Diversity of the Feminine Beauty and Attraction
Introduction
The concept of beauty has always been quite controversial issue. However, even nowadays it does not have the specific definition. In fact, the concept of beauty is often subjective and constantly changing depending on the culture, time period and the variety of other factor. Throughout history women have tried to meet the standards of beauty popular at the specific community to become more attractive to the opposite sex partners. The analysis of the beauty standards help to see the significant changes of the beauty concept throughout history. The abovementioned proves that the perception of the women’s beauty can be considered as one of the key element to the understanding of the queer attractors around the world. The concept of female beauty has been continuously changing with the development of the mankind, creating the new images of the perfect woman. However, only one thing has always remained unchanged, i.e. the people’s desire to get as close to perfection as possible. Thus, the following paper is aimed to provide the overview of the diversity of the women’s beauty and attraction in the variety of cultures throughout different historical periods.
The Image of the Perfect Female
The women have always wanted to be attractive to men. The only difference in the process of the goal achievement to based on the understanding of the female beauty in the specific culture. Over times, the standards of beauty implied the different height, weight, skin tones etc. In addition, in different regions and cultures, the concept of the women’s beauty can be perceived radically different. This difference can be observed even nowadays. Nevertheless, the female beauty has always been as the most powerful tool to attract the men. It has been the subject of worship, pushing men to feats and follies, causing the wars. Feminine beauty is portrayed by the sculptors and painters. In fact, the numerous works of art allow us to judge of female beauty in different eras.
In ancient Egypt, the perfect female was characterized with the regular features, large expressive eyes and graceful figure. The long black hair and the thin neck were supposed to be the key attributes of the beautiful woman. The queen Nefertiti, the most powerful woman of the time, is considered to be the striking example of the ancient Egyptian beauty standard. The beauty of Cleopatra, who seduced Caesar with her appearance, is also worth of mentioning. According to the legends, Cleopatra maintained the beauty of the skin through the daily bath with honey and milk of the donkey.
In the Ancient World the standards of female beauty became a little different. The woman was supposed to have not only the physical beauty, but also well-developed mental abilities. The slender young women with the pale skin were defined as beautiful and charming. The standard of women’s beauty of the Ancient Times belonged to Aphrodite, the goddess of fertility, beauty and love.
Quite different attitude to the women’s beautiful occurred in the Middle Ages. Being influenced by religious doctrine, the beauty was considered as the biggest sin. The beautiful women were distrusted. People considered them as dangerous to the society. Thus, pale and unremarkable girls tried to whiten their skin with the different toxic substances and bloodletting, often suffering from the fatal pursuit of beauty. During the period of Renaissance, the perfect image of female beauty can be characterized by the more rounded features such as sloping shoulders and long neck. The girls with red and blond hair as well as fair skin were supposed to be extremely beautiful.
The eighteenth century is characterized by the attraction of the women’s bodies, not by the faces. It should have seemed fragile and delicate due to the usage of corsets.
At the beginning of the twenties century, the opinion about the women’s beauty has significantly changed. It became fashionable to have the short hair, large expressive eyes and wide smile. The bright representatives of that time include Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.
The 1960s were marked by the new ideals of beauty characterized by the unnatural thinness, which became the synonymous to beauty. The modern “high fashion” continues to promote the standard of female beauty as the thin girl with tall figure, narrow waist and long legs. A woman should have a graceful figure, be photogenic and have the well-known parameters of 90-60-90. However, there is the tendency to believe that the beauty of the woman lies in her individuality and originality.
The Scientific Approach to the Women’s Beauty
In 2011, the scientists conducted the research devoted to the essence of the feminine beauty. The study participants were asked to answer questions about whether they have the ideal of a beautiful woman. The survey revealed that the majority of respondents associated the beauty with the particular visual images of the real people. About 30 percent of the respondents pointed to the collective image of a beautiful woman, created under the influence of media. The most of the respondents (80%) called the names of Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Angelina Jolie as the ideal of the perfect feminine beauty of the modern times.
While describing the standard of female beauty, the large number of the respondents indicated the perfect woman as slender, with long hair and big eyes. However, it should be mentioned that women usually noted such important factors as external cleanliness and grooming, as well as accuracy, while the men attached the great importance to hair and eye color. In the analysis of the photos of famous people named as an ideal of beauty, the perfect woman was supposed to be brunette with big, bright, expressive eyes, medium complexion and proportionate figure. It should be mentioned that most of the respondents voted for brunettes more than for blondes.
The result of the abovementioned research helped the scientists to create the portrait of a beautiful woman. Her growth is from 158 to 175 cm and weight from 48 to 64 kilograms. She is slim with proportional figure, green or brown eyes, fluffy eyelashes and thick hair. She has sensual lips and smooth net skin as well as manicured nails. The classical proportions of 90-60-90 have been rarely mentioned. In addition, it has been concluded that mot of the respondents are attracted by the healthy female figure. While describing the inner features of a beautiful woman, the respondents defined kindness, intelligence, the ability to understand as well as responsiveness, tenderness and humor. Most of the female respondents defined the wisdom and self-confidence, while most of the male respondents defined sociability and tenderness as the key features of the beautiful women.
Conclusions
The concept of female beauty is constantly changing. Over time, female beauty has become more universal as well as the standards and canons of beauty became more widely used. However, the modern studies prove that each woman may be beautiful regardless of its ethnicity, skin color, breast size, weight and height. The main thing lies in the internal and external harmony as well as the ability to see the beauty of each person. It is impossible to derive a formula of the perfect woman as the perception of beauty and attraction differs. It is supposed to be quite subjective, based on the individual preference of each particular person. Nevertheless, it can be stated that the real beauty implies the harmony of body, spirit and mind.
