Boob Jobs

04/26/22 • 57 min

3 Listeners

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

Who had the very first boob job? Why were women injecting liquid paraffin into their chests? And, how has the procedure developed over time?

Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Professor Ruth Holliday and cosmetic surgeon Professor Vikram Devaraj to find out the bumpy history of breast augmentation, involving lawsuits, pin-ups... and mattress foam.

Find out how a sixties American housewife was persuaded to have the very first silicone implants, and more about medical scandal involving boob jobs.

You can find out more about Ruth's book here, and more about Vikram's work here.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.

This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and an archive clip from the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Who had the very first boob job? Why were women injecting liquid paraffin into their chests? And, how has the procedure developed over time?

Find out how a sixties American housewife was persuaded to have the very first silicone implants, and more about medical scandal involving boob jobs.

You can find out more about Ruth's book here, and more about Vikram's work here.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and an archive clip from the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Previous Episode

Victoria: A Greedy Queen

Warning: There are adult themes, explicit language and references of disordered eating and diets in this episode.

Did you know that before Queen Victoria married Albert she was a well-known party-animal, who could easily stay up until 5am, drunk on a concoction of red wine and whiskey?

Or that she was notorious for being able to eat seven or eight courses in half an hour, and had a penchant for mutton curries and the freshest fruit?

Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by food historian Dr Annie Gray to discuss Victoria’s very indulgent habits which spilled out into all areas of her life...including the bedroom.

You can find Annie’s incredible book, The Greedy Queen: Eating with Victoria, here.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from Sixty Glorious Years, 1938.

Next Episode

Shoes

I’m something that you wear, I always come in twos, I get put on your feet. I’m not socks, I am ... SHOES.

Humans have been protecting their feet for a very long time.

But over the years the types of footwear we choose have developed and multiplied. Each new shoe has a new use, and often a new social meaning.

So what is the history of shoes? To find out about the masculine beginnings of heels, the reclamation of crocs, and the political ideals of docs, Kate chats to Elizabeth Semmelhack, creative director and senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from The Wizard of Oz, 1939.