that is being spread by people who can't be bothered to do the research. Whenever I "learn" something new, I look to the experts for confirmation (often members of the Catherine De'Medici's Time Travel Society ) because you are all a lot more likely to have the proper historical information. All of this to say THANK YOU
Emma Flint: Thank you for doing this because prior to discovering you I actually didn’t know a lot about the hair care. I assumed the lower classes wouldn’t afford wigs but just didn’t know what their hair care looked like. Your book was really informative. History is an interest of mine but biological sciences was my main study in school so I didn’t have time to delve into it. These kind of cRaZy hIsToRy videos really do perpetuate a lot of misinformation when I think people like me are just genuinely interested in how these old fashion plates worked in a day to day practical sense (or if your like me couldn’t distinguish some of the satirical prints because the ladies looked fly as hell lol )
Amurei: I bought your book a couple years ago and I love it! <3 i really hope that you'll take action against Weird History for using your photos. they've also used work by modern artists without credit which really gets me, being an artist myself. They spread misinformation, use works of others without permission, and even misrepresent what these works are.
Chippies: I watched this Weird History episode when it came out, and 1min in my first thought was….ooooh Abby gonna be pissed!!! Thank you for calling them out. Love your content ☺️
Sentimental Circus: Yeah, but I love watching even the innacurate ones because they always have the parody illustrations. I love those. Id watch an entire silent video with just parody paintings, newspaper charicatures and other things like that.
Michelle Neumann: I love that you debunk their facts with specifics, and I would lovelovelove to see the rants that you edit out of the video.
Kelley Stephenson: Oh, gosh. Big hugs, Abby. They are either trolling you or are enjoying your roasting and the traffic it gives them. Either way, "pluck yew", Weird history, pluck yew.
Susan Britton: Thank you (and Kenna) for doing the work! I love hearing your info and where you found it, it adds so much to the video to cite your sources and give the background info. Not to mention, it's the right thing to do.
Alex Bramley: I never knew weird history was so inaccurate! Thank you for opening my eyes!
Katie Nurrenbern: OMG! So glad you did this video. Just because a channel presents itself as a “history” channel does not mean it really is. Weird History is one of the worst offenders. Copyright infringement commence Abby!
Casie Chilcote: I appreciate you're series of "I watched it so you don't have to"; honestly, you're doing god's work. lol
Carolyn Coulter: Abby Cox, I have your book and use it as my reference for my 18th c hair. My hair is long and fine, so anytime I curl it, I use pomade. When in 18th c mode, I powder with cornstarch since I have celiacs. I can achieve quite a nice height and some curls with just the use of a single rat. Also the pomade is fairly easy to get out. 1970's lacquer hairspray is hard to get out.
Kale Dragon: I love when reaction videos are almost twice as long as the original video. It's funny because now weird history shows up in my recommended section and I'm like no thank you I like credible sources and people who actually know what their talking about.
Chase Wighton: Absolutely wild that it required a bit more effort on their part to find the images from your work and steal them (not just taking public domain/creative commons/stock photos from the first page of Google Images) but somehow totally missed that they were taking images of real hair and hair styling techniques, not wigs at all. I don't know how they managed that? It's already terrible that they stole your work, but then they made it extra terrible by putting that stolen work into an incredibly shitty, poorly researched video that entirely misrepresents said work and spreads so much "historical" misinformation to probably millions of viewers.
Mz A: I do love your research into everything hair! The sarcasm is just part of my language and it’s just perfection. If you need to round up a gang to go after Weird History, I’m in! Kidding of course, maybe, or not ♀️whatever you choose.
Deborah Sorgi: I love that you put out true facts when debunking myths
Lisa Owen: The wig thing could be for many reasons. Maybe just for fashion. The cavemen may used wigs too.
Nikki Griffin: If I remember correctly, in the first video in this *series* the Cathrine club said that it seemed like whoever was in charge of finding the photos from weird history did their best and the head editor just didn't care to use the images properly. I would not be surprised if that is happening here
Sam H.: I'm absolutely disgusted by their actions and I'm so sorry you've had your work not only stolen but misapplied beside inaccurate information. I'm enraged for you. Hold them accountable in whatever way you can. Also, currently living for your enraged, factual rants about clothing and fashion (see: That Dress mishandled so egregiously for The MET Gala). Fueling me.
Jacqueline Viana: Abby is a great heroine, suffering through bad researched videos on the Internet so we don't have to. An icon.
Gazelle1583: I once got an A+ in a college class lecture with this same energy!!! Take something horrible and turn it into a good grade~! Or in this case, good content.
AnnaCatherine Sendgikoski: The phrase "big wig" does, in fact, come from the 18th Century and means "an important person, especially within a sphere".
Conquering Mount Scrapmore with Brenda: Such a fun chat. Just got out of my sewing room and sat down to watch your video. I have really enjoyed your videos. I hope you have a fabulous week ahead. Thank you for post the video and sharing your time.
Samantha Girly: Hey Abby, please put “warning gross images may follow” I usually watch your videos during lunch and was NOT ready for the ickies that followed weird history. Love your rants!! Btw.
Mia Shinbrot: Also, losing hair, and sores specifically on the scalp (where they could be hidden by wigs) are not even a major symptom of syphilis. Hair loss is an occasional symptom, but it's usually mentioned like this as a symptom of the secondary stage of syphilis: "Some people also experience hair loss, muscle aches, a fever, a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes." (From the Mayo Clinic site.) The primary symptom of secondary syphilis seems to be a rash (which may occur on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, or anywhere and everywhere). It's not something that could be hidden by a wig. Also, "He introduced himself as the eldest son of my blacksmith, or a saddler." That's like saying, "He introduced himself as the eldest son of a chef, or a waiter." The two things are not synonymous; they aren't even likely to overlap in most cases, just because both deal with horses or restaurants. Would you trust someone who introduced themselves that way?
Dan Hurl: I do deeply enjoy the weird history debunking/myth busting videos though. This one was no exception
Ann McKee: Their topics are like history-adjacent clickbait and I think you're right and the people who make these videos are at least trolling each other.
Pokhraj Roy: HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! ️ Thank you for being a Safe Space on YouTube ♥️
Max: Thank you queen for your videos, they’re my only solace right now as I get a 10 hour straight tattoo
KNF9: They LOVE to talk about corsets being “painful” and every time I comment on it. Like, do they just not care? Are we continuing to bash feminine dress to support capitalism?! I have a love hate relationship with weird history channel…
Pokhraj Roy: I want to take the “It’s a bad joke” out of context and use it next time someone thinks they’re funny!
Layne Martin: I love your video, theirs is definitely satire for humor, but I can see getting upset with people getting their facts from satire and their use of sources without context does muddy the waters.
legalien: I literally watched the Weird History wigs video the day before you put your video up, Abby. When I was watching it I said to my cousin (who was watching with me) that you should put up a reaction video taking down every myth that they were saying. The next day I woke up to the notification that you had done just that! My wish came true! Thank you!
Old Spirit Art: They suggested this video in my feed and I laughed, knowing it would be full of misinformation, but stealing from u, now I’m irritated. And yes, anyone with kids in school knows lots about lice on their kids. Duh. Poorly done, -2 ⭐️ stars. Thanks for saving me from clicking on it just to see garbage, close one Abby, thanks
Anna C. Meyer: According to the OED, "bigwig" originates from the "early 18th century: so named from the large wigs formerly worn by distinguished men".
Nokomarie: You know, Weird History is very much a satirical thing that sometimes has an accidental factoid or two. Don't sweat them.
Tammie Downing: I've honestly always taken weird history as a tongue in cheek/satirical channel... if they aren't I'm disappointed.
shortydo16: i love that they talk about syphilis like its eradicated. Syphilis is at an all time high, with a 400% increase since 2012!
Jokerkles: I'm sensing both copyright infringement notices, as well as a defamation lawsuit in the immediate works. I'd go after them so hard they wouldn't be able to create content anymore after this one, because this was clearly violating NUMEROUS laws regarding copyright and usage of private content without either payment or permission. Take 'em to the cleaners, lady.
Ashley: I feel guilty by association because I really like Weird History as an entertainment channel, but obviously I'm also subscribed to Abby's channel (and a few other fashion historians) so I'm here like *sweat* lmao
Paula Davitt: I hope they keep making videos, just so I can watch you rip into them.
Adrianne Gentleman: I watched this and remembered from some of your previous videos, that it couldn't be correct, thanks for your good history.
Dynwyn: It was either Weird History or a similar channel that claimed that Bild Lilli (the doll that Barbie was based off of) was a "call girl", sex toy etc... Despite the fact that is was sooo fuckin' obvious that she was NOT a sex toy (as in obvious to the point where a smaller channel that *doesn't have the resources that Weird History has* was able to COMPLETELY debunk that sh*** within less than 10 minutes. (Thank you Darling Dollz)
Miss Penguin Supreme: I love watching you roast weird history
Patrik Komljenović: I loved the living rage with that plastic wig, it would maybe be a fantastic video idea to buy it and try styling it with an authentic historical fashion, but idk maybe it is so bad quality-wise that it just should be burned in a very secure environment to not cause climate trouble.
Jeni Ann: Abby, we love you YOU are credible. Weird History… not so much. Ugg.
Girl Unrepentant: Oh, Abby. Why do this to yourself? Stress and rage could make your hair fall out. And if you wear a wig, some cretin will accuse you of having syphilis. /s Honestly I love your content. Don't let the fools grind you down.
Pokhraj Roy: ‘Weird History’ feels like Dan Brown and ‘National Treasure’ with a side of American Man brand of comedy.
Pokhraj Roy: It was great hanging out with you today! Thank you
evers brooks: i assume that a lot of the images in their video are from other small creators and while i can't identify them all i feel the urge to credit the illustration at 15:33 to be from the youtube channel lemoncholy, who actually did a very interesting video on 18th century fashion that this drawing is from, and I highly recommend that people support the small artists who's art is continuously being stolen by people such as weird history in order to give them the recognition they deserve
SammSam13: I feel like the child in the messy divorce, as I enjoy, believe, and subscribe to you both lol
hatty burrow: Lice prefer clean hair. My kids had them at school and actually ‘donated’ head lice to scientists at the Harwell science institute for study. A change of schools fixed the constant re infestation. Great video. Shame you can’t prosecute them for stealing your pictures.
Sarah Anne O'Moore: I’m obsessed with Egyptology and I watched one of their episodes in ancient Egypt and I couldn’t even finish the episode. I was so pissed off that was the last episode I ever watched
Renee Reavis: This looks like a good time to put in a DMCA takedown notice on their video for using your images, and then possibly sending them a cease and desist letter.
Todd O'Hara: “ I wrote a book “ End of video! Lmao! Girl, you Just Toasted Weird History! Just Slay Qween! ❤️