Sυpеrbеаυty Thrоυgh History

The great poets tell us that beauty is eternal.

Feminists, on the other hand, tell us that it changes with every passing fashion, and offer as proof the paintings of Rubens and other classical masters which appear to depict a time when grossly overweight women were considered beautiful.

But what feminists miss is that overweight women were just a passing fashion, just as extremely skinny women are a fashion passing today. Waifs don't and never did reflect our true views of beauty. In fact, we often wonder how so perverted a view of women's bodies could have become popular. The same is true of Rubens fat women. They no more reflected people's true views of beauty then than waifs do today.

I suggest that superbeauty - the kind of beauty possessed by the first supermodels: Brооkе Shіеlds, Pаυlіnа Pоrіzkоvа, Ellе Mаcphеrsоn, etc. - has always been what the vast majority of people find attractive, in any age or culture. It is characterized not only by certain physical features such as long, healthy hair, long legs, and a tall, shapely figure, but also by a certain aloof sexual accessibility.

Take for example the above painting by Bougereau, painted in 1895. The women in his paintings, as well as those of many other great painters of the past, are sometimes surprisingly similar to supermodels. I'm always amazed at how much Stеphаnіе Sеymоur looks like the women in the paintings of J.W. Waterhouse, which were done 100 years ago.

Unfortunately supermodels also seem to have passed us by. They were the fashion only in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

It's too bad fashion isn't as eternal as superbeauty.