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Body image over the years
How the female body image perception has changed through time
Body image over the years
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How the ideal body has changed over time and what the future holds This painting was created in 1509 and a section from the plaque below the painting reads “This mysterious painting is meant to be an allegory of Poetry, whose symbols – the flute and the pouring water – are shared between two nude women of ideal beauty. These unreal figures exist only in the imaginations of the two men they inspire.” This painting shows that just over 500 years ago the ideal body was one of robust and physically larger women. This painting was created in 1863, just over 350 years after the painting above. This shows that in over 350 years the ideal body did not change as this painting still depicts women whom people today may classify as being ‘larger’. Also, it is clear that that this is the ideal body at that time as the two men who are with the women are vying for the women’s attention. From the 1500s onwards, up until the mid 1800s the ideal woman's body was larger. Peter Stearn, a historian, explained this in his book ‘Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West’ by writing that “in those days, slenderness may indicate malnutrition or disease, whereas plumpness was seen as a sign of affluence, health, good temperament and maternal function”. During this era, famine was a regular occurrence and it was common for women to consider reproducing as her duty. This meant that a well-fed wife who had wide hips from child bearing looked favourably on her husband. This photograph, taken in the early 1800’s captures a woman who has been wearing a corset to slim her waist and exaggerate her hips and bust. This look was thought to prove a woman's elegance to others enabling her to show off her hourglass figure. The wearing of corse... ... middle of paper ... ...eem to be shown in the media and and on catwalks where they are seen by women worldwide. Another aspect of the ‘ideal’ body concept to explore is, what will the future hold for womens body image? At the moment future of the ‘ideal’ body looks bleak, with women trying to achieve something that is only naturally achievable for 5% of the population. Some experts are predicting the return of ‘recession curves’ where we deal with the uncertainty of the economic downturn with putting on extra weight, whilst others believe a truly full-figured ideal is still a long way off, largely due to the obesity crisis, which invariably carries with it negative health associations with being fat. Perhaps one day in the future though, rather than only skinny or large being the ideal in any given generation, women will be able to embrace the true diversity of the female body.