Why Henry VIII Was Proud of His Black Teeth #history #tudor
Black teeth were not always a problem. In Tudor England, they could be a status symbol. Sugar was extremely expensive, imported from distant colonies and enjoyed mainly by the wealthy. The more sweets you consumed, the more your teeth decayed and darkened.
For rulers like Henry VIII, blackened teeth quietly signalled privilege and abundance. In a strange twist of Tudor fashion, a damaged smile could suggest that a person had access to one of the most luxurious foods of the era.
This short explores how sugar, wealth, and appearance combined to create one of the oddest beauty signals of Tudor times.
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