One detail I had forgotten from Epidemics and Society is that in the 19th Century, tuberculosis actually became fashionable. People came to associate it with refinement of character and sentiment, and with artistic creativity. Yes, many creative people such as Keats and Byron had it, but so did a lot of other people who weren't known as aesthetes.
Nevertheless the idea became so strongly embedded in western European culture that women would cover their faces with rice powder in order to achieve a pallor, and starve themselves so as to appear consumptive. I'm reminded of the heroin chic fad of the 1990s, "characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, emaciated features, androgyny and stringy hair—all traits associated with abuse of heroin or other drugs," although that was largely created by parasitic commercial interests. I am also reminded of the phenomenon of gay men who deliberately tried to get infected with HIV, known as "bug chasing." Being HIV+ apparently seemed like the thing to do for some people.
Anyway, I don't really have much to say about this except that it seems really weird. Having TB, especially back in the day when there was no effective treatment, being addicted to heroin, and being HIV+ are not desirable states and should not be emulated.
1 comment:
I don't think it's desirable to be diseased, either. But just recently we had COVID-19 parties. Apparently, many mentally and/or emotionally compromised people prefer to sacrifice their health for peer inclusion or enforced trends. They prioritize membership to a tribe over personal well-being. How sick is that? Same thing with smoking ... drinking ... and so much more.
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