I came across this description of a mechanical hair-brush published in Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Nov. 23, 1863. It operated by means of "an endless band of vulcanised india-rubber... that descends to within about a foot of your head and is made to revolve by machinery." Here's a description of it in action:
When I went in to get my hair thus brushed, had sat down before the glass, and been tucked in as usual, with bib and dressing-gown, the hair-dresser took up one of his circular brushes and hitched it to the revolving band over my head. In a moment I felt a silent fanning, as if some monstrous butterfly were hovering over me; this was the air of the twirling brush, which caught my hair up and laid it down, and traveled all over my head with incessant gentle penetration. It crept down my whiskers and searched my beard with the same tender and yet decided effect. There was no scratching, not even of the neck and ears, but the skin of cheeks and chin was reached and swept. It was a new sensation. I felt as if I should like to be brush continously for a month.
Evidently mechanical hair-brushes never caught on, because the only picture of one I could find was this:
This Clairol ad claimed that "The average American woman looks her best in the bathroom." Which suggests the ad-men must have spent a lot of time spying on women in bathrooms to find this out.
25 year old Russian contortionist "Zlata" has just released a calendar featuring her in 12 of her most eye- (and spine-) popping poses. From cooking in the kitchen with one leg behind her head, to getting off a bus with, er, one leg behind her head, the spry former-gymnast has tied herself in knots to produce something to please her legions of fans.
More facts about Zlata, with many more examples of her art, can be found here, courtesy of the Daily Mail. (Potentially NSFW.)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Body Modifications, Genitals