CHANGING PARAGON OF
BEAUTY
Beauty what is it exactly? As we all know there is something like paragon of beauty,
which was created at the beginning of the world and will be destroyed when all people die.
So beauty is a combination of physical features which in connection gives pleasure for
observer. Apart from the physical side, also character exist which include the same, like
outward, complex of features which in connection gives pleasure, but there is one difference.
The outward gives a minute of "gosh" and the inside gives the same or even more for years.
What is significant, beauty is closely connected with women, but in modern times the term
“beauty” has also been recently used concerning men.
At the beginning of the main part, I would like to say that there aren’t two men or
women with the same taste, for instance Rubens. Ones liked slim ones, for instance: Rubens
liked plump women so he painted so. To my mind it is or it was good ‘cos everybody should
have own opinion on all subject, especially this.
Now I would like to present to you a few examples of human tastes (16-18 years
people):
1. Perfect girl #1: the same high or some taller than me; blonde; long legs; large
breasts; middle body build; everything has to be in harmony, proportion;
Features: calm, intelligent; but the most important is body;
2. Perfect girl #2: body isn’t important;
Features: loving; nice; tolerant; calm; she must be able to understand me;
3. Perfect girl #3: the same high or some taller than me; dark-haired; blue eyes;
in the same age; everything has to be in harmony, in proportion;
Features: honest; modest; greed; hard-working; patient; strong personality;
good manners;
4. Perfect girl #4: the body of Pamela Anderson; suntanned, of middle height;
nice legs and blonde of course
Features: intelligent; understanding; not jealous;
5. Perfect girl #5: the body of Frytka; should wear red underwear, especially
red strings; well-groomed; athletic body build;
Features: funny; articulate; weak head to alcohol; “light behaviour”
6. Perfect boy #1: higher than me; well-groomed, harmony; packet of features
which finally gives result; the rest is very personal;
Features: tolerant; honest; open [?]; good manners; he must be able to
understand me, or at least he must be able to listen.
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7. Perfect boy #2: dark-haired; blue or brown eyes; well built; well-groomed
Features: hilarious; sensitive; loving; intelligent; keen on dancing; tolerant;
honest; a little jealous.
You have probably seen that few things have been repeated here (apart from perfect
girl#4,5) like: harmony, height but when you consider all those “rules” you see that people
from the centre are most popular, these who aren’t outstanding in any aspect(body, hobby,
etc.). Besides, such researches were carried out and the result was the same like the given
above. Frankly speaking I hadn’t believed it, I made my own, and it turned out the same. In
professor’s comment one sentence were placed “… all people are beautiful or handsome if
their body is built in a good proportion…”
I suppose, we should look through the history of art on the matter
1. < 5000 B.C. – women were just obese, with a small head, huge droopy breasts, a
huge stomach, a vast bottom. Nowadays such woman would be forced to go to
cosmetic surgery immediately. But we ought to know that at that time such
“object” had to survive winter, so that body was useful. Although after people
settled in specific terrain the paragon of beauty changed. The best example of
such body is “Venus”.
2. Ancient times – that culture we can divide among Egypt and Greece and Rome.
But one thing connects paragons, it’s slimness. In Egypt long nose and eyes were
important (Nefretete). While in Greek and Roman society harmony and
proportion were in the first place, Poliklet, whose “Hurt Amazon” is
magnificent, created “Maths of beauty” for instance: arm should be as long as
three hands length. Fidiash and few others created such a canon, which has been
used till ours times, one thing from it has been changing all the time – fatness.
3. Middle Ages – despite the fact that those societies were very religious, women
had to be very slim, they were absolutely anorectics (40kg), furthermore
important were blond hair, high forehead and paleness. The best example of
middle Ages’ anorectic is Jan van Eyck’s “Eve” and “Madonna in the Church”.
4. Renaissance – At that time artists came back to Ancient art, to harmony and
proportionally built body, for example Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” or
Botticielii’s “The Birth of Venus” but in renaissance faces were much more
important than the rest of the body: large almond eyes, delicate eyebrows, subtle
mouth. Other artists: Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian.
5. Baroque – according to the development of fatness from renaissance, in baroque
exactly plump women were popular. Rubens whose pictures are the best
confirmation of it, used to paint fat women and generally such persons, for
instance “Bacchus” or “Isabella Brandt”. It was reasoned by generall idea of
whole Baroque, because the main idey was to provide as many details, elements,
decorations as it was possible, simply baroque means splendour. Some artists:
Rembrant (“Bathsheba at Her Bath”, “Portrait of Hendrickje Stofells”); Esteban
Murillo; Francisco de Zurbarán.
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6. Classicism – here artists again came back to ancient art. So women were
presented as slim, beautiful in profile persons, the most important were such
features as simplicity, proportion, and restrained emotion. For instance: David
Jaques-Louis.
7. Romanticism – it is difficult to write anything about paragon of beauty ‘cos
women simply weren’t shown on the paintings, but again simplicity were in
fashion and one feature was demanded – shyness. Delacroix, Friedrich Caspar
David.
8. Realism – in that period of time everything was circulating around truth, so any
make-up like in Baroque was commented adversely. Doré, Gustave; Daumier,
Honoré.
9. XX century – at that time men’s eyes came back again to fat ladies like Theda
Bara, or Merlin Monroe, apart from fatness she had blonde hair, and blue eyes.
But in the XX century very important movement started – feminism, it didn’t
influence body but women stated requiring respect, openness [wrong!!!], and
tolerance from men, besides thanks to that process girls were able to choose one
from lots of candidates and money hadn’t been important so much.
10. ’90 – Middle Ages remind, slim girls or women were popular again but I have
written it at the beginning of this essay.
11. Future – it is going to be completely different than the ’90s so women will be
maybe not fat but normal without any plastic surgery or something like it,
Renaissance again!!!
Finally my opinion: I am sure that you know it but I suppose you wouldn’t mind if I
express it. Body – isn’t important and it won’t be a reason for being a couple. One thing,
which I hate, is make-up, I don’t understand why and believe me a girl or a woman without it
looks
much
better.
To my mind such rules “…long legs, blue eyes...” are silly and those who are using them in
life are stupid, very stupid, anyway it is only my opinion.
Character – must have an aim, which should be executed all the time; able to talk
with me, what is difficult, to my mind; tolerant; open for new opportunities, and what is the
most important – intelligent, kind of hobby, or actually work isn’t important; strong character;
independent, “alien”, just like floppy disk.
At the end I would like to write few words about beauty generally: everything what
is simple is beautiful, I don’t mean only people, their bodies, character but values, only good
person can be gorgeous, ‘cos outside passes by and then is a picture of clear magnificence:
clever, honest, just good. This paragon of beauty about which I am writing is changing all the
time but morals are the same, for instance Immanuel Kant, who wrote that simplicity is
beautiful, and beautiful is love.
All in all paragon of beauty is different for all of us inside and outside, inside is
essential by all means.
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I said so - paszczak
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