The most Scandalous garment in history? A History of the Farthingale and Guardainfante

Why did a Spanish princess, Maria Theresa, cause a scandal at the French court in 1660 when she married the French King Louis XIV? Well it all started with a rumour that began two hundred years earlier and connected farthingales (hoops skirts) with illegitimate pregnancy... 00:00 - Introduction 01:02 - The Franco-Spanish Marriage 04:32 - Scandalous Origins 07:08 - 16th and 17th century Stereotypes 10:16 - Gender stereotypes and fears: having access to women's bodies 15:44 - History of the guardainfante in Spain 17:55 - The guardainfante: a symbol of Spain? 19:46 - Returning to the Franco-Spanish Marriage For a more extensive overview of this topic, read my book! https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/shaping-femininity-9781350164123/ For sources and images, see my blog: https://sarahabendall.com/2024/04/07/the-most-scandalous-garment-in-history-a-history-of-the-farthingale-and-guardainfante/ ** Correction: The image I provided at 6.28 was for Juana of Castile (b. 1479), not Joana of Portugal, Queen of Castile (b. 1439 - d. 1475). Joana is the queen I was actually talking about. Apologies for this mistake! Dr Sarah Bendall www.sarahabendall.com https://www.instagram.com/sarahbendall_dresshistory/ https://twitter.com/sarahabendall Sources: Bendall, Sarah A. Shaping Femininity : Foundation Garments, the Body and Women in Early Modern England. London ; Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2021. Wunder, Amanda. “Women’s Fashions and Politics in Seventeenth-Century Spain: The Rise and Fall of