Upon first glance, John Hervey was your run of the mill Georgian aristocrat. He gambled, drank, and could be found both at the horse races and in between the sheets of a young lady's bed. He was a fop, or
macaroni, who wore the most extreme and effeminate fashions, even opting to whiten his face as was fashionable for ladies to do. To complicate the normally complicated practice of sleeping with many women, Hervey's appetite called for more, so men tended to also be on the menu.
Yes, Hervey's appetite knew no bounds. His own marriage was the result of a secret courtship followed by a secret ceremony. He was said to have affairs with both Lady Mary Wortly Montagu and the king's own daughter, Princess Caroline. When Hervey died, Caroline retreated from society and was so depressed she wanted to die. But slimy Hervey was not averse to keeping his affairs in the family; it is also rumored that he slept with Caroline's own brother, Frederick Prince of Wales.
That is what should have put her in a depression! Hervey didn't stop there with his family affairs! He had a relationship with
Henry Fox (yes,
Charles James' father) and then tossed him aside for his older brother, Stephen whom he had a long-standing relationship with. He even signed his letters to Stephen, "your wife."
Alexander Pope hated Hervey (perhaps because he was in love with Lady Hervey at one point) and his nickname for him was "Sporus," whom was the youth Emperor Nero castrated so that he could marry him. Pope went as far as writing a poetic dedication to his enemy:
...Amphibious Thing! that acting either Part,
The trifling Head, or the corrupting Heart!
Fop at the Toilet, Flatt'rer at the Board,
Now trips a Lady, and now struts a Lord.
Apparently, Hervey's wooings couldn't attract everyone.
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Macaronis came about toward the late 18th century and were dubbed as such due to their taste in anything "exotic" including rare Italian cuisine. They remind me of the Emo boy of today in that they traveled in groups; wear extremely tight, feminine clothing; are extremely egocentric, and basically annoyed everyone else with their flamboyant presence. They rivaled the ladies with their tall wigs and were even known to powder it different colors like blue, pink, purple, etc. The hung out in gentlemen's clubs such as The Macaroni club and gambled, womanized, sodomized, gossiped, and wasted countless pounds of frivolous things. Charles Fox was once known as a macaroni, despite him being a tad too overweight to look decent in his tight clothing. Fun Fact: Oh course we all know Yankee Doodle's sad attempts at becoming a macaroni but more interesting is that Macaroni Penguins received their name from these fops.
the very end of the 18th century and into the regency period. Dandies were much more mysterious and good-looking. They were the dark, handsome, unobtainable male. Not just anyone can be a dandy it takes a certain "cool" dexterity to pull off. He's always wearing something unique but very fashionable, never says anything to make himself seem weak, is always calm and collected, and never appears to falter. The Dandy makes you fall in love with him although he is untouchable and impenetrable to love, which of course in the literary sense always happens. Two great examples of Dandies are Mr. Darcy and Johnny Depp (as well as his role of the Earl Rochester in The Libertine). Fun Fact: Lauren and I spotted a Dandy in Barcelona and just about melted. Fun Link: www.dandyism.net
