Being born 400 years ago was like participating in a particularly demonic obstacle race.
Did your newborn have a red birth mark? So you must have become pregnant during menstruation, which was an “impure” period.
A baby born looking like a little dog was a clear sign that you spent your pregnancy fantasizing about having sex with a dog.
As for the birth itself, if the woman did not make much noise, this would indicate that her child was illegitimate. As for the cute girls, they were screaming loudly.However, there were some positives to being female in the pre-industrial era. A thin body was not desirable, as it was seen as an indicator of disease, malnutrition, and old age. A full body was the desired goal.
In early 17th century Venice, the bride was fattened with sweets until she arrived at the altar plump as a partridge.
