While the Dutch women of the seventeenth century lacked the equal social status as men, confined to strict gender roles, social expectations, and moral concerns, they were still offered some independent freedoms in comparison to other European societies. While women were free to come and go as they pleased, unchaperoned or unaccompanied to work, to conduct business, and engage in conversion like men, they were still not free or completely independent of men in some social constructs.
Women of the 21st century, have gained an immensely larger range of freedoms than seventeenth century women were given. Today, women have almost a full range of equal opportunities as men and can even shift the balance between the physical, emotional, and social constructs of sexual and gender identity. However, women today are still repressed by the ideal of the self-image within social constructs. Women are expected to look a certain way in order to attract male counterparts. Within the digital age, the female form are even manipulated to look a certain way with the help of Photoshop or forced to maintain a body weight below 15% of the expected body weight in relation to age and height. This can create an extreme shift in how women perceive beauty and the necessity of acceptance and the need to deviate from such social expectations. How did women create this overall shift in perspective of themselves from a Rubenesque ideal to a near-annorexic expectation? What perception does the 21st century have on Rubenesque women?
During the 1920's, women began a risqué lifestyle of expression designed on the need to have fun, dance, drink, and party. The 20's flapper girl is a good example for a woman's overall look and self-aware perception of themselves. The ideal image of women begins to emerge from being a fully-dressed woman of respectable society into a carefree, party-going individual. The ideal of their body type even begins to shift as the relation to wealth and body size begin to become less connected. Women begin to perceive hour glass figures over curvier forms until the need for more artificial beauty is needed with the usage of more make-up, cosmetic surgery, and surgical implants. Women begin to create an ideal that extends naturality and becomes too hard obtain where artificial means are necessary to correct their faults and unwanted areas.
Women of the 21st century, have gained an immensely larger range of freedoms than seventeenth century women were given. Today, women have almost a full range of equal opportunities as men and can even shift the balance between the physical, emotional, and social constructs of sexual and gender identity. However, women today are still repressed by the ideal of the self-image within social constructs. Women are expected to look a certain way in order to attract male counterparts. Within the digital age, the female form are even manipulated to look a certain way with the help of Photoshop or forced to maintain a body weight below 15% of the expected body weight in relation to age and height. This can create an extreme shift in how women perceive beauty and the necessity of acceptance and the need to deviate from such social expectations. How did women create this overall shift in perspective of themselves from a Rubenesque ideal to a near-annorexic expectation? What perception does the 21st century have on Rubenesque women?
During the 1920's, women began a risqué lifestyle of expression designed on the need to have fun, dance, drink, and party. The 20's flapper girl is a good example for a woman's overall look and self-aware perception of themselves. The ideal image of women begins to emerge from being a fully-dressed woman of respectable society into a carefree, party-going individual. The ideal of their body type even begins to shift as the relation to wealth and body size begin to become less connected. Women begin to perceive hour glass figures over curvier forms until the need for more artificial beauty is needed with the usage of more make-up, cosmetic surgery, and surgical implants. Women begin to create an ideal that extends naturality and becomes too hard obtain where artificial means are necessary to correct their faults and unwanted areas.
Today, our view of the ideal image and what is beautiful becomes distorted and based on high expectations that only digital media can obtain. Above, is a video of a Dove commercial displaying the process of what it takes to be beautiful for advertisements. It is a simple thing to change our appearance with make-up and Photoshop, but we forget that that image impacts not just the view of the woman modeling but also every man and woman about what expected beauty is and what is the most attractive to display.
Women today are still being expected to dress, look, or act a certain way. The Nuclear Family ideal for women associated back in the 1950's to be a proper housewife and responsible childrearing adult is as constrained of an idea as it is now, however, the concepts of appearance still remain. Young girls today are still being expected to look a certain way, eat particular foods, and even act and talk a certain way based on their peers expectations otherwise risk discrimination and verbal abuse. They grow up believing that being Rubenesque or overweight is wrong, unacceptable, and that dieting is the only way to cure the disease of obesity. It is all taught through image, not with facts about how being overweight can harm your body later on in life when considering a healthy lifestyle.
Rubenesque in the seventeenth century was considered healthy because it meant you weren't too poor to eat and that you could survive without dying of starvation. Here, a contrast will be presented to show the ideal of the seventeenth century Rubenesque woman within Rubens' works to that of a modern-ideal woman and why these two images are so different from one another.
Women today are still being expected to dress, look, or act a certain way. The Nuclear Family ideal for women associated back in the 1950's to be a proper housewife and responsible childrearing adult is as constrained of an idea as it is now, however, the concepts of appearance still remain. Young girls today are still being expected to look a certain way, eat particular foods, and even act and talk a certain way based on their peers expectations otherwise risk discrimination and verbal abuse. They grow up believing that being Rubenesque or overweight is wrong, unacceptable, and that dieting is the only way to cure the disease of obesity. It is all taught through image, not with facts about how being overweight can harm your body later on in life when considering a healthy lifestyle.
Rubenesque in the seventeenth century was considered healthy because it meant you weren't too poor to eat and that you could survive without dying of starvation. Here, a contrast will be presented to show the ideal of the seventeenth century Rubenesque woman within Rubens' works to that of a modern-ideal woman and why these two images are so different from one another.
The ideal image of women has changed and shifted every decade. Marilyn Monroe was considered a size 14, a size that was viewed as extra thin for her time but considered chubby or overweight for the 21st century. In comparison between Rubens' painting, Venus at a Mirror c. 1615, Marilyn Monroe is still viewed as smaller than that of Venus with less curves, a thinner waist and more prominent hour glass figure, and more defined facial features. Venus' ideal image for the seventeenth century might be around a size 18-20 if we were to classify it into today's terms. Marilyn Monroe's image was the ideal or norm for women of the 1950's. She was the striking model-actress everyone loved and idolized, shaping the view for young women everywhere in America on how to look and present oneself.
Venus's figure has a mixture of muscle and fat that create many dimensions and forms that make her body seem natural with well thought out paint colors and smooth but geometrical brushstrokes that shape areas of the body, creating spherical shapes with the help of chiaroscuro that create a delicate shine on her body and faint shadows that still reveal the contours of the body.
Venus's figure has a mixture of muscle and fat that create many dimensions and forms that make her body seem natural with well thought out paint colors and smooth but geometrical brushstrokes that shape areas of the body, creating spherical shapes with the help of chiaroscuro that create a delicate shine on her body and faint shadows that still reveal the contours of the body.
Another image concern that has shaped the ideal image of the modern day from that of Rubens' time, is the well-known Barbie doll. Above is an image of a woman with diagrams marked on her body of what a Barbie would look like if a real person had her measurements. This simple child's toy abstractly portrays the female form and subconsciously serves as a role model for young girls everywhere. Like Monroe, this figurine is a prime example of the ideal female image in modern day society. Both have shaped the perspective of what is beautiful presenting a large contrast in comparison to Rubens' painting of his second wife, Helena Fourment in a Fur Robe c. 1636-8.
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Rubens admired his second wife dearly and was obsessed with painting her. He considered her beautiful and perfect. She was the ideal image of his affection, a young beauty that he was proud to have and show off. Helena was beyond the size of Barbie's measurements with a bust of 39", a waist of 18", and hips of 34" at an height of 5'6" and 120lbs. Due to her measurements, she would not menstruate and would walk on all fours. Only 1 in a 100,000 women match the Barbie ideal size.
Children are influenced by the toys that are given to them and usually given to them to help them prepare for adult roles. With a role presenting how a person should look, this can shape how young women perceive themselves and who they hope to become in their future. Cindy Jackson was so influenced by Barbie's image, she spent 20 surgeries and $55,000 to make herself look more and more like Barbie.
Helena creates a realistic appearance of how the female form would be positioned in a pose as the breasts rest on the arm as it covers the body in a Venus pose, displaying a sense of modesty to be viewed in such a risqué manner. The folds around her waist help to define her breasts attaching to her torso and the lines underneath to reveal her ribcage showing through her skin. The dimples in he knees create layers of skin and fat layering on top of one another with her posture and gravity. Rubens displays all of her faults and even her emotional insecurity of her hiding those faults she is embarrassed to show. Despite those faults, she is considered beautiful in his eyes and as a Rubenesque figure.
Women today are taught to shame themselves if they do not match the ideal criteria of the female body. If they are even slightly overweight or present some folds of fat, they would be discriminated or shamed into believing that they are ugly or unattractive. They create this mindset of what they need to expect out of themselves and present ways in what is necessary to achieve such high, unrealistic expectations. The seventeenth century admired and honored the heavier set woman as a symbol of beauty and voluptuousness. Rubens painted a variety of Venus who represents Love and Beauty with the Rubenesque body of the women of his day and time. They were considered natural, healthy, and a sign of good wealth and fortune. Nowadays, women are viewed solely on appearance alone and what men want of the female form, creating this expectation that seems unrealistic and beyond reach.
Children are influenced by the toys that are given to them and usually given to them to help them prepare for adult roles. With a role presenting how a person should look, this can shape how young women perceive themselves and who they hope to become in their future. Cindy Jackson was so influenced by Barbie's image, she spent 20 surgeries and $55,000 to make herself look more and more like Barbie.
Helena creates a realistic appearance of how the female form would be positioned in a pose as the breasts rest on the arm as it covers the body in a Venus pose, displaying a sense of modesty to be viewed in such a risqué manner. The folds around her waist help to define her breasts attaching to her torso and the lines underneath to reveal her ribcage showing through her skin. The dimples in he knees create layers of skin and fat layering on top of one another with her posture and gravity. Rubens displays all of her faults and even her emotional insecurity of her hiding those faults she is embarrassed to show. Despite those faults, she is considered beautiful in his eyes and as a Rubenesque figure.
Women today are taught to shame themselves if they do not match the ideal criteria of the female body. If they are even slightly overweight or present some folds of fat, they would be discriminated or shamed into believing that they are ugly or unattractive. They create this mindset of what they need to expect out of themselves and present ways in what is necessary to achieve such high, unrealistic expectations. The seventeenth century admired and honored the heavier set woman as a symbol of beauty and voluptuousness. Rubens painted a variety of Venus who represents Love and Beauty with the Rubenesque body of the women of his day and time. They were considered natural, healthy, and a sign of good wealth and fortune. Nowadays, women are viewed solely on appearance alone and what men want of the female form, creating this expectation that seems unrealistic and beyond reach.