A follow-up to this post.
Being lazy was not a vice in the nineteenth century, it was something to aspire to. Being lazy meant not having to work, and meant having a lot of money. A lot of time and care was invested to make sure all clothes were spotless and creaseless, because this would show physical activity. “A tear is a misfortune, a spot is a vice, wrote Balzac.” The fact that clothing took much time and care to put on showed that you had enough time to waste on clothing yourself, and did not have to spend it on more useful activities. This is why dandies often showed really elaborate knots in their ties: they showed that they had just spend an hour in front of the mirror!
On the other hand, simplicity was valued. “Too much is not comme il faut.” (p. 128) In dress, hair, and behaviour, it was important to avoid overdoing it, because it would make it look like you were trying to hard. The true upper classes were supposed to have natural grace and good taste, and therefore didn’t have to try, or overdo it. The ladies of real aristocratic families “can go out in the simplest of dress without being mistaken for anyone else. Even the most obtuse boor could not fail to recognize them, because they are never taken for what they are not.” (p. 129)
Hi! My name is Geerte, I'm a researcher of Nineteenth century history from the Netherlands. This blog is where I write about my favourite subject. Feel free to browse around! 
the Victorian era 
This is an important point, because in this day and age we have a hard time understanding leisure as part of human history. If you tell someone today that you don’t want to work, you’ll get either a scoff of contempt or a look of confusion. Interestingly, those who study humans from an evolutionary perspective tell us that we are actually evolved to spend much of our time inactive. So we worker bees may be the foolish ones when all is said and done. Thanks for the post!
And this is why I wish I had been born in the 19th century.
Because I just assume I would be born an aristocrat.
I love your site!
_____________________
Experiencing a slow PC recently? Fix it now!