According to the textbook, it is an undeniable truth that physical attraction is important when choosing our romantic partners, but it's especially important to men, as a survey suggests that they pay more attention to looks in women than women do in men. Perhaps this is the reason why we can think of the fairest beauty in history such as Cleopatra of Egypt or Yang Guifei of China, but none comes to our mind when thinking of the most handsome men in history. Instead men, who are recorded and adored through history, are the bravest men who conquered and ruled the world. So when we talk about beauty standards, mostly the focus is on women.
Although beauty standards seem to converge into one big criterion since the impact of western culture expanded over the world, there are still unique and intrinsic beauty standards left within ethnic minorities. They can be very strange but I want to point out that the reason why I'm introducing them is not to judge or compare them with today's criteria or ethics. Karen, an ethnic group of Myanmar, is well-known for the women stretching their necks by putting on several metallic rings around their necks. So the woman with the longest neck is considered the fairest. As cervical vertebrae are detached from one another because of those thick metallic rings, women can't move their heads around. They can only look forward. So those women are expected to maintain chastity, as they can't look elsewhere. In China, women used to wear foot-bindings, because those who have small feet were considered beautiful. Foot-bindings, which prevent women's feet from growing, also seem to be related to chastity. Women wearing foot-bindings are unable to run away, so they have no choice but to stay with their husband for life.
Beauty standards are not fixed but change depending on the society's value. For it is a reflection of the society, it gives lots of information about what people wanted and expected.
Beauty Standards as Reflection of the Society
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This outlook on beauty from different cultures is very interesting. Of course, we are all very familiar with the United States and the idea of beauty here: tall, thin, tan, clear skin, perfect teeth, pretty eyes, etc. We as a society are bombarded with this "ideal look of beauty". It's interesting how the other cultures place importance on such strange parts of the body and how they seem to correlate with chastity and staying with your husband. The complete opposite happens in the United States, the "prettier" you are, the more likely you are to cheat because more men will find you attractive and make advances. The things that make the women in these other cultures more beautiful tend to prevent them from cheating. This just goes to show how different cultures can be in something as simple as attractiveness.
I'm not sure if I think the historical aspect is exactly true because the type of historical event that the person was involved in is not being held constant. Many more men than women are remembered in history for the simple fact that women were not viewed as equals until quite recently. But there are women such as Jane Eyre and Harriet Tubman that are remembered for their accomplishments. Men and women are most likely to be remembered for their looks when they were a celebrity of some sort like the ones mentioned above such as Marilyn Monroe or Cary Grant. For example, while we will always remember George Clooney for his looks that doesn't mean that we won't remember Obama for being a political leader.
This post reminds me of a movie I once saw called Desert Flower, which is about a woman from somewhere in Africa (I know Africa is a large place, I just cannot remember exactly where). In the nomatic village that this woman grew up in, women were "cut". Being cut means that they had a female circumcision of some varying degree... also know as female genital mutilation (FGM). The purpose of FGM is so that when these women get married (generally at a young age to a much older man who offered some sort of compensation for the young wife) they are ensured to be virgins. FGM, in it's most severe form includes removing the clitoris and labia and stiching shut the wound only leaving a small opening for bodily fluids to leave. This is similar to the examples you gave it your post as it ensures chastity. For more information visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation
This is a very interesting post. It is interesting to see a universal desire for women to be beautiful and how that beauty can vary culture to culture. Some cultures may find thin women attractive, while others favor curvy women. No matter what part of the world you seem to go, every society has a certain set of values and pressures on women to behave or look a certain way. I believe this is a little sad, women should not be viewed and based by their appearance. I am not unaware that these pressures will always continue to exist, but if women choose not to fall pray to society expectations it may be better for everyone.
Well I agree that the reason why there are more men than women remembered in history is because women weren’t viewed as equals as men until recently, but I think you missed my point. What I wanted to say is that physical appearance is more importantly considered in women when deciding a potential mate, so that’s the reason why there are many beautiful women recorded in history, while nobody comes to our mind with ease when thinking of the most handsome guy.
This is one of the most intriguing post i have read all semester. I always thought of guys focusing more on looks in women than women focusing on looks in men, but i never thought back about those remembered in history. The most beautiful women are still remembered for their looks like those you named above, and also those like Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn who had other accomplishments in life but their looks are still largely focused on today. Then you look at the men still talked about in history and their bravery courage and accomplishments is indeed what is talked about. This post really brought me to think about things i never had before.