The Venus of Willendorf is one of the earliest sculptures of the body made by humans during the Paleolithic era. She was made from limestone native to her location and covered with red orche. Despite standing only 4.4 inches, the purpose of the Venus of Willendorf is widely debated. Some will say the exaggerated breasts, navel, and vulva connects her to fertility as a representation of a mother goddess. Others, such as those in my class, believe her to be a figure of body image. The stumpy female figure features hanging breasts, an obese middle and belly, and distinct buttocks in all, represents a realistic form of a severely overweight woman. Due to the hash ice-age environment of where she’s from leads one to believe fatness and fertility would have been highly desirable. Whether the sculpture was based on a fantasy or a real life model the infatuations with the idea of self-acceptance through body …show more content…
imagine can be unhealthy. In class we examined figure 1 and claimed that today’s concept of a beautiful women was depicted in the picture as the Barbie lookalike. In addition to, we thought that Barbie was clinging to the Venus of Willedorf as a way of expressing the need to revert back to older ideas of body image for women. It can even be said the incomplete presentation of Barbie is lacking in their picture with her hair being nappy and skin being dirty. Although the theory of self-acceptance seems like righteous act, if not practiced properly can be harmful. If one takes the Venus of Willendorf’s image literally then they’re really advocating obesity. Obesity in women can negatively affect her health in many ways. Another hypothesis about the Venus of Willendorf’s mass is the desire of those of the hunter gathers.
She was meant for women to aspire for, but there was no chance they could ever become her size due to their style of living. Little did the admirers of the sculpture were encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle. Focusing on today’s body shaming and how there are so many promoting skinny is better I believe we also need to bring into the limelight the problems of obesity. The Venus of Willendorf is an icon of obesity; fat hangs over her waist and knees. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), approximately 62% of American women greater than 20 years of age are overweight. Obesity carries tremendous adverse medical consequences for women. Leila Azarbad and Linda Gonder-Frederick in Obesity in Women says obesity in women “is associated with increased risk of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, systemic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, polycystic ovarian syndrome, stroke, and
mortality.” Even though some declare the Venus of Willendorf is a symbol of fertility it can be seen that’s not the case. Obesity can causes pregnancy complications because of heightened risks before and during delivery. Obesity and Women's Health: An Evidence-Based Review concluded “obesity during pregnancy is related to higher overall health care expenditures, measured by length of stay after delivery and use of other services.” Obesity even affects milk production making breastfeeding undesirable and thus leads to a much higher rate in lack of attempting to breastfeed. Early humans viewed the Venus of Willendorf as the perfect female form much like we do today with Barbie’s. The current obsession with size 0 models and other skinny women proposes just as many health concerns as the ideal perfect form back in the day. As much as it is important to fully accept yourself, it’s just as essential to ensure one’s living a healthy lifestyle. So yes one should love themselves and their curves, but only to an extent.
“The beginning of female art found in this Aphrodite depict her as a slightly overweight, broad-shouldered, wide-hipped figure with rougher textures and harsher lines” (Berz). The Greeks found this so appealing because it looked very similar to themselves in form but because Aphrodite is na...
Given the accuracy of the representation of the anatomy depicted in the Venus of Willendorf, that is the way the breasts hang and the way the “fat” sags at the knees, it is very possible the image was actually made after a real person (Witcombe, sec. 4) lending credence to the belief the figurine was carved to symbolize a woman of importance. If made after a real person, that female must have had considerable significance within her community to have grown so corpulent which supports the idea of matriarchal society (Witcombe, sec. 4). Witcombe further speculates that these statuettes may have served as a representation of the Mother Goddess, also referred to as Earth Mother and that the deity may have been represented in the form of a leader or matriarch.
In the article, “Too ‘Close to the Bone’: The Historical Context for Women’s Obsession with Slenderness,” Roberta Seid goes in depth on the emotionally straining and life altering trials women take on to try to portray society’s “ideal” body over time. She delves far into the past, exposing our culture’s ideal body image and the changes it has gone through over time. The article brings to light the struggles of striving to be the perfect woman with the model body. On the other hand, in the article “Rethinking Weight”, author Amanda Spake, details the many differing views of obesity. Spake voices her opinion on the idea that being overweight, and not losing weight, is caused by laziness. “Too Close to the Bone” and “Rethinking Weight” both deliberate about weight issues that are
It offers and understanding that women were held at a different standard then than they are now. This figurine shows that women had a larger mid-section but was because they either needed the body fat for long, cold winters or the better idea was because it showed they were fertile and they were able to produce babies and keep the legacy going on. It also provides a better image of what the men and women had to go through in order to survive, like the long hard winters, the needing to hunt for food and could mean sometimes not having food. Venus of Willendorf was not considered an obese women, “where features of fatness and fertility would have been highly desirable”, (PBS, 2006). I can use this article because it explains the whole point about a women’s image. Women were not looked at how skinny and “good looking” they were in a pair of jeans. Women, in this time, were looked at as if they can be fertile or not. Being able to have children was a huge thing in this time since it was one of the point of living, to have a
Peter Taylor’s short story Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time tells the tale of an odd brother-sister duo, Alfred and Louisa Dorset, who reside in the small, presumably southern, town of Mero. From the very beginning, readers are led to believe that the Dorsets are more than just brother and sister – they are lovers. Several occurrences throughout the story hint at a depraved relationship, however the story offers no firm confirmation of an incestuous relationship actually occurring. Despite their peculiarities, Mr. and Miss Dorset seem to have a great deal of influence on the social traditions of the town, the most important one being the annual party they host for the young children in the community. These parties are exclusive events that
At times I was dangerously thin, and my arms have always been longer than they should be for someone of my height. Nonetheless, my body has never gone under scrutiny and in fact, was common and celebrated among male basketball players. This is one of the many benefits of my male privilege. Female athletes, on the other hand, are subjected to a contradictory ideal that they should maintain a strong athletic body for the sport they play, yet also remain thin and appeal to the sexual ideal men hold them to. Nita Mary McKinley states in, Weighty Issues: Constructing Fatness and Thinness as Social Problems, “The construction of ideal weight parallels the construction of the traditional ideal woman and ideal weight becomes gendered” (99). This is unfair to the female athlete as it creates a conflict between physically exceling in their sport and being sexually discriminated against by men. As a male, there is practically no sexual consequences I suffer from that pertain to the body type I maintain. One of the most publicly scrutinized athletes for her body shape is tennis legend Serena Williams. Male sports writers in their attempts to objectify Williams, have shared their thoughts on how she is too strong and too muscular to sexually appeal to men. Serena has since reclaimed her sexuality by posing in ESPN Magazine’s body issue, along with appearing in Beyonce’s “Formation” music video. American celebrity culture, European fashion culture, and international advertising are all responsible for the development of thin female body types being the most sexually desired among males in America. It is important to apply locational context and recognize that other female body types are celebrated throughout other cultures. For instance Fatema Mernissi confesses, in Size 6: The Western Women’s Harem, “In the Moroccan streets, Men’s flattering comments regarding my particularly generous hips have for decades led me to
Nowadays, a standard stage of growing up is feeling the stress of one’s body image due to the growing pressure from society and media. In 2012 there was a survey that said “A full 50 percent of children from 8 to 10 years old report being ‘unhappy’ with their bodies” (ProQuest Staff). This is because when girls are growing up they see models/ actresses on TV and magazines that are thin and look beautiful and they think that’s what they are supposed to look like; unfortunately this is unrealistic. In 2006 there was a fashion model named Luise Ramos who died of a heart attack moments after she steps off the runway during fashion week in Montevideo (ProQuest Staff). News accounts later report that Ramos, 22, had been eating only lettuce and diet
Within the past ten years, the rise of eating disorders has gotten more public attention. This spark increased scientific research geared toward explaining and responding to this disaster. It is now widely recognized that body image dissatisfaction, broadly defined as strong negative feelings about the body, are persistent among women, especially concerning weight and dieting. Merely being a women in our society means feeling too fat (Wolszon 542). Survey data indicate that three fourths of normal weight women in the United States feel fat, more than half of adult women in the United States are on a diet, and on study showed that nearly 80% of fourth grade girls are watching their weight (Shelly Levitt 64).
Models of Rubens, Rembrandt, Gaugin and Matisse were all rounded, plump women.A plump and healthy women was admired as it reflected wealth and success.(14). Where as images of women have become slimmer since the 1950’s according to Jennifer A. (Australian journal of nutrition and dietetics).
Botticelli depicts Venus standing a relaxing pose with long golden wavy hair that falls to her knees skin blemish free and pale as the seafoam she’s born from with one hand (right) gently placed over her right breast she uses the other (left) grasping for
Body image is among of the top reasons for developing psychological conditions in the country based upon the bias of what is shown through the screen. Since the nineteen-nineties an alarming trend has come to pass as a result in the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States, to oppose this the exact opposite became popular to become skeletal in appearance with bones showing naturally through the skin. Becoming an accepted notion to starve in order to attain this new angelic appearance, rising above the notion of overly plentiful food by not eating until the body became undernourished. Even the naturally thin models were not skinny enough trying to appeal to this new craze. The resulting effects became depression in this pursuit of perfection, with competition becoming higher among women with finding mates, with this idealized persona becoming the image to men of what women should
Venus and Adonis is a famous and twisted love story between a goddess, and the most handsome mortal on earth. It is part of the Greek mythological culture that is not only known for being the basis of the existence of most people in ancient history, but it has still continued to be a phenomenon for those who enjoy the myth’s and stories of these ancient characters. Although this religion and belief system has almost faded to nothing, there are still many people who study its stories and artwork to completely understand what the artist was trying to portray through these characters and their artwork. Artists throughout history have used these mythological beings or characters as a way to tell a story, convey a message of their current society, and carry on the beautiful religion that once was. One of the artworks that has been continuously assessed, is the heart-wrenching painting by Titian “Venus and Adonis” based off of the mythological story of Venus and Adonis in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. This painting was created during the Renaissance Era which is one of the most influential time periods in history as it contributed to the advancement in intellectual thought in not only science and politics, but in art as well. “Venus and Adonis”’ existence on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s walls is of importance because of the beautiful talent and composition of Titian work conveying “an allegory of the perils of life guided by fate rather than reason” (Gentili 1980), and also because of the heavy influence of its time. Titian’s “Venus and Adonis” was a fantastic window to the art and views of the Renaissance era. It shows the growing interest in Greek Mythology but also a growing interest in the education of art using proportions and linear ...
Venus, the second planet closest to the Sun and Earth’s closest neighbor, is known for its many wonders and harsh conditions. Venus is possibly the first planet discovered by humans and is said to have been first discovered in 17 B.C. by Babylonian astronomers. Venus is the first planet to be explored by spacecraft although many of these attempts have proven unsuccessful. Fortunately, more than twenty of the spacecraft explorations been proven successful, and through those we have gained knowledge about this wonder of the night sky.
...t they look ill to me. The sad past of this matter is that this seems to be the look that sells and that guys find attractive. All of this causes the indirect weight struggle that almost all females face from a very young age through out most of their lives. To see that beauty can come in all sizes make me for once feel comfortable when I look at another women's body. There is more to Venus though then her weight. She also has so much color to her. Her skin is of a healthy and natural glow, which makes her seem more human to me. Color is also displayed in the hair that has been given a wonderful color that is in fact too much for words. Looking at Venus makes me respect the beauty and dignity that women pose. This is the first painting that has ever given me this feeling. As I mentioned before I believe that this is caused by the way that Botticelli paints Venus.
The statue showed the goddess Aphrodite preparing for a purity bath, her recently removed garment in hand, torso and legs bent in the contrapposto position assumed by a multitudes of preceding Greek figures. Perhaps the most iconic feature of the Aphrodite at Cnidus, however, is the placement of her right hand over her pubic area, so as to shield herself from view. This detail became the paradigm for the Venus Pudica pose, the most identifiable continuity between later recreations of the statue. Because of the chosen subject (Aphrodite was the goddess of love and sexual desire) and the nearly immediate renown of the piece (both the sculpture and the temple it was housed in became a popular spot for tourism, and many pieces of writing alluded to it) the Aphrodite at Cnidus was and still is the subject of discussion in regards to its role as a sex object and its intended viewership as