The ’80s beauty device that ripped your hairs out by the root

It got Medieval on your ass…or any other body part.

Masochism and vanity teamed up in 1986 to bring you the Epilady, an electric hair remover marketed as the waxless alternative to waxing.

An oblong plastic handle helps position a nest of metal coils above one’s furry skin. When switched on, the coils rotate rapidly to catch and tear out body hair.

The Epilady website, still in operation today, puts it in gentler terms: “Epilators are electrical devices that mechanically remove multiple hairs simultaneously, using either a coil or a rotating head with multiple sets of tweezers.”

In the years since the first device was introduced, Epilady has mainly switched from coils to the aforementioned “tweezing discs.” Its $139 Epiflex model claims it can produce 112,000 tweezes per minute, leaving skin smooth for up to six weeks.

But, according to the company, the first Epilady device (the one with coils) is “back by popular demand,” presumably because customers are seeking a subtler way to self-flagellate.

Epilady did not respond to a request for comment.

Women’s hair removal became popular in the 1950s, when they couldn’t find or afford nylons due to wartime rationing. Though the late 1960s counterculture movement saw a brief resurgence of body hair, the U.S. has mainly prized smooth, hairless skin for women. However, we are seeing more women proudly displaying full foliage today.

Which might be a good thing, considering the, um, user experience of the Epilady.

Speaking of, watch clueless Timeline staff use a vintage Epilady on Facebook Live.