SubscribeCelebrating Women With Curves: A Historical Perspective
The historical evidence for this is well documented, but I wanted to choose a few quotes from pieces of literature (which are a good reflection of the social conditions during which they're written) to show the sort of women who were considered attractive.
Three millennia ago
The Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon, was written around 3,000 years ago and is one of the books in the Old Testament in the Bible. This quote is Chapter 7, verse 2:
Your navel is like a round goblet Which never lacks mixed wine; Your belly is like a heap of wheat Fenced about with lilies.- New American Standard Translation
This passage is part of a love song, with the man speaking to the woman. The line "Your belly is like a heap of wheat" struck me when I first read it - would many women in the West today consider that a compliment? Flat tummies are a modern standard, and there's no reason why rounded bellies can't be beautiful too.
Renaissance - 16th century
In his poem Venus and Adonis (published in 1593), Shakespeare gives these lines to Venus:
My beauty as the spring doth yearly grow; My flesh is soft and plump, my marrow burning;
It's clear that being "plump" is considered to be beautiful. Classical painting and depictions of Venus (a Roman goddess) show her as a voluptuous woman.
19th century
Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain.
and:
He [Margaret's suitor] seemed to think it was worth the trouble, for he smiled to himself as if quite satisfied, pressed the plump hand gratefully...
Both quotes are from Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. (Published in 1868 and 1869.)
In both these examples, it's clear that Margaret (known familiarly as "Meg" in most of the book) is considered beautiful because of her plumpness. The first quote appears alongside descriptions of Margaret's younger sisters, and her plump figure could also be an indication that she's to be viewed as a young woman rather than a child like her siblings.
Early 20th century
He watched the beautiful curving drop of her haunches. That fascinated him to-day. How it sloped with a rich down-slope to the heavy roundness of her buttocks! - Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D. H. Lawrence (Written in 1928.)
The "heavy roundness" of Lady Chatterley's backside seems to be wholeheartedly approved of by her lover. Again, it's hard to imagine this being used as a compliment today - but throughout history, women have been considered beautiful when they have rounded, full bottoms (and curvy figures in general).
Have you got a favorite quote from a novel, poem or play that shows women of a natural, curvy shape being praised as beautiful? Do you too occasionally throw up your hands in despair at yet another image of a stick-skinny model? Are you proud of your curves? Let us know in the comments...
For a look at recent attitudes to body shape see Female Body Shape in the 20th Century.
This is a great post! I don't have any favorite literature to share but I must say that media's modern standard of beauty baffles me. Talking to men, it's really not what they find attractive. I feel like a sexually immature male is one that enjoys a body without curves. Men like women, women have child bearing curves.
Many models can't even get their period and therefor, really do not have the natural reproductive attraction that is natural to every species duing natural selection. Curves may take a little while to get used to but once you do you don't want to go back!
ReplyOnly one article I can think of right now: Pajiba's review of the 2008 Emmys.
I love the quote about Christina Hendricks: "I assume Christina has a disclaimer tattooed on her thigh: 'Erections lasting more than four hours may require medical attention.'"
IMO, she is the definition of 'curvy woman'.
ReplyPersonally, when I look back on these different views of beauty, a couple of different things come to mind. First, it's interesting that in a time when people were much more at the whims of nature and thus more susceptible to famines, a plumper and well-fed figure was the ideal. Something difficult to attain. Just as today with our abundance of food, being skinny and saying no to food are the ideal standards, somethign quite difficult to attain and sustain. Quite a coincidence? Second, and I guess this is more in response to Sarah, while men may appreciate women with curves, I don't really care what men think. I have to be comfortable in my body and with what I see in the mirror. At the moment, that includes a lot of curves and a lot of self-loathing. I have been one of those women who had absolutely no curves and in that body, I could look in the mirror and not be completely overcome by what I needed to change. So for some us, it has nothing to do with what others think and everything with what we ourselves think.
ReplyRight on Sarah! There are plenty of mature men out there who can appreciate the shape of a woman! My husband is a great example...I am told all the time how good-looking he is. But guess what--he LOVES my curves! He tells me so all the time. And all of the actresses that he considers attractive--curvy women, not stick figures. I finally realized that there are plenty of MEN out there that find the curves the we women seem to be repulsed by to be very attractive. The funny thing is, if you listen, you could hear it all the time---we can always hear men talk about big boobs and a butt that is curvy. You can't be a stick figure and have those things. ;)
ReplyI love the quotes. I often encourage clients by reminding them that I'm from the south, so I'm used to seeing curves.
I also try to have my female clients think about weight loss from a health perspective instead of a beauty perspective. I often say to them that if they lose 15 pounds they'll still be beautiful, they'll just weight less and be healthier.
ReplyTired of seeing size 0 people? Then stop making clothes bigger and giving them a small number!
My girlfriend cannot find any clothes that fit her because every year clothing gets bigger and the numbers stay the same.
Stores should use measurements like men's clothes. The truth hurts.
ReplyWomen's clothes measured that way would be nice.
ReplyStill would be impossible to find a fit though...
Women have varying curves -- even at the same waist size and inseam-- that makes clothing fit hard. (larger hips, smaller hips, etc)
ReplySeems like there's more variance in women's body shapes at the same size then men (not saying men don't have it, but not so much at the same size)
I have a hard time finding jeans that fit my thighs. A lot of loose fit jeans are very tight around my legs. I'm not husky. I have a small waist and big legs from squats.
I think the only brand that fits me is Levis.
My gf is short and petite, it is impossible for her to find work clothes.
ReplyWeight loss is to be healthy and happy, not to fit into a "0". I recently lost 20 lbs to get back into my healthy weight range and I am still very curvy, its all about genetics. The worst thing is jeans shopping to find a pair that fits my thighs and bum, the waist is ALWAYS to big.
Replyi am a fashion designer, and i can tell you with complete confidence that your statement is not entirely true. Yes some ready to wear fashions are as you describe, but seriously that is the minority. The majority of ready to wear fashions (store ready clothes, like macy's and tellos etc.) are made small with very unrealistic numbers. If a woman was really a size 0, she would not exist, she would not even be a fetus in her mother's womb. I agree with u that women clothing should have real numerical measurements like men's clothing, a size twelve in women's is really a waist of 24-26 inches which is small.
Women's measurements in terms of clothing are false.
ReplyCrouching Aphrodite! That's one of my favourite pieces from Greek and Roman art.
Curves are beautiful. And all through history that was recognized. It's so strange that all the sudden there's a ridiculous craze to be unhealthily skinny when throughout the rest of human history, the focus has been on being healthy so as to bear children and such.
ReplyLOL, the first quote about curvy women that popped into my head was by the famous Sir Mix-a-Lot: "I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face..."
My mom always told me I had a "ghetto booty" and she meant it in a good way. I do have a nice, rounded, behind and my husband does love it. He prefers me heavier than I prefer myself to be, actually. He'd love it if I weighed around 30 lbs more than I weigh now because I'd be a lot curvier. I don't think most men like their women to be severely obese or anything, but they do like a little cushion for the pushin'.
Reply"a little cushion for the pushin'."
LOL! I LOVE THAT! :)
ReplyI have to see you can definitely see quite a change over the years. Its quite remarkable!
Replyhttp://whyareyousofat.wordpress.com/2008/05/02/1-series-obesity-is-not-genetic/
"Whilst once a symbol of wealth and prosperity in nations such as the U.S., Canada, and most Western European countries, obesity has now become a symbol for poor health, mediocrity, and poverty. The socioeconomic level with the most overweight people is that of those which are below the poverty line in these nations.
Take a trip to any art museum, and you’ll see painting after painting, spanning several centuries, of overweight men and women being deified. The reason for this is because only the rich could afford to eat enough food to become a heavy size, and then commission a painting to be done.
Also, most of these people were kings, queens, or otherwise somehow affiliated with nobility. Until the industrial revolution, if you weren’t one of these few people, odds are you were a farmer or some sort of tradesman, and extremely poor, and had very little food to eat."
All good points, not to mention, even back in the days paintings and sculptures were made to look as best as possible, photoshop with the hands if you will.
What about ancient greece where athletisicm was revered?
Think, ppl, THINK!
ReplyBack when most people were still peasant farmers, mostly everybody was thin. But people in the upper class had more to eat & didn't have to work, so they (being the elite) were considered more attractive.
Plumpness meant you're nourished & wealthy, now it means you're overfed & lazy.
And actually, my boyfriend told me he thought I was too skinny. I am right now actually (loss of appetite, long story).
ReplyI don't think I am, I think I'm just right.
What can I say? Thin is out, heroin chic is fading into oblivion with the likes of twisted role models like K.moss, wannarexics, pro-anamias are synonyms for sad, lonely, disturbed teens.
Renaissance is the new beauty standard to follow. Plumplicious girls are happier and healthier than comatose starved runway models. GIrls like Kelly Osborne are gorgeous and most of all beauty comes from gestures, attitudes, education and from within a person and there is no way that an exterior can portray a fraction of what lies inside. Deprivation of anything leads to suffering and anticlimax.
But we can change how society portrays beauty by not perpetuating ultra-thin. After all, wise people set the trends and the stupid ones just follow.
keep it curvy!
ReplyLove the article, love the comments. I think that I would have to agree about body size being a cultural (as well as media induced) culture. Cultures that are still beset by famines and lack of regular food tend to still find plumper bodies more appealing. I think a full range of shapes and sizes should be able to be appreciated.
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