I have never known a woman who was perfectly happy with her body. Society has insisted, since the beginning of the twentieth century, that perfection is thin and fragile. We are inundated with images of boyish, angular women as the ideal of beauty. We have raised several generations of girls with lousy self-esteem and miserable body image, because images and fashions cater to bone-thin figures. Sadly, the full-figured woman has been largely ignored by modern designers and advertisers, depriving society of real women who are comfortable in their own beauty. This was not always the case! Prior to the appearance of the “flapper” in the early 1900′s, the “perfect” woman was curvy and comfortable, with an “ample” bosom and well-shaped legs. In the words of poet Eugene Field:
“Plump of neck and bust and arms; While the raiment that invested Her so jealously suggested Certain more potential charms…”
A look at classic beauty, as shown in great art and described in literature, will reveal that it was the voluptuous and curvy woman that turned heads and made the truly lasting impression, up until modern times. Take, for instance, the famous sculpture of Nike of Samothrace, more commonly called “Winged Victory”. The sculpture featured the perfect female form as envisioned by its creator, circa the 3rd century B.C. The likeness of a curvaceous and well-formed female figure, clad in a filmy, clinging fabric, evokes a reawakening of our own appreciation for a female shape that actually has shape! Even though the sculpture is missing its head, we know when we look at it that we are viewing a perfectly beautiful female form.
Winged Victory
Moving from Greece, 300 B.C. to Victorian England, we still see, nearly 2000 years later, that the epitome of feminine beauty is still the plus-sized woman. The ladies of good families were plump and pretty. Frequently, in literature, we read of the dour housekeeper or cruel governess being thin and sharp featured, while the young ladies of good families are round and soft. Charlotte Bronte wrote:
“Hers was the beauty that strikes the eyes like a rose — orbed, ruddy, and replete…plump, and pink, and flaxen.”
Visions of complicated undergarments and frothy bits of lace and silk worn by 19th century vixens still influence our most romantic ideas of lingerie. We need to bear in mind that these were made for women of shape and style, and are just as sensuous
and alluring on the full-figured form as on any other. We need to celebrate curves – whether in “granny panties” or “thongs”. If we have them, we need to flaunt them and if we don’t, we need to appreciate the beauty of those who do. The woman who is comfortable in her own beauty, whether of generous proportions or not, is by far the most attractive.
