Fashion isn’t always fabulous—sometimes, it’s fatal. Dangerous & Deadly uncovers the hidden hazards lurking in historic fashion and beauty trends. From toxic dyes and lethal cosmetics to the destruction of entire species for style, this exhibit reveals the shocking risks people once took in the name of fashion.

Explore the dangers of:
Poisonous Pigments – Arsenic-laced greens and purples used in clothing and accessories.

Vicious Vanity – Harmful chemicals in cosmetics and hair treatments.

Beastly Beauty – The devastating impact of the feather and fur industries.

Perilous Proportions – Corsets, restrictive shoes, and other body-altering garments.

Visit us starting March 15th and running through September 30th and discover when looks killed—and how fashion’s dark side still lingers today!

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Beyond the Exhibit

• Put a Bird on it! Finley, Feathers, & Fashion…this exhibit looks at the intersections between conservation, the fashion industry, women’s suffrage, and more!
  Benton County Museum (Feb. 21, 2025

  - Oct. 12, 2025)

• Dangerous & Deadly Victorian Fashion Podcast
  Genevieve discusses how Tuberculosis influenced fashion, hazardous beauty routines, deadly hatpins, the dangers of corsets, and strange, kind of gross beauty trends, as well as some really weird and intriguing facts about Victorian fashion.