How the ideal of female beauty has changed in different eras. Standards of female beauty in different eras and times Standards of the female figure at different times

The ideal of beauty Ancient Egypt there was a slender and graceful woman with full lips and large almond-shaped eyes. To dilate the pupils and add shine to the eyes, Egyptian women dripped the juice of the “sleepy stupor” plant into them. Green was considered the most beautiful eye color. But this is a rare color. Enterprising Egyptian women outlined their eyes with green paint made from copper carbonate. To complete the look, Ancient Egyptians painted their fingernails and feet green.

Women and men wore a wig made of plant fiber or sheep's wool on their cropped heads. Nobles wore wigs big size, with long curls falling down the back or with numerous small braids. Sometimes, to create even more volume on the head, two wigs were placed on top of each other. Slaves and peasants were supposed to wear only small wigs.

Egyptian women were famous for their art of making all kinds of varnishes, rubbings, paints and powders, which in their composition are close to modern ones. Elderly women dyed their hair with black ox fat and crow eggs, and used lion, tiger, and rhinoceros fat to improve hair growth. Men shaved their faces, but often wore artificial beards made of sheep's wool, which were varnished and woven with metal threads.

The ideal of beauty in Ancient China there was a small, frail woman with tiny legs. No self-respecting Chinese man would marry a girl with large feet. To keep the leg small, the girls' feet were tightly bandaged, and it stopped growing. By the way, the main advantage of a man in China was considered to be long hair, which was braided into fancy braids.

Long nails were considered especially beautiful for men and women; it was a symbol of dignity and wealth. Nails were carefully looked after and special ornate “thimbles” made of precious metal or bone were worn to preserve them.

Beauties Japan the skin was thickly whitened, covering up all the defects on the face and chest, the forehead along the edge of the hair growth was outlined with mascara, the eyebrows were shaved off and instead of them short thick black lines were drawn. Married women in feudal Japan covered their teeth with black varnish. It was considered ideal to collect their hair in a high, heavy knot, which was supported by a long patterned stick. To sleep with this hairstyle, special pillows on a wooden stand were placed under the neck. To strengthen the hair and give it shine, the hair was lubricated with special oils and plant juices (aloe juice). Men painted or glued on fake mustaches and sideburns, shaved their foreheads and the back of their heads, and gathered their hair on the top of their heads into a beautiful bun, which they tied with spectacular cords.

The Japanese carefully looked after their bodies. They washed themselves in unusually hot water, lubricated their bodies with special ointments, and used steam baths.

IN Ancient Greece huge role played in the education of a citizen and a person Physical Culture and the cult of the trained body was natural. The ideal of beauty is based on unity and harmony of spirit and body. The Greeks considered size, order and symmetry to be symbols of beauty. An ideally beautiful person was one whose all parts of the body and facial features were in a harmonious combination.

Artists found and left behind a measure of beauty - the so-called canons and modules. The body had to have soft and rounded shapes. The sculpture of Aphrodite (Venus) became the standard for a beautiful body among the Greeks. This beauty was expressed in numbers: height 164 cm, chest circumference 86 cm, waist - 69 cm, hips - 93 cm. A face that could be divided into several equal parts (three or four) was considered beautiful. With three, the demarcation lines passed through the tip of the nose and the upper brow; with four - across the edge of the chin, along the edge of the upper lip, along the pupils, along the upper edge of the forehead and along the crown of the head.

According to the canons of Greek beauty, a beautiful face combined a straight nose, large eyes with a wide inter-century slit, arched edges of the eyelids; the distance between the eyes should have been no less than the size of one eye, and the mouth one and a half times bigger eyes. Large bulging eyes were emphasized by a rounded eyebrow line. The beauty of the face was determined by the straight lines of the nose, chin, and low forehead, framed by curls of hair with a straight parting. Hellenes great attention paid attention to hairstyle. Women, as a rule, did not cut their hair; they styled it in a knot or tied it at the back of the head with a ribbon. The “Antique Knot” has gone down in the history of hairstyles and still finds admirers.

Young men shaved their faces and wore long, curled locks tied with a hoop. Adult men wore short hair, a round beard and mustache.

IN Ancient Rome The cult of fair skin and blond hair dominated. It was the Romans who were the first to master the secret of hair bleaching. They were wiped with a sponge soaked in oil from goat milk and beech tree ash, and then bleached in the sun.

Blonde, curly hair was considered the ideal of beauty, and Roman hairdressers came up with a wide variety of curls. Greek hairstyles and Egyptian hairstyles a la Cleopatra came into fashion. During the imperial period, they were replaced by high hairstyles on fan-shaped frames, with artificial hair overlays. Men have straight, short hair combed over the forehead, a shaved face or a small curly beard. The “head of Titus” hairstyle of short curls with sideburns, named after the Roman emperor Titus Vespasian, has gone down in history. Cosmetics for the everyday toilet of rich Roman ladies were made at home, and skin and hair care was carried out by specially trained young slaves under the supervision of older and more experienced women.

The wives of the Roman patricians used milk, cream and lactic acid products for skin care, in addition to whitening ointments, remedies against dry skin, wrinkles and freckles. During their travels, in addition to their retinue, they were accompanied by herds of donkeys, in whose milk they bathed.

The Romans were experts in hygiene; they widely practiced massage and frequent bathing in baths (therms), where there was cold and hot water, baths, steam rooms, relaxation rooms and gymnasiums.

With the decline of Rome, the era of glorification of beauty was replaced by a cult of asceticism, detachment from the joys of perceiving the world. In the Middle Ages, earthly beauty was considered sinful, and enjoying it was prohibited. The body was draped with heavy fabrics that hid the figure in a tight bag (the width of the clothes to the height is 1:3). The hair was completely hidden under the cap, and the entire arsenal of means for improving one’s appearance, which were so popular in ancient times, was consigned to oblivion.

Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury publicly declared blond hair to be an unholy practice. The ideal woman was personified by the Blessed Virgin Mary - an elongated oval face, an emphatically high forehead, huge eyes and a small mouth.

In the 13th century The worship of the “beautiful lady” flourishes. In the era of chivalry, more “earthly” girls, with a lively look and a healthy blush, began to be valued (those who were unlucky got blush!). But skinheads were in fashion for a long time, until the 15th century. The troubadours glorified fragile, white-skinned ladies, defenseless and helpless in appearance. Troubadours praise the queens of knightly tournaments, their thin flexible figure, like a vine, blond hair, long face, straight thin nose, lush curls, clear and cheerful eyes, skin like a peach, lips redder than a cherry or a summer rose. A woman is compared to a rose - she is tender, fragile, graceful. Elongation has come into fashion, in everything from tall stature to a high forehead.

In the era early Renaissance pale complexion and long silky strands of blond hair became the canons of beauty for women in Florence. The great poets Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch and others glorified snow-white skin. A slender “swan neck” and a high, clean forehead were considered ideal. To follow this fashion, to lengthen the oval of the face, women shaved the front hair and plucked their eyebrows, and to make the neck appear longer, they shaved the back of their heads.

High Renaissance brings a completely different understanding of beauty. Instead of thin, slender, agile figures, curvaceous, powerful bodies with wide hips and luxurious fullness of the neck and shoulders triumph.

A special golden-red hair color, so beloved by Venetians, is coming into fashion - a color that later came to be called “Titian’s color.”

It is this type of beauty that is depicted in Titian’s canvases “Earthly and Heavenly Love”, “Portrait of a Lady in White” and portraits of many masters of the Venetian school of the 16th century, in the works of Rubens, Rembrandt, Hals and other artists of that time.

At the beginning of the 18th century. The Rococo era is coming: a woman should resemble a fragile porcelain figurine. Graceful, light and playful. Attention is focused on the neck, face, hands, which seemed fragile among the lace frills, ruffles and ribbons. Marquise de Pompadour. An entire era is named after her. It is to her that we owe the high hairstyle - "pompadour", the wonderful shade of deep pink color "pompadour" and even the birth of the first handbag - "pompadour".

"At the end of the 16th centuries (the Rococo era), the ideal of beauty as an expression of the tastes of the highest aristocracy moved away from strict classical forms: the hairstyle became deliberately enlarged, the hair was whipped for this purpose with a toupee, and, if necessary, supplemented with fake ones. Wigs came into fashion, and not only for women, they become mandatory for men too. To create hairstyles, various devices were used - wire frames, hoops, ribbons, the hair was thickly sprinkled with powder. Such miracles of hairdressing were very expensive, they took a lot of time to create, so ladies tried them as can be preserved longer, they did not comb their hair or wash their hair for weeks, their face and hands were only moistened with cologne. Queen Isabella of Castile of Spain once admitted that she washed only twice in her entire life - at birth and on her wedding day. About the French King Louis XIV it was it is known that it is washed only in the spring.

The main signs of beauty were considered to be white skin and a delicate blush. However, due to the smallpox epidemic, there were almost no women who did not have some kind of skin defect. In order to hide these defects and further highlight the whiteness of the face, the custom of decorating the face with small round fly patches spread.

At the end of the 18th century, a new style emerged, the aesthetic ideals of which were borrowed from the ancient world (Empire style). Clothing and hairstyle repeat elements of antiquity; wigs, blush, and front sights go out of fashion. Decorative cosmetics approach natural tones and do not become an end in themselves.

The outfits clearly imitate antique clothing. The style of the dress was supposed to emphasize the natural shape and beauty of the human body. Women in such toilets resembled images from antique vases and bas-reliefs. Since these dresses were made mainly from thin translucent muslin, fashionistas risked catching a cold on particularly cold days. To create spectacular draperies that beautifully depict natural characteristics, ladies used a simple technique of ancient sculptors - they moistened their clothes; it is no coincidence that the mortality rate from pneumonia was very high in those years. The French "Journal de Mode" in 1802 even recommended its readers to visit the Montmarte cemetery to see how many young girls had fallen victim to "naked" fashion. Parisian newspapers were full of mourning chronicles: “Madame de Noël died after the ball, at nineteen, Mademoiselle de Juinier at eighteen, Mlle Chaptal at sixteen!” In just a few years of this extravagant fashion, more women died than in the previous 40 years.

IN 20s XIX centuries, the woman’s figure resembles an hourglass: rounded “swollen” sleeves, a wasp waist, a wide skirt. The corset came into fashion. The waist should be unnatural in volume - about 55 cm. The desire for an “ideal” waist often led to tragic consequences. So, in 1859, one 23-year-old fashionista died after a ball due to the fact that three ribs compressed by a corset pierced her liver.

In second half of the 19th century the craving for artificiality was revived. A healthy complexion and tan, a strong, strong body became signs of low origin. The ideal of beauty was considered to be “wasp waists,” pale faces, delicacy and sophistication. The laughter and tears of a society beauty should be beautiful and graceful. The laughter should not be loud, but crumbly. When crying, you can drop no more than three or four tears and watch so as not to spoil your complexion. Sick femininity is in fashion. We are talking about both mental illnesses, in which imbalance borders on madness, the symbol of such a beauty can be Camille Claudel, the muse and student of the sculptor Auguste Rodin, and diseases of the body, like Marguerite Gautier, a mortally ill courtesan with tuberculosis - the heroine of the novel “The Lady of the Camellias” » Alexandre Dumas.

Fundamental changes have occurred in women's fashion at the beginning of XX century, when the famous French fashion designer Paul Poiret abolished corsets. At that time it was unheard of courage. After all, corsets have been an indispensable part of women's clothing for several centuries. They, however, disappeared for a short time in early XIX centuries, when Empire style clothing was fashionable, but then they returned and existed for a very long time.

Having gotten rid of corsets, women's dresses became much more comfortable also because Paul Poiret dared to shorten them. Clothes became shorter and this immediately affected the length of my hair. Short haircuts, emphasized by light curls or “waves,” are becoming fashionable.

Type: thin, angular, flat chested. Face: small heart-shaped mouth, wet eyes (the eyelids were smeared with Vaseline), arched plucked eyebrows. Fatal makeup: paleness, black shadows, eyeliner, red or cherry lipstick. Hairstyle: slicked short hair or waves down the face. Clothes: straight cut, low waist, revealing cutout at the back. In 1926, a mini-revolution took place: the famous black dress of Gabrielle Chanel appeared. Accessories of fashionistas: furs, hats, scarves, gloves, stockings, string of pearls, Chanel No. 5 perfume.

A little later, in 20s, the famous Gabrielle Chanel took another bold step, beginning to actively introduce traditionally masculine items of clothing into the women's wardrobe - a jacket, trousers, formal shirts with ties, thereby radically changing the style of women's clothing. At first it was shocking, but then it calmly became part of life.

As we already know, fashion does not appear in a vacuum. It always and very accurately, like a litmus test, reflects the slightest changes occurring in our lives. First World War took millions of men, many of whom never returned home. In addition, long before the war, the cultural and educational standard of living of society began to noticeably increase, it became more democratic. Subverting centuries-old foundations, women became more active and bolder in the labor force, social activities. And the new style of clothing perfectly corresponded to the changed way of life, in which women increasingly replaced men in the most responsible and difficult jobs.

Physical education and sports developed. In parades, women performed equally with men. Tennis, cycling, swimming, and volleyball have become popular sports. If earlier the ideal of femininity was grace and sophistication, gentle roundness of forms, now the fashionable standard has become a thin, athletic female figure with broad shoulders, small breasts, narrow hips and long legs, that is, the fashionable figure has become similar to a man's.

IN 30s fashion returned to fitted forms, which were much more in line with the natural proportions of the female figure and, to some extent, returned the usual female image.

The standard of beauty is a romantic woman with a doll-like face, a small, plump, bright mouth, and a fine perm. And a tall, thin figure with fairly broad shoulders, a thin waist and narrow hips is still in fashion. (This is exactly what the ideal figure of a fashion model became, and this is how it remains now).

Who is she, the slightly mysterious heroine of the 30s? Movie star Greta Garbo. A thin, cold lady with bleached hair, plucked eyebrows, long curled eyelashes and bright nails. She styles her blonde locks in what is known as “parchment,” the most popular perm of the time. Her dresses are as elegant and feminine as she is. Greta Garbo loves to decorate herself; she does not appear on the street without a hat with wide soft brims, a fur boa or a long scarf. And going out in public without gloves is considered indecent. In her hands she has a small elegant handbag, into which her cosmetics bag and keys can hardly fit. As for shoes, chunky heels are in fashion, but platform shoes are making an appearance for the first time.

Type: seductive. Fashion is ascetic and economical: straight knee-length skirts, stockings are drawn in pencil directly on the bare leg, hair is hidden under a mini-hat, scarf or neat net. Hairstyle: ponytail or large curls. Makeup: feminine, after the war it is especially important to please men: plump lips, fluffy eyelashes, rich red lipstick.

Heroine of the 40s - she is a strict but very elegant lady. Savings and only savings: shortened skirts, gas mask bags with a long belt, cork wedges - what can you do, the army needs leather and fabric. The basis of her wardrobe consists of uniform dresses and suits. Skirts are coming into fashion. The most common women's suit: a fitted jacket, with hard small “shoulder pads” and a straight knee-length skirt. In the details of the styles there are military elements: yokes, pockets, cuffs, tabs, wide belts with buckles, collars like on men's shirts. The shoes, like the entire outfit, met the main requirement of wartime: practicality. It had a durable wedge sole and lace-up.

It is generally accepted that 1950s style was the most elegant and charming in the entire history of the twentieth century. The fashion of this era made strict demands on women - to have an ideal figure with a thin waist and a full bust, which was created with the help of a corset, hip pads and pads in the bra, and careful makeup, which was applied in the morning. Every ideal housewife had to look like a fashion model while doing housework (with makeup, high heels, hair styled hair to hair), and in the evening turn into a society lady.

ABOUT 60s we can talk about the time of the cultural revolution. Then 3 notable events took place in the fashion world, which marked the beginning of the development of clothing culture in all subsequent decades.

So, firstly, youth fashion, in the modern sense, was born in the 60s! Young people declared their own worldview and announced the creation of their own culture. And it was a revolution! Until this time, young people dressed almost the same as their respectable parents. Sometimes they just wore slightly bold colors.

The second, of course, revolutionary moment was the creation of the Mary Quant miniskirt. That's when women got real freedom! Miniskirts were not just one of the clothing styles acceptable only to young people; they were worn by all women, regardless of age and figure.

And finally, the third striking phenomenon in the world of fashion, the emergence of a new fashionable image - a thin teenage girl; until that time, fashion was demonstrated by fully grown ladies. The embodiment of this new image was the model Twiggy. Although, of course, there were such heroines as the luxurious Brigitte Bardot and the fragile Audrey Hepburn, it was Twiggy who became the embodiment of the new time.

So, the dream girl of the 60s: Hairstyle - bouffant haircut, slightly wavy hair. Makeup - emphasis on the eyes, the famous banana wings, fashion for freckles. The figure is thin, tanned, almost a teenage boy. Clothes - in the 60s, dresses were especially popular; of course, super-mini ones; separate tops and bottoms were worn much less often. Pure forms, a minimum of laconic, pure geometric shapes and finishes. Sports and space - the motto of mid-60s clothing. There's a boom of boots on my feet. The most desperate fashionistas wear them in summer and winter, with a coat, a dress, and a jacket. But high socks and shoes with stable heels are also very popular.

In the 60s, large costume jewelry came into fashion; women wore bright, massive jewelry made of plastic. Clothes made from completely new materials are appearing - transparent plastic, metal and even paper. It was the 60s that gave the image of the modern woman.

Type: hippies - flower children. In fashion: folk fashion, ethnic jewelry, hippie style, military, punk. Makeup: either complete naturalness (no makeup plus ruffled eyebrows), or extreme: black, green lipstick, bright wild eyes, complete chaos on the face. Hairstyle to choose from: mane, ponytail, perm, mohawk in bright colors.

A young girl with radiant eyes highlighted by makeup in a casual outfit preferred a blouse like a body shirt, smooth or with a floral pattern, or a figure-hugging turtleneck with a narrow collar. Turtleneck in The 70s has become real a hit, it was simply indecent not to have it in your wardrobe. They were worn by everyone and everywhere, regardless of gender and the purpose of the meeting: for a business meeting or a date - this sweater is your trump card.

The most popular skirt length is mid-calf, the best flared model. It doesn't matter whether it's pants or a skirt. But not too widely. The most extreme version of trousers is tight-fitting on top and flared on the bottom. And on fragile legs there are “shoes” on a platform or with a wide, stable heel.

Slightly curled curls fell onto the shoulders, and the same oblique bangs were on the forehead. A great addition there was a small beret.

Big-eyed blondes decorated their evening outfits with romantic style details: flared skirts with floral patterns, flounces, ruffles, gauze scarves. Ultra wide maxi skirts.

Type: pumped up healthy woman with wide hips and a narrow pelvis. Ideal: aerobics queen Jane Fonda. Ladies rushed to the fitness studio, the slogan “The country needs a new body” was popular. Bright shadows, multi-colored lipstick, shading, and lack of contour are in fashion. Hairstyle: Lush, combed mane.

Incredible facts

Fashion and beauty are relative concepts.

What seemed attractive at the beginning of the century today seems ordinary or inappropriate.

Time flies, and with it, the standards of beauty of the female body are rapidly changing.

The article presents a selection standards of female beauty , from past centuries to our time. Videos and photographs prove that ideal is a very relative and extremely changeable concept.

Standards of beauty in different eras

Women in Ancient Egypt enjoyed freedom in everything. They enjoyed enormous privileges, equal to men. Many centuries passed before such gender equality returned to society.

Egyptian society was sexually liberated. For example, premarital affairs were not considered shameful; moreover, they were the norm of that time.

Women could own property independently of their husbands and had the right to initiate divorce without shame from society. Representatives of the fairer sex could also inherit the title of pharaoh.

© dimabl/Getty Images

An important aspect of female beauty of this era in Ancient Egypt was considered to be long braided hair framing a symmetrical face. A special black paint was applied around the women’s eyes, making their gaze more expressive.

The following indicators were considered the standard of beauty of the female body:

- Slender body

- High waist

- Narrow shoulders

Beauty Ideals of Ancient Greece

Aristotle called the female forms of that time "deformable male." Indeed, Ancient Greece was very masculine-oriented.

The ancient Greeks were more focused on the ideal male physique than the ideal female physique, meaning that during this time period it was the stronger sex who were expected to achieve high standards of physical perfection.

For this reason, women were ashamed of their forms, since they were unlike men's. The female body was treated as a “failed copy of a man.”

Nudity was an integral part of ancient Greek society. Despite this trend, sculptures and paintings of nude women were often covered. The first important female nude sculpture in classical Greece was Aphrodite of Cnidus, which showed that beauty in ancient Greece meant the following:

- Appetizing shapes

- Tendency to be overweight

- Bright skin

Female beauty in different eras

Chinese society has been patriarchal since ancient times. The patriarchal system of government minimized the role and rights of women in society.

During the Han Dynasty, the standard of beauty was considered to be a woman whose appearance combined the following parameters:

- Slim, slender body emitting an inner glow

- Pale skin

- Long black hair

- Red lips

- White teeth

- Smooth gait

- Small foot

Small foot size has been considered the main indicator of the beauty of a Chinese woman for hundreds of years.

Beauty in the Renaissance

Renaissance Italy was a Catholic, patriarchal society. Women were expected to embody all virtues and were often separated from the male sex, both in society and at home.

The meaning and value of a woman was associated with her service to a man, God, father or husband.

It was believed that behavior and appearance women reflected their husband's status. Beauty in Renaissance Italy meant that a woman should have the following appearance criteria:

- Pale skin

- Curvy shapes, including full hips and large breasts

- Blonde hair

- High forehead

The Victorian era in England lasted during the reign of Queen Victoria. She was the most influential figure of the era. The young queen was also a young wife and mother.

In Victorian society, thriftiness, family and motherhood were highly valued. These virtues were embodied in Queen Victoria herself.

The direction of that time was reflected in the appearance of the weaker sex. The woman wore corsets, tightening them as tightly as possible, which made her waist thinner.

An hourglass figure was considered the standard of femininity. The criteria for beauty, despite the presence of a thin waist, were considered to be rounded shapes and a tendency to be overweight.

Beauty in different eras

In 1920, women in the United States gained the right to vote, and this set the tone for the entire decade. Finally, representatives of the fairer sex felt equality and freedom.

Women who obtained jobs during World War II expressed a desire to continue working after the war ended.

The so-called androgynous appearance came into fashion; women tried to visually make their waists appear lower and wore bras that flattened their breasts.

In the 20s of the last century, a woman with a boyish figure, a complete absence of curvaceous figures, and small breasts was considered beautiful. The bob haircut was also in fashion.

The standard of beauty in different eras

The Golden Age of Hollywood lasted from the 1930s to the 1950s. The so-called Hays Code, a code of ethics adopted in Hollywood by the Motion Picture Association, created moral parameters regarding what could or could not be said and shown in films.

The code placed restrictions on the film roles available to women. Girls were considered beautiful if they had the following parameters:

- Appetizing shapes

- Hourglass figure type

- Lush breasts

- Thin waist

The embodiment of beauty and femininity of that time was the actress Marilyn Monroe.

Women in the 60s benefited from the liberation movements that swept through many countries around the world.

Everything could be observed at the workplace large quantity representatives of the weaker sex. They had access to contraceptives. All these factors led to the rise feminist sentiments in society.

The ideal of beauty is the highest point of superiority, but do such women even exist or do we invent them ourselves?!

The ideal of beauty in different eras was completely diverse. If in our time a girl with a figure of 90-60-90 is considered ideal, then in the era of the Kustodiev ladies she would have been considered sick and ugly.

As for the face, there were also canons of beauty:

• straight nose;
• large bulging eyes;
• arched eyebrows;
• low forehead;
• straight chin.

Hair was no less important to the Greek ideal. It was forbidden to cut them. If a woman aspired to the standard, she had to wear long hair, tied in a knot or tied with a ribbon.

Ideal female beauty was defined by natural blue eyes, golden curly hair and shiny skin.

Women from all walks of life wanted to be beautiful, therefore, like the Egyptians, they resorted to little tricks.

Privileged Greek girls used whitewash and used carmine instead of blush. Their eyeliner had soot from combustion.

Simpler women also strove for the ideal of beauty and used a barley mask made from dough with seasonings and eggs to add shine to their skin.

The ideal of female beauty in the Middle Ages

In this era, beauty was a sin and blondes, according to the archbishop, were wicked.

The Church forbade the use of cosmetics because they hid the true face that God created.

Despite this, in the Middle Ages there was an ideal of beauty that women strove for, namely:

• very pale skin;
• elongated oval face;
• small mouth;
• thin body;
• Long neck.

Nowadays the ideal of beauty is:

• women with plump lips;
• a figure of 90-60-90 (not natural, but pumped up in the gym);
• pronounced eyebrows with a house (usually eyebrow tattoo);
• breast size 3;
• dimples on the cheeks.

Modern men really like this, but at the same time, they want the above to be natural from nature.

Women, remember, it is men who set the pace of fashion and create the ideals of beauty, and we are ready to do anything to please them! Maybe you shouldn’t injure yourself and your own, created by nature, because in a matter of days everything can change dramatically.

To avoid having to deflate your lips and chest, you should be yourself. After all a real man loves not for external data, but for intelligence, cheerfulness and ability to be oneself.

At all times, humanity has strived for beauty and harmony, but the understanding of this very beauty has undergone significant changes over the centuries. And if the modern “Miss World,” for example, had been in the Renaissance, they would hardly have paid attention to her at all. The ideal of beauty is not the invention of one person, but a creation of time that meets its main needs, the political and social structure of society and even... the climate.

For example, modern tanning fashion arose only in the twenties of the 20th century with light hand Coco Chanel, who publicly stated: “Beautiful skin is tanned skin.” Until this moment, for centuries, only working peasants “sunbathed” in the sun, and the aristocracy protected their skin from the scorching rays, trying to maintain their “noble pallor.” So one could judge a person’s social status by skin color.

By the way, in the East there is still no fashion for tanning, and beauty salons, instead of the usual solariums, offer skin whitening services.

History of ideals of female beauty

By the way, fair skin and blond hair were valued even in ancient Rome. Curls were in fashion for women, and Roman hairdressers tirelessly invented new ways to curl their hair.

In the Middle Ages the ideal of beauty there were fair-haired women (a clear confirmation of this is the paintings of Sandro Botticelli). It was believed that golden curls ennobled the face. Therefore, beauties sat for hours on the roofs of houses when the sun was at its zenith, so that their hair would fade and acquire the desired shade (they were pre-treated with a special composition).

But medieval women hid their bodies under wide clothes, because in that era earthly beauty was considered sinful. The main value was proclaimed to be spiritual beauty, which did not need hairdressing scissors, powder or lipstick.

Renaissance brought with it a change in ideal. “Curvy” shapes have come into fashion - wide hips, rounded faces, full shoulders. Perfect beauty skin Renaissance she should not have been pale (since pallor indicated illness), but slightly pinkish, her hair the color of honey. It was these women who were depicted in their paintings by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and other artists of that time. The celebration of bodily fullness - a symbol of vitality - reached its apogee in the paintings of Titian (High Renaissance) and Rubens (Baroque).

Looked about the same in XV - XVII centuries and a Russian beauty - bursting with health, with blush on her cheeks and thick black eyebrows.

In the 18th century, during the Rococo era, Lush and tall hairstyles came into fashion using all kinds of frames, wigs and other complex designs. Creating such masterpieces of hairdressing art was expensive and troublesome, and therefore the ladies tried to sleep almost motionless and wash as little as possible in order to maintain their hairstyle.

Vladimir Borovikovsky. Portrait of M.I. Lopukhina. 1797 Style: Rococo.

The more rapidly society developed and the more highly developed it became, the more often approaches to the definition of beauty changed. What was once valued for centuries began to change within a few decades. Yes, in the first half 19th century A thin female figure, emphasized by a light high-waisted dress, was considered beautiful. But already in the 80s, everything natural began to be considered rude and “low”. The ideal of beauty became “wasp” waists and pale skin.

XX century made his own adjustments to the idea of ​​the ideal female image and proposed as a standard a thin, athletic figure with broad shoulders, small breasts, narrow hips and long legs.

What can we say about peoples and eras if ideas about beauty change even during a person’s life!

Richard S. Johnson - contemporary American artist

Richard Stog Johnson - contemporary American artist

Beauty requires sacrifice?..

In some countries there were (and still exist) quite cruel ways to make a woman beautiful (in accordance with local traditions), sometimes without her consent.

Representatives of the Padaung people (living in Myanmar, Burma, Thailand) are called “giraffe women” for a reason. From the age of five, copper rings, or more precisely, spirals made of rods, are placed around their necks. Over the years, the number of revolutions of the spiral increases, reaching its maximum by the time the beauty gets married.

A similar custom exists in the South African Ndbele tribe - women wear rings around their necks from the age of 12 until marriage.

In the Mursi tribe (Ethiopia), a strongly stretched lower lip is considered unusually beautiful, so girls of marriageable age have a special clay plate inserted into it. The larger the plate, the more attractive the girl appears to her fellow tribesmen and the greater her chances of getting married. But the women of the Surma tribe, also living in Ethiopia, decorate their ears, rather than their lips, with similar plates.

In China, until the beginning of the 20th century, a small woman’s foot was considered beautiful, so girls’ feet were bandaged very tightly, trying to stop its growth. The babies endured severe pain. They practically could not walk on their own. But they were considered unusually attractive!

In general, if you put all the first beauties from antiquity to the present day in one row, then we will all be in this row! Tall and petite, brunettes, blondes and redheads, long-haired and short-haired, thin and plump, with a bronze tan and completely white skin... Fashion for appearance is changeable, but at all times femininity, sincerity and kindness remain valuable. And of course, a woman’s love and respect for herself.

And, if you feel like a queen, then they will perceive you as such!

An ideal of beauty, a style icon, a standard of female beauty - how often such words, spoken from a TV screen or read in a women's magazine, spoil the mood. Looking at their reflection in the mirror, many women notice with horror that they do not correspond to the image that is the standard for today.

This is where it begins: sleepless nights, tears into the pillow, an insane desire to lose weight or undergo plastic surgery. Or maybe it’s worth thinking about how often fashion has changed, how the standards of female beauty have changed at different times?

Ancient eras, beauty standards

So, let's start with Ancient Egypt. Egyptian women took great care of their appearance and paid great attention to it. The ideal of beauty is the languid gaze of green eyes, this is what was especially valued among Egyptian men.

For the most part, Egyptian women were brown-eyed; in order to comply with the imposed canons, they had to subject their health to a painful procedure. Ladies put harmful substances in their eyes to change the color and create a drooping effect.

Women Ancient China They believed that the standard of beauty was tiny legs. And again suffering and torment. From early childhood, unfortunate Chinese women were forced to walk with tightly bandaged feet until they turned into tiny, deformed hooves.

A girl, painted like a doll, with hair arranged in a complex hairstyle, barely moving on tiny legs - this is the ideal of female beauty, sung by Chinese poets.

Antiquity, standards of female beauty

Ancient times brought ladies some respite. The women of Ancient Greece, depicted by sculptors of that time, had a pleasant appearance and a figure that bears little resemblance to the modern standard of beauty. Small breasts, full hips and a fairly wide waist - this is what the ideal lady of that time looked like.

In ancient Rome, blond hair and pale skin were considered the standard of femininity. To achieve perfection, Roman fashionistas had to lighten naturally dark hair using lime and wood ash. Aristocratic pallor was achieved different ways, not very beneficial for facial skin.

Middle Ages, canons of that time

In the Middle Ages, beautiful women could be accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake as witches. In the Middle Ages, during the rampant Inquisition, the ideal of beauty was a pale, emaciated creature, little reminiscent of a woman. Women of that time did not have the right to expose their bodies and hair to the public. Shapeless, headdresses, lack of jewelry and cosmetics, this is how beauties looked in the Middle Ages.

During the Renaissance, the ideals of female beauty changed again. At these times, ladies with long necks are becoming fashionable. Once again, women are forced to conform. The unfortunate fashionistas of that era resorted to various tricks: they shaved the hair on the back of their heads, shaved their foreheads and eyebrows, making sure that their faces looked oval-shaped.

The time of the Renaissance again changed the standards of beauty. Luxurious shapes, huge busts, riot of flesh—it was these ladies who were considered the standard of femininity.

The ideal of beauty of the Rococo era was a lady who looked more like a fancy toy. Complex structures made of hair, straw, fruit, wire and decorations on the head, a tight corset that disfigures the figure, a white face with painted eyebrows and glued on spots. It was precisely these women who seemed beauties to the gentlemen of that period.

Only the approach of the twentieth century brought back naturalness to ladies. Normal female figures, full breasts and a fresh complexion are back in fashion.

Modern standards

Over the past hundred years, time has seemed to run at a gallop. Different fashions, standards and ideals change with enviable regularity. Modern women have difficulty keeping up with their recognized idols.

The forties of the last century placed the inimitable Marilyn Monroe on a pedestal. All the girls of that time dreamed of white hair, plump lips and a mole on their cheek. A thin waist and a noticeable bust were the ultimate dreams of every lady; the clothes of that time, very opportunely, favorably emphasized the dignity of the female figure, placing emphasis on the waist and chest.

No wonder the fashion of that time often comes back again. And the very image of a beautiful, but stupid and vicious girl won the hearts of all men of that period.

Just twenty years later, in the 1960s, standards of attractiveness changed dramatically again. The whole world began to go crazy about a model girl named Twiggy. A thin, teenage figure, sharp elbows, thin shoulder blades, huge eyes on a childish face, this is exactly what the ideal woman became at that time. The girls tried to achieve him by any means.

Strange clothes designed to hide all existing feminine curves, short, straight dresses, more suitable for teenage girls, heavy with thick soles, this is exactly how fashionistas of that time dressed. It was at that time that a wide variety of diets, designed to help women lose weight as quickly as possible, became popular.

Gained enormous popularity in the eighties the new kind sports exercises called aerobics. Almost every girl of the eighties dreamed of looking slim and fit. Cindy Crawford famous model of that time, can be considered the ideal that millions of women dreamed of being like. Tall, full breasts, pumped up body, a smile on the lips - this is what the most attractive girls of those years looked like.

And since the nineties, tall, excessively thin, long-legged models with virtually no female forms began to rule the fashion industry. It was this type of female beauty that suddenly soared to the peak of popularity; supermodel Kate Moss can be considered a prominent representative of this period.

And again, millions of women felt flawed, many began to strive with all their might to resemble the new ideals, bringing their bodies with harsh diets and enormous physical activity to the last degree of thinness. Many ladies, in an effort to be no different from the girls from the catwalk, were ready to make numerous sacrifices: fasting or complex surgical operations designed to lengthen their legs or remove excess body volume.

A little about men

And now it’s worth talking about the strong half of humanity. Are there standards for male beauty, and how often do they change?

From ancient times to the present day, the standard of male beauty has remained virtually unchanged. In different centuries, ladies valued such qualities in men as: strength, valor, courage, brutality. It is strong charisma and natural sexuality that makes a man beautiful in the eyes of women.

Why is this happening? This may be due to the fact that men are less likely to pay attention to imposed stereotypes, preferring to remain as nature created them. They are less susceptible to the opinions of others; men's self-esteem is always at the proper level.

And again about women

The twenty-first century has radically changed the consciousness of many women. Increasingly, they are beginning to realize that beauty and attractiveness do not at all depend on similarity to certain ideals momentarily imposed by society. Every person from birth has a number of advantages, everyone has disadvantages.

The main thing in this life is to emphasize all your advantages and minimize your disadvantages. Any woman who has achieved such harmony is beautiful.