The variety of "ideal" female figures by the standards of a particular historical era.
Ancient Egypt (1292 - 1069 BC)
In ancient Egypt, women enjoyed many privileges and liberties, the re-acquisition of which modern women of the fair sex took more than one thousand years. Ancient Egyptian society was calm about everything that was associated with sex, and premarital sexual relations were at that time quite acceptable phenomenon. Women could own their own property regardless of their husbands, and initiate a divorce without fear of hearing censure from others. And even in those distant times, they could inherit different titles and even get the title of Pharaoh!
As for external beauty and attractiveness, art objects relating to the era of Ancient Egypt, indicates that a sufficiently important condition for women's attractiveness was long, braided hair. Many girls wove braids to emphasize the symmetry of the face, and also applied black thick antimony around the eyes. In addition, women with thin, high waist and thin shoulders were considered to be the standard of beauty in those days.
Ancient Greece (500 - 300 BC)
Aristotle called the female figure "a deformed male body" and was partly right - in ancient Greece, she was quite man-like. The ancient Greeks paid much more attention to the ideal male physique than the female one. Because of what exactly men of that period (and not women) tried to achieve the high standard of physical perfection existing in that epoch. And it's very good, if you do not take into account the fact that women, whose shapes do not resemble a male figure, were considered ugly and awkward.
Nakedness was an integral part of ancient Greek society, but in paintings and sculptures depicting naked women of that period, you can often see clothing that hides almost the entire body. It is believed that the first significant female nude sculpture in classical Greece was the sculpture of Aphrodite of Cnidus, judging by which, the ideal of feminine beauty in ancient Greece was considered a rather plump body with lush forms.
The Han Dynasty (206-220 AD)
Since ancient times, Chinese society has been patriarchal, as a result of which the role of women and their rights have been reduced here to a minimum. During the reign of the Han Dynasty, the standard of female beauty was a thin, refined body, radiating an inner glow. Women had to have pale skin, long black hair, red lips, white teeth, graceful gait and small legs. And the latter remained one of the most important aspects of Chinese beauty for hundreds of years.
The Italian Renaissance (1400 - 1700).
Italy Renaissance was an extremely religious Catholic, patriarchal society. Women had to be a true virtue and often turned out to be detached from men in both public and domestic affairs. Women's dignity was estimated by their relationship with men, whether it be God, father or husband.
The behavior and appearance of the spouse had to reflect the status of her husband. During the Italian Renaissance, a round body was considered particularly attractive, including full hips and large breasts. In addition, the standard of physical beauty was pale skin, reddish blond hair and high forehead.
Victorian England (1837 - 1901).
The Victorian era lasted throughout the reign of Queen Victoria. The young queen, who was also a wife and mother, became the most influential figure of that historical period. Attachment to home, family and motherhood were priority values in the Victorian society, since it was Queen Victoria who valued it most of all.
The style of that time fully reflects the maternal role of women in society. Young girls and mature ladies wore corsets, wishing to maximally pull down the waist and make their figure look like an hourglass. Such tight corsets significantly limited the physical mobility of women, which is why their owners could not practically engage in manual labor. In addition, women wore long hair, which in the Victorian era was considered another inalienable attribute of femininity.
The dashing twenties (1920s)
In 1920, women in the United States got the right to vote, and this fact set the tone for the whole decade ahead. There was a long-awaited freedom! Women, who during the Second World War performed the most difficult work, did not want to leave their jobs. The dry law caused the appearance of dozens of underground shops selling alcohol, which, along with the popularization of sound cinema and charleston, allowed the creation of a new culture - female flappers. They advocated androgynous appearance, as well as for minimizing the importance of a thin waist and refusal to wear bras that squeezed the chest. Thus, beautiful in the 1920s was a thin boyish body with lush forms and rounded lines.
Golden Age of Hollywood (1930 - 1950).
The Golden Age of Hollywood lasted from 1930 to 1950-ies. At that time, the main moral code that established moral parameters as to what can or can not be said, shown or unsaid in the film, is the so-called "Hayes Code". This set of rules and norms limited the types of roles intended for the fairer sex, and thus created an idealized image of a woman who for the first time in history spread rapidly around the world. The standard of beauty was the movie stars of that time, and in particular Marilyn Monroe, who has a feminine figure with a thin waist.
The surging sixties (1960s)
In the 1960s, the fair-sex people benefited from liberalization, which resulted in more jobs for women. She gave them access to contraceptive pills, which gave impetus to the formation of feminism.
"Jolly London" had a profound influence on the whole Western world during the second half of the 1960s, thanks to which mini-skirts and A-silhouette clothes entered the fashion. All these trends were clearly reflected in the unforgettable style of the famous fashion model Twiggy, whose physique forced him to change the ideals of beauty from a seductive and lush body to a tall, lean figure.
The era of supermodels (1980s)
Jane Fonda in the 1980s made aerobics a trend, which forced all women to dream of a sporty fit figure. The standard of beauty of that unforgettable era was the figure of supermodels (as, for example, Cindy Crawford): a tall, slender and athletic body, not devoid of lush breasts. During this period, there was also a surge in the incidence of anorexia, which, according to some experts, was caused by the sudden increase in the popularity of physical exercises and training.
Heroin chic (1990's)
After materialism and excessive sporting enthusiasm in the 1980s, fashion swung to a radically different angle. The thin, pale and withdrawn Kate Moss, who was treated for drug addiction, became the personification of the period of "heroin chic" observed in the 1990s. It is therefore not surprising that during this period heroin use increased significantly, as a result of which, in 1997, President Clinton criticized and condemned unhealthy trends in society.
Postmodern beauty (2000's - our days)
In the 2000s, women simply fell asleep with a copious amount of requirements for appearance. From now on they should be thin, but healthy, have a magnificent breast and an outstanding booty, but at the same time have a flat stomach.
To achieve all this, women increasingly began to turn to plastic surgery. And this is a proven fact. After all, recent studies show that over the past few years the number of patients under the age of 30 who are registered for procedures to increase the buttocks, as well as improve the appearance to create a beautiful self, has increased significantly and continues to grow.
That's how the standards of beauty have changed for many centuries. Do you think they have passed the test of time or are they going to undergo multiple changes in the future?