Chalk Powder Made the Skin Paler
Being pale was seen as a sign of wealth and fortune hundreds of years ago. Women with tan skin were known as laborers and that was something wealthy women did not want to be associated with— work. Women not only drew on themselves with chalk to give their skin a paler appearance, they also ate the chalk to make themselves sick. The sicker they were, the paler their skin was and the more wealthy they looked.