How did the ideal of feminine beauty change over the centuries?

How can we determine what makes a person beautiful? It may seem that the standards of beauty to which we are accustomed today have remained unchanged for centuries, but this is not so. The "ideal" body has changed dramatically over the years, even though the basis of female forms has remained the same.

Paleolithic

One of the earliest examples of art that has ever been discovered is the primitive symbol of an idealized woman. But this symbol is not at all like modern models. Venus Willendorf is a figurine made sometime between 24000-22000 BC. - is the embodiment of fertility.

The statuette depicts a woman who, in modern terms, has weight problems. But for the ancient people, beauty looked different: a large chest, hips and stomach testified that such a woman could bear children. The statuette has no face - beautiful eyes or bright red lips were clearly not a priority at the time. A large healthy body is all that mattered, because it provided survival.

Given that the statuette is a work of art, it is possible that its forms are greatly exaggerated, compared with how the women looked at the jelly of the time. But it also proves that sensuality and fatness were an ideal 25000 years ago.

Ancient Greece

The Greeks defined beauty through literature thanks to the author of the 8th-7th century BC. - Hesiod, who described the first created woman as a "kalon kakon", which meant "beautiful and evil." Ancient statues show idealized forms of women of that time: slightly full hips, large breasts and not quite flat belly. But the Greeks not only defined the concept of beauty for themselves, but also used attraction mathematics.

Simply put, they found that in order to consider women's faces beautiful, they must be perfectly symmetrical. This opinion has survived even today, despite the fact that it is very difficult to meet a person with a symmetrical face.

The Epoch of Early Renaissance

The artists of the Renaissance wanted to depart from the modesty and strict religious values of the Middle Ages. Thus, from 1300-1500 they began to draw women with bare chest, which symbolized a mixture of fertility and sensuality.

Idealized by the artists, women usually had curvy forms, pale skin, but with slightly reddened cheeks, and soft round faces. Rafael admitted that most of his paintings are not based on real models, but are his look at how a beautiful woman should look. The same was true for many artists. Since the Renaissance began a transition from the perception of women as an object of fertility to the symbol of lust and beauty.

Elizabethan era

Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1558. She put on makeup. Prior to this, a woman who appeared in a society with makeup was considered "the embodiment of Satan", but the 25-year-old queen neglected this opinion. She applied powder on her face and always emphasized her lips with red. Such makeup quickly became a symbol of women's belonging to the upper class at that time. The pale the face, the higher the status of the woman. The fact is that poor people were forced to work under the sun, as a result of which a tan appeared. Therefore pale skin became a symbol of a rich life.

The beginning of the French Revolution in the late 18th century

After the French rebelled against the aristocracy during the French Revolution in 1789, many people wanted to get rid of the disgraced status of aristocrats. As a result, make-up of women has become much easier, and insanely rich dresses have been replaced by simpler ones. Although the clothes of women of that time may seem to us too pretentious, it was still simpler in comparison with the previous trends of fashion. Before the revolution, make-up was worn equally by men and women. But when the idea of "artificiality" fell into disfavor, representatives of both sexes tried to make their appearance more natural. Nevertheless, as soon as the memory of the revolution began to disappear and the country entered the 19th century, makeup for women again gained popularity.

Victorian era

By the time Queen Victoria received the crown in 1837, family and motherhood were viewed by society as a whole as a sufficient occupation for women. In fashion, there was a pale, feeble, weak appearance. No particular part of the woman's body was stressed. In addition, tuberculosis became a "desirable" disease, as the disease provided the necessary pallor and weakness. The makeup of that time was also incredibly dangerous. The usual ingredients for the production of cosmetics were lead, ammonia, mercury and solanaceous plants. It can not be said that women did not know about the dangers of these poisons, but they were ready every day to poison themselves to look prettier.

The turn of the century

In the 1890s, the so-called Gibson girl became popular. This is the ideal of female beauty, created by illustrator Charles Gibson. Since that time and before the First World War, women all over the world have tried to match this image. They should have been pale, but do not use as much powder as in previous years. Women must have tight corsets and dresses with large cutouts showing the figure in the women's wardrobe.

A large bust again became popular, and although some girls still could have a soft and round face, leanness was more preferable. Gibson's girlfriend was not actually a real person, but Evelyn Nesbit, who is considered the world's first supermodel, more closely approached this image. It was the case of another standard of beauty invented by the artist, not inspired by a real woman.

1920s

By the end of the 1910s, many women began to work, as the First World War broke out. But what happened after the war? Women were not ready to give up their newly acquired independence. They did not want to dress in corsets again and make lush hair. This led to a complete change in the standards of beauty. The ideal female body became more and more like a boyish figure. For the first time, the seductive "fertile" appearance turned out to be unfashionable. The girls not only became like teenagers, but also began to cut their hair. Skirts are much shorter than they were ever, which gave the woman the opportunity to move, dance and, finally, have fun. But it was during these years that our serious modern obsession with weight began. Until the 1920s it was difficult to know your weight, unless you were very rich. The full-length mirror was also an incredibly expensive treat, so only wealthy women could fully see their body. But after the floor scales were invented, it became very easy to see if you have excess weight. This meant that women could finally see their shortcomings.

What image is actually perfect?

Fortunately, we are entering an era when the media are beginning to advertise a variety of female forms, although this way will be very long. For example, for the New York Fashion Week of 2017, the Council of Fashion Designers of America sent a reminder that fashion houses should look for models with a healthy appearance and a wider range of types of figures.

As it seemed, most of the historical standards of beauty appeared thanks to the drawings or painting of men! Currently, Photoshop has the same effect, and the already miniature models look unattainably perfect. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to match a fictional work of art or masterfully altered photos. So what if your body is not considered perfect today? What's the difference! The ideal is an illusion, it can not be achieved. So be happy because of what body you have, and love everything that sets you apart from the crowd.