The Strangest WWII Beauty Hack

Today, a bizarre story of Beauty on the WWII home front… Women who painted their legs when stockings ran dry. From liquid stockings to Bisto gravy browning… I’m going to explain and even demonstrate this quite odd 1940s fashion hack. Even though it smells unsavory (or–quite savory?). Let’s get into another deep dive, on one of fashion’s strangest moments.

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CONTENTS:
00:00 Intro
00:40 The Long And Skirt of it All
02:49 Liquid Stocking Formulas
04:05 Breakfast Tea and Bisto
06:17 Trying it For Some Reason
09:12 Nylon's Revenge

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This is my second deep dive into Old Hollywood and fashion history! My first video on Silent Film Makeup hit #18 on YouTube's Hype leaderboard—thank you to all 25,000+ of you in the Swoffosphere! If you're new here, I cover the technical and aesthetic history of film, fashion, and beauty through the decades. Today: WWII rationing, wartime ingenuity, and yes, gravy legs.
When World War II diverted nylon to parachutes and silk to the war effort, women on the home front had to get creative. From liquid stockings and leg makeup bars in the US to Bisto gravy browning in Britain, this video explores the strange world of 1940s beauty hacks during wartime rationing. We'll cover the history of nylon stockings (invented in 1939!), the Nylon Riots of 1946, and the surprisingly widespread practice of painting fake seams on the backs of your legs with an eyebrow pencil.
Perfect for: Fashion history enthusiasts, WWII history buffs, makeup history lovers, vintage aesthetic fans, and anyone who thinks modern beauty standards are weird—wait until you see what our grandmothers had to do.

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*Swofford | Old Hollywood, Film & Fashion History*

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LOVE,
-SWOFF ????

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