slender build indicates
that one has the time and money to take care of one’s body. We also know that
being overweight is connected to all kinds of illnesses we wish to avoid for
ourselves and our children.
The way mankind has perceived itself and the matter of appearance in pre-historic
times is something we can only guess at, as the written word didn’t exist
before 3000 BC. We may draw certain conclusions from rock-paintings in caves
and a few sculptures that have been found. The oldest existing sculpture of
a female body was found in Austria and is thought to date back to 20,000 BC
– the “Venus from Willendorf”. This sculpture is the compact figure of woman
with a large bust, broad hips and a round stomach. Many later finds also have
this form.
From later in history welre able to draw
safer conclusions about the way mankind judged and worshiped beauty. During
the Classic Greek era (5th-4th century BC) beauty ideals became clearer and
more defined. Plato, the philosopher, wrote that there were three things that
ought to be every person’s wish: “To be healthy, to become rich by honest
means and to be beautiful.” Plato also introduced mathematical calculations
in attempting to define beauty, but pointed out that real beauty also required
balance and good taste. During this time beauty was worshiped. Statues of
Apollo, the god of beauty and love, were found in many homes in the belief
that one’s offspring would receive characteristics of his appearance.
Early Classic Greek sculptures didn’t really depict the female body. Praxiteles’
(330 BC) sculpture of the naked Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty,
changed this and she became a beauty ideal for coming generations. Later sculptures,
such as the “Venus de Milo” which can be seen at the Louvre in Paris, also
had similar qualities and represents much of the beauty ideals of the time.
Even in the Greek literature beauty was worshiped. Xenophon declared: “I swear
by all the gods that I would not prefer the power of the King of Persia before
beauty.”
During the Classic Roman era many artists were satisfied with copying Greek
ideals of beauty. Female beauty was viewed, at least at the beginning of this
period, as less important. The woman was seen as more of a housekeeper and
child bearer, while the Roman rulers were focused more on politics and war.
This gradually came to change and we know that Emperor Nero was a great admirer
and worshipper of his wife Poppaeas’ beauty. In order for her to keep her
beautiful white skin, she always bathed in milk. Poppaeas’ wish was to die
young, so she would never have to see an old woman in her mirror, and she
got her wish.
From the Classic period up to the Middle Ages, beauty ideals remained relatively
constant. During the middle ages women were praised both for their appearance
and for their household services. The beauty ideals of that time were slender
and pale women, and in the Middle Ages the women also chose clothes that would
emphasize their beauty in the style of the time. A narrow waist would be shown
off with wide belts and the walk accentuated by moving the hips. For the few
that could afford it the fabrics and materials were silk, precious metals
and stones.
During the Renaissance (the end of the 14th century to the middle of the 16th
century) artists and scientists tried to explain and describe beauty in more
scientific terms. Albrecht
