High Fashion

Although difficult to relate to for the average person, high fashion dictates the trends which will reach us. Outlandish and criticised and mocked for it's impracticality, it has transformed into something unrecognizably boring by the time it appears on the street, the towering appendages meant to illustrate a love for individuality and creativity adapted to become something deliberately mundane and pedestrian. The sole feature retained which it has in common with the original may be a shade of colour or pattern, now repeated a thousandfold until it becomes a uniform for the trendsetters. Full of contradictions its diplomats are those who would often be regarded as grossly unattractive in normal society. Their thinness surpasses the delicate frailty of the naturally small boned generally prized in many cultures, and crossed the line far into the field of the freakish and disturbing. Awkwardly tall and with harsh, often somewhat masculine features, they are far from what would be desired or envied on the street. Yet its extremeity surely is valued within high fashion world, as with the surrealy overdone creations they wear. It is called "making a statement". Perhaps in a world of endless media streaming all but the most striking are submerged in a great flood of exchanges. What does it scream out to us? What does it ultimately communicate, if through the recycling of the ideas through warehouses that turn the look into a staple, and the more normal girls who similarly seem more accesssible to the rest, the masses, of us. Of course it is often criticised by parents and carers of girls, by feminists and even by the same media that promotes it. However the truth might be that for the most of us, it remains beauty because it is symmetry and balance according to the preestablished standards. This manifestation of masculine (designer, photographer, director) control over the female (model) body, and mass receptivity to the whims of a select few, always destined to imitate and follow them while subsidizing their lifestyles is easy on the eyes because it is easy on the mind. It reflects a standard we believe in. Although intellectual enquiry may claim that otherwise is or ought to be, our actions tell a different story as we continue to adhere to patriarchy and commercialism.

 

The 80's

I recently reflected that the eighties teens I remember from when I was a small child are now in their late thirties. How did so much time pass by? They are glowing, their sun-tanned tight thighs in faded ill-fitting cuttoffs, or jeans slashed everywhere around the knees and below the bum. They are natural, careless, edgy, everything about them is made to draw attention, the t-shirts with slogans, the tight tight shiny lycra in bright and fluro colours that the women in their thirties prefer, the punk-inspired hair and the still-new concept of facial and body piercings, and shock is a friendly word. They brim over, they are dressed for sunshine, the couples are physical, walking with their hands in each other’s jean pockets entwined. The ones in my mind are big and bright, from a time when they were very young, and I was very small- now they have a past rather than a future and the course and meaning of their life has pretty much been written, although they still have many years ahead. The eighties Retro fashion now might be the reason why I remember them, but the “revival” barely does it justice, resembling the toned stylish minimalism in the dressing of a dancer on the way to the studio more than anything else. The tights now are cute, but the ones of the eighties were horrendous and tasteless, made of materials that looked vulgar, and worn by crash-dieting bony women past their prime, or the overweight whose silhouettes were outlined dimple by dimple. The sleek headbands made of modern materials, intricate embroidered looks for just a couple of dollars, diamantes and lace artfully arranged, on a thin plastic or stretchy black fabric, don’t really recall the feel of the bulky Alice band plonked on top of a face framed by a clunky fringe or a stressed head of perm. People might have different opinions on this, but I think the ideal of the 80’s was to make an impact and create attention, and that apparently the more unpleasant or extreme the look, the more positive a thing it was considered.

Russian Dress and Fashion

Symmetry, bright colours and solid shapes were used to decorate the bodies of Russians. Composition was very important, with the basic look being symmetrical and balanced. Embroidery and trimming were used, and furs and decorative fabrics with gold and silver. This helped to project a stately, dignified image. A headdress was an important part of a Russian outfit. Bright, bold colours are used, often in impressive contrasting shades, and the Russian word for “beautiful” comes from the word for red, which, “krasny”.

The traditional Russian dress was called a sarafan, and the cap they wore was called a kokoshnik.

Aztec Beauty- born "without a face"

In the Aztec understanding of the world, people would enter the world “without a face”. Only by taking on a role in society and learning from it, could they become beautiful. The face and the heart in mesoAmerica were thought of as indivisible- rostro y corazón.
Records show that Aztecs believed in personal cleanliness and bathed regularly in rivers and lakes, using scented soap, while Montezuma bathed twice daily. Women seem to have generally been discouraged from adorning themselves too ornately, or painting their faces, and they had long hair, with the hairstyles of married women being elaborate and ornate. . On the other hand, concubines painted their faces elaborately, with more of a sculpted, ceremonial look, as opposed to the natural, wholesome look preferred by ordinary women.

Georgian Hairstyles

False hair, created into elaborate curls which defied gravity, were the style in Georgial era in Britain and France. The styling of hair in these elaborate styles took hours, and the styles were expected to last for at least a week. Women went to extraordinary lengths to keep these styles, sleeping sitting up. The natural hair of the women was dressed around horsehair and frames, and finally large volumes of false hair was added, rising as much as half the woman’s own height above her head!

These extraordinary hairstyles were often topped with decorations which were like model scenes of ships or farmyards. Alternatively, lavish Gainsborough hats might top off the hairstyle.The taste for the artificial extended beyond the hairstyle, and Georgian women frequently had false teeth, and dilated their pupils using Belladonna from the Deadly Nightshade plant. They used patches of valvet cut into pretty shapes to cover smallpox scars, and doused their clothes and belongings in toilet waters and perfumes.

Beauty Ideals in Fiji

In Fiji, traditionally the body was seen to reflect the community in which the individual lived, rather than the identity of just the individual themselves. Hence a well-fed body was seen to reflect the wealth of the family or community, and so there was also a sense that the body belonged to or was part of the community. The individual was part of the web of interactions in which he or she existed, and body weight also reflected this. In a nation traditionally affected by famine and food shortage, as in many other parts of the world a robust weight was seen as beautiful.

Traditionally, Fijian women would eat as much as they wanted at a meal, and then lie down afterwards. A lack of appetite and thinness were seen as unhealthy and undesirable.

Modern Popular Beauty Standards

Beauty as typically portrayed in the pop media, womens’ magazines and mens’ magazines, gossip magazines, Hollywood etc.

The emphasis on the superficial is often criticized, although by definition the same could be said of any physical standard of beauty. Should a focus on true beauty be beneath the surface? If so, there is probably no culture which has achieved this idea that it is “what’s inside that counts”.

The current physical ideal can however be described as very sculpted, and, partly because present day women in Western countries have the money and leisure to spend on their looks, the process is more time-consuming and detailed than it was a few generations ago. An increasing number of semi-permanent and permanent transformation procedures are available- for example, plastic surgery, some of the most common being breast implants, liposuction, botox and rhinoplasty, as well as permanent hair removal through electrolysis, various anti-aging and toning procedures on the skin using lazers and other technology, tanning beds and creams, as well as whitening creams, realignment of teeth. There are also other procedures which are partially cosmetic, such as lazer eye surgery. Many of these procedures are about “fixing” perceived flaws which detract from a standard of how a beautiful person is “supposed” to look naturally. In this way, the current procedures are a bit different to some other well-known examples of societies where physical alteration of the women’s body was important, when a particular extraordinary trait was treasured, be it a long neck, tiny feet or a dome-shaped skull. The thinking behind most of these procedures is probably not to stand out in a negative way, rather than to be noticed in a positive way. For example, people are presumably feeling this way when they are taking on orthodontic treatment, teeth whitening, or a nose job on a nose they perceive to be too large or oddly shaped, as well as most efforts relating to reducing body weight. Many beauty products such as makeup also is often used for this function, and ideas of “hiding your flaws” or “imperfections” are influence the cut of clothing that people wear. Fashion is of course also used to “show off your assets”, “be noticed”, and to “express yourself”. All of these ideas do have in common the concept that looks are a part of your identity, and can influence the perception of your identity.

Cleopatra Queen of Egypt

Remembered in history as alluring, powerful and glamorous, Cleopatra, whose beauty enraptured Roman leaders and changed the fates of many, was not very attractive by the standards of the modern ideal. The layers of fat that encircled her wide, short neck were called “Venus rings” by art historians. Her hook nose was also seen as beautiful by women of the time, who preferred a downward-pointing, high, noble-looking nose. Even despite such points of contemporary beauty, however, Cleopatra was still fairly average in appearance for the time- being around 5ft, the average of the time, it was her seductive ambition that was her key trait and the one that she is best remembered for. Her immortalisation as a beauty was actually due largely to her other qualities- intelligent, powerful, and hungry for more power, ruthless and determined. Still, as a woman, is she immortalized as an extraordinary beauty because this is the highest form of praise possible? It is ironic that it was other qualities that allowed her to play her part in history, that her choice to focus on these manipulations allowed her to be viewed as beautiful- and also that the personal qualities she possessed are those that have been dismissed as “unattractive” in women in most cultures.


It is her story that remains alluring and we try to imagine the enthralling and mysterious woman who played her part in it. Willed as joint ruler of Egypt with her 12-year old brother Ptolemy XIII who she married at age 17 after the death of their father, she was quickly deposed because of her wilful ways, and her young brother left as a puppet king. She schemed a way to regain her empire, having herself wrapped in a blanket to be delivered as a present to Julius Caesar. When he unwrapped it, the 54-year old general found 22 year old Cleopatra inside, and the two became lovers. And after Caesar’s army defeated the Egyptian army, they remained lovers, but Cleopatra married another brother, Ptolemy XIV. Caesar and Cleopatra also married, and Cleopatra went to Rome with Caesar, with their hopes being that they could unite the two countries. After Caesar was murdered, Cleopatra returned to Egypt with their son, and continued to rule with her brother.

Geisha

The Japanese female beauty ideal exemplified by the traditional Geisha look can be seen in many modern adaptations today. The ideal relates to both a physical look and qualities of personality. The look which is strived for is that of clear small features, smooth and even light skin and dark shiny healthy hair. In the geisha, this is seen in an extremely exaggerated sense, with a thick layer of white makeup leading to an unnatural painted look with striking red lips and dark eyes among the white oval face. The hair is set in elaborate designs above the head, and the outfits are expensive and delicate. The focus on style, exclusivity and detail in Japanese fashion is still evident, with women valuing visible expense in their looks and with brand names holding great cache. The idealized physical features are still that of light skin and long healthy hair, and small features in an oval face.
Smoothness and evenness of skin is emphasized in Japanese beauty and traditional formulas such as nightingale droppings for shiny skin, as well as mud, seaweed and rice bran were used. In the present day, beauticians and day spas are skill popular and a wide array of beauty care products are sold, with natural and traditional ingredients being valued. As well as being physically immaculate the geisha is also supposed to be an entertainer, whose talents range from the musical to various games, and to be a great conversationalist. To this day the coquettish submissive entertainer woman is a recognizable social role, and a similar industry of beautiful young women whose conversation is the only entertainment sold is visible in the hostessing industry.

The Wodabee Male Beauty

The Wodaabe, which means “the people of the Taboo”, live in parts of Central Africa. Beauty is very important to them, particularly a focus on male beauty with male beauty contests being held where men try to impress various young women. The gender relations within the tribal group are interesting, with polygamy being practiced including the permission for married women to then live with or marry another man. Women who are unmarried are free to sleep with any men they want with no social restrictions or penalties on their promiscuity.

The taboos relate to various relationships within the tribe with strict rules and customs to be followed in many situations. Strikingly, the parents may not speak directly with their two eldest children, and these two are usually brought up by the grandparents instead. They are nomadic with tribes consisting generally of a few brothers, their wives and their children. The women carry status symbols called calabashes, which are passed down through the generations.

The male Wodaabe beauty is tall, with bright white eyes and teeth. In festivals, the men wear elaborate ornaments, and feathers and makeup of paint. They perform, singing and dancing to attract women at the age of marriage.

As the festival closes, a week of contests called gerewol begins. The main purpose of this is to attract women for marriage, and young women judge the men’s skills and beauty during these contests.

The focus on male beauty in the Wodaabe tribes might reveal some of the connections between emphases on beauty and the role and position that people hold in society.

Below: A Wodabee woman judges a contest between men at a gerewol

Byzantine Embroidery

Byzantine Embroidery

Embroidery was a way for Byzantines among many other cultures, to decorate their clothing. The painstaking care taken in the fine and even stitches necessary to create an accomplished work of embroidery as well as the combination of creativity in coming up with beautiful designs as well as the transmission of culture in producing familiar patterns make this a fascinating window into the perceptions of beauty in ancient people.

Geometric patterns were popular in Byzantine, as well as nature, animals, as well as mythical creatures. The type of cloth and thread used may reflect the wealth of the wearer, with silk being a familiar indicator of high class. Even gold thread was sometimes used in garments.

Lip Piercing- Tembeta

Lip Piercing- Tembeta

In the culture of some groups in modern day Chile, lip-piercing was a symbol of adulthood. Young men would have their lip pierced in a ceremony after which they would have attained manhood. From this point on they were able to fill adult roles and to marry.

Aside from indicating their role in society, the tembeta was also believed to protect the wearer. It was often made of a stone of beautiful colours and was a curved shape.

Alcoholic beverages made of maize were frequently used to numb the pain of the piercing.

Tlingit and Haida Crest Tattoos

The Tlingit and Haida of Alaska used body modification procedures including Tatooing and piercing in order to proclaim their status and clan affiliation. The ceremony of piercing the ears of noble children was an important occasion which called for the participation of the whole clan and a festival of drinking and exchange. These ceremonies were called potlatches, although outlawed in the first half of the 20th century due to cultural misunderstanding of the ceremonies, leading to their decline. At these potlatches, after days of feasting the noble children would be pierced and tattooed by noble women or shamans. The Haida and Tlingit did this in order to display their position in society on differentiate them from other groups. The clan symbol also defined their relationship with other clans and showed their connection to the animal displayed.

The boys would be tattooed on the chest and the girls on the hands. Generally, the crest animal or some part of it would be tattooed onto the body.

The crest is immortal, and in ceremonies it would be the crest symbol that shamans would speak to rather than the person who was wearing the crest.

The below photo is of the Haida chief on the right where his grizzly bear tattoo on his shoulder in 1881

The Traditional Chinese Beauty

The Chinese word for beauty is seen in records as early as 11-16 BC and means “pleasant to the sight”. Internal virtue was also linked to the concept of beauty, with many traditional stories suggesting that external beauty is a reflection of moral virtue.
Although the standard has changed many times over the thousands of years of Chinese dynasties, the shifting physical ideals reflected in statues and paintings, the facial proportions have stayed more constant. The body types often reflected the kind of lives that wealthy women were expected to lead, with very delicate, sickly women romanticized during the Ming dynasty while full-bodied builds were preferred during the T’ang when women were expected to be more physically active during the , while slender, vital styles were preferred during the Han dynasty.


The beauty as portrayed in numerous court paintings and sculptures had an oval face and plump cheeks. Having dimples, jiowu (pit of wines), were seen as attractive. The shape of the eyebrows was seen to reflect the character of the woman, and was important because inner qualities were seen as a component of feminine beauty. However the idealised shape of the eyebrows also changed over the ages as different characteristics were preferred. For example, during the Qin, bushy long eyebrows were idealized while in the T’ang dynasty the eyebrows were trimmed into a half-moon shape.
The proportions of the beauty were important in painting, with the “five eyes” ratio being that the distance between the two eyes as well as between the outer eye and opening of the ear each being one eye. The vertical proportions were to be divided into three with the distance between the hairline to eyebrow, eyebrow to bottom of nose, and bottom of nose to chin each being equal.
The eyes were consistently drawn as long and upwardly curved with black eyes in beauties as portrayed in paintings. The lips were also a consistent ideal and were small, round and red and were upwardly curved.

Ancient Greek, Horaios, Beauty as being age-appropriate

In Koine Greek (popular form in 300BC-300AD), the word beauty, horaios, was connected to the word hora meaning time. The idea was that what was beautiful was appropriate for one’s own age, or being of one’s hour. The concept included the idea of a ripe old age, as well as the idea of youth. Somebody attempting to look older or younger than one age was considered unattractive.

The guitar-shaped body

Brazilian forms of beauty that spring immediately to mind are the painted and feathered extravaganzas Carnivale, and the salon-waxed, well-proportioned beach bums in bikinis. An exceedingly body-image concerned society with high rates of plastic surgery and use of other treatments, a look at what is requested is one way to reveal the beauty ideal there. Breast reduction is a popular surgery there as the emphasis is on the bottom half in Brazil, generally the reverse of Western societies. Known as “um corpo de violão,” literally the “guitar-shaped body”, the point of attraction was “the sweet swing” of her hips. In the past, this was even more so, and as in Western countries a look at the fifties shows a generally heavier, all over, body type thinning out over the decades. The heavier ideal, “fartura,” representing abundance, is still important in poorer and more tradional regions, however the Western ideal is penetrating the society deeper and deeper due to media, the fashion and modeling industry, movies, even children’s toys.

The Persian Lady

One of the more unique features of the Persian Ideal beauty is the joint brow, as can be determined by art from the era. Seen in ornate robes and luscious surroundings, emphasizing the wealth and abundance of the nobles and notables depicted, it might be possible to interpret from this also a symbolic expression of feminine fertility. Very often flowers are drawn around the damsel, at her feet or in the background. However in her actual physical characteristics, her femininity is very downplayed- de-emphasised, or it could almost be said de-feminised. Again this must be artistic license rather than the actual appearance of most of the girls, and in this gap can be seen the reach for the ideal by the commissioned artist. Focus is not drawn to her breasts and hips and they are often not shown in the pictures at all. Her torso is long, straight and flat like that of a thin young man.

The facial features probably reveal an Asian influence as the shape of the eyes and the large fleshy cheeks are very similar in style. Again this is an idealization, with the eyes often turned up and the nose straight and downturned. Often she has a beauty mark, and her headdresses, veils and hairstyles are very varied, probably reflecting the level of care and creativity that women took when dressing themselves.

There is a world of difference between the ideals of modesty in Persian culture and Western culture. As can be seen below, Persian women were sometimes drawn wearing a cape fastened only at the neck (and naked beneath) thus making the breasts vulnerable to exposure. The veil on the other hand seemed to have connotations of modesty or purity attached to it even in these pre-Muslim times.




(painting from Freer Sackler Gallery)

Bishonen

Bishonen (美少年) means beautiful young man, and is a Japanese ideal of feminine features in a man. The ideal is an ancient one with homoerotic overtones and roots in Chinese and Indian culture, and is prominent in pop culture today with a strong following amongst young girls. The bishonen today has soft, delicate feminine features, a long hair style, which is upkept in a stylish layered cut, tight-fitting fashionable clothing and has no facial hair. He has manicured brows and a slim bone structure, and may also have feminine accessories such as a handbag, hairclip, or a lot of jewellery.
The images below show bisexual J-pop singer GACKT and Jin Akanishi who is a member of J-pop band KAT-TUN.

Moslem view of beauty through concealment using a veil

One interpretation of beauty in Islamic thought is related to concealment as a concept in viewing life and femininity. The body is interpreted not as part of the true self but as one of many obstacles to viewing the real self. As such it is concealed so that the inner self can be found and can become the woman's only public identity. The natural physical appearence along with all efforts to manipulate it, shape it, or improve upon it are seen to be curtains concealing the inner self. Through this view, the hajib is an attempt to bypass all these other veils by drawing yet another veil over it.

This speech on "the Beauty of Concealment" explains this view in more detail.

Maya

When babies were born, the Maya shaped their heads by tying boards to achieve a forehead that sloped backward. This was done for a few days, and because the bones were soft at this point, their heads were shaped like this for life. People are depicted in this manner in artwork, the exagerrated sloped forehead showing this physical manipulation or an idealised version. In depictions they are also represented with a slighly receding chin, and almond-shaped eyes. A large nose, extending from above the eyes is evident. Slightly crossed eyes were also considered beautiful and an object would be dangled in front of babies in order to try to achieve this look. The Maya would decorate their teeth by filing them to a point, or sometimes even a T-shape, and put jades in the holes. They also extensively practiced body painting. Headdresses were worn on ceremonial occasions. The Maya drawings below illustrate their concept of beauty.



The long heads and flowing hair of the Mayan ideal are thought to be mimicking the corn god, youthful and strong.

Costume is also important, with elaborate regalia worn by nobles.