Anatole notes that during the Renaissance, perspective and symmetry were “essential” to defining a woman as beautiful (p. 15). In what ways have beauty standards changed over time, and in what ways are they the same?’

BookBrowse Book Club The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar
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Anatole notes that during the Renaissance, perspective and symmetry were “essential” to defining a woman as beautiful (p. 15). In what ways have beauty standards changed over time, and in what ways are they the same?’

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I wonder in what ways beauty standards have changed. Think about model’s photos on magazines and who is considered the “beautiful people”. I think as a society we still honor appearances. We often look at people who are different and they are not considered beautiful or even pretty. What about ageism views that consider wrinkles unattractive where we rush for cosmetic fixes.

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The specific flavor of beauty changes greatly over time. The style of hair, the clothes that are considered fashionable etc.

One thing that never changes is how much these standards are directed disproportionately towards women, and the pressure placed on women to meet them.

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I wonder what he meant by ‘perspective’? Any thoughts?

Beauty standards have certainly changed over the years…still they persist and I can’t imagine any culture abandoning them. The beauty industry relies on us (women in particular) to feel as though we aren’t ’pretty enough’, or fill-in-the-blank enough, unless we use their products. And their advertising put enormous pressure on us (again, mainly women) to conform to current trends.

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It wasn’t until recently that symmetry was considered a true benchmark of beauty. Only in the last 3-5 years, I would say, has uniqueness become more treasured in the beauty industry. I still think we are naturally drawn/attracted and view people with symmetrical facial features as beautiful on instinct, but are able to find beauty in those with asymmetry if we try.