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Podcast: British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics
Episode: Fashion Statement? Political Statement? Or Just a Bad Hair Day?
Description: The story of royal fashion includes accessories, and that means the accessory we all take with us everywhere, every day: hair. Life in Medieval England was heavily influenced by the Catholic Church. This extended to hairstyles. Around the 10th century, the Church began issuing statements about the appropriate length of men’s hair and the need for women to cover their heads and hair. In 1073, Pope Gregory VII even banned beards and mustaches among the clergy. As the Reformation progressed, the strict rules of the Catholic Church began to disappear in some places. In England, this...