Meet The Woman Who Was Forced To Wear A Mask For 80 Years Because Of Her Beauty

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You may have seen the iconic image of this masked woman but probably not have been able to locate the history behind it. She is called Escrava Anastacia, an enslaved African woman who lived in Brazil in the 19th century.

Known for possessing great beauty accompanied with her piercing blue eyes, Anastasia was worshipped in Brazil as a saint and heroine, according to folklore and culture of Rio de Janeiro.

Her mother, Delminda, was an African slave who was attacked by her owner and afterwards sold to another slave driver in order to hide his recklessness, as history depicts.

A kid with blue eyes was born to Delminda not long after she was sold. Anastacia was one of the most prominent blue-eyed prisoners. Growing up, she was the center of attention, attracting admiration from a wide range of females due to her mesmerising magnificent

Anastacia’s Lord’s Child was convinced by these ladies, whom they regarded their adversaries. In order to serve as a memory of her ordeal, Joaqyin Antonio forced her to don the slave veil he had given her as punishment for being attacked.

A heavy iron collar with a gag was attached to the veil. She was unable to speak as a result, although she may have been allowed to pass it when she needed to feed. It didn’t help that she was constantly harassed and criticized for her situation.

The iron collar, also known as a chasten’s harness, was used to prevent the victim from speaking by squeezing the wearer’s tongue. Using it was exhausting for the individual in question, and this caused breathing problems at times.

In spite of the fact that she had been beaten and was forced to labor in a sugar cane handling farm with a Vail tied to her face on a daily basis, Anastacia did so willingly since she was only allowed to eat once a day.