在古时的欧洲宫庭中，人们对于美丽的追求是无限度的，但这往往伴随着对健康的忽视。比如，为了达到惨白肤色，他们会采取各种方法，如涂抹铅粉，这种做法虽然能使皮肤变黑，但却导致了铅中毒。英国女王伊丽莎白一世就是这样，她年轻时因为过量使用铅粉而患有严重的铅中毒症状，最终颜面蜡黄。
除了追求惨白肤色之外，欧洲人还有一种共同的审美标准，那就是细腰。这种束腰习俗起源于法国宫廷，在16世纪初开始风行，并迅速传播到整个欧洲乃至平民阶层。在那个时候，女性如果没有束腰，就被认为是不守妇德。而史上最为著名的小 waist record belonged to Sisi, the Empress of Austria-Hungary. She was known for her extraordinary beauty and slender figure.
Sisi's body measurements were recorded as 5 feet 8 inches (172 cm) tall and weighing around 50 kg during her pregnancy, which is considered average height but below average weight for a black woman. Despite being pregnant, she maintained an incredibly small waistline of only 16 inches (41 cm). Even when she was pregnant, her waist measurement remained at an astonishingly small size of 19.5 inches (49.53 cm).
It is said that Emperor Franz Joseph was so enchanted by Sisi's slender figure that he nicknamed her "the goddess of beauty." Her tiny waist became a symbol of elegance and femininity in the late 19th century Europe.
However, this obsession with thinness came at a great cost to women's health. The use of corsets to achieve such tiny waists led to internal organ damage and even death in some cases. It was not until the early 20th century that women began to reject these restrictive garments and embrace a more natural approach to fashion.
Despite this dark history, Sisi's image has continued to captivate people around the world as an iconic representation of beauty and elegance from another era.