Beauty and... |
Beauty and... |
Modifying the Body: Tattoos and Piercings Kasey West: Body modification in the form of tattooing and piercing is traditionally viewed with reserve in contemporary Western societies. Those with tattoos or piercings are seen as rebellious and defiant of social conventions. However, body adornment in other non-Western cultures plays an expressive role in the articulation of cultural and religious values.
Chinese Beauty Through the Changes of Time Kasey West: A fascinating account of the history of beauty standards in China from the 1st century B.C. to the 21st century. Some great photographs too.
Ancestral
Man Is there
any evidence to suggest that our earliest hominid ancestors
might have had an aesthetic sense or were they really just
unfeeling brutes with no appreciation of natural or human
beauty? There is some evidence that aesthetic feelings
and an appreciation for beauty might go back hundreds
of thousands of years.
History
of the Beauty Pageant Beauty
Worlds: Paris of Troy had to choose which of
three beauties was the most comely and the
Trojan War was started. The controversy over
beauty pageants continues to this day. Do beauty
pageants exploit women or do they provide a
useful function enabling women to develop useful
career and personality enhancing skills?
Goddesses
Fly Again: Butterfly Images in Mexican Myth and Textiles
Gary Noel Ross: Butterflies in Mexican mythology linking
beauty, butterflies, the feminine and death. From The
North American Butterfly Association.
Queen
of the Nile: Cleopatra Beauty Worlds: A biography
of Cleopatra. Was she beautiful or not? In any case,
she has left her mark on history. Involved with various
powerful men of the times, was she a manipulative schemer
who used her position and sex to ensnare men or was
she a patriot?
Aztecs:
Ambivalence and Beauty Beauty Worlds: Read about
the Aztecs and their ambivalent attitude towards beauty
and women. The Aztecs had one of the most astonishing
civilizations with marvelous cities, gardens and thriving
commerce. Yet, their religion was built around human
sacrifice.
The
Mayan Beauty Ideal Beauty Worlds: The beauty ideal
of the Mayans. They were one of the great civilizations
of MesoAmerica with strong standards of beauty. One
of the great mysteries of history is what led to the
destruction of the Mayan civilization. Was it natural
catastrophe, over-population, or strife between city
states?
The Olmecs Beauty Worlds: Judging
by the large statues of heads which they carved the Olmecs
were fascinated by big, powerful men. Find out about this
strange and ancient MesoAmerican culture.
MesoAmerican Photos The ancient cultures of Mesoamerica were both highly artistic and very bloodthirsty. Here you can see some of marvelous artistic and architechtural achievements. There are pyramids and temples here to rival those of the ancient Egyptians.
Chinese
Foot-Binding
Jim A. Crites: Over a thousand years a billion Chinese
women endured the torment of foot binding in the name
of beauty. It is hard for people in modern times to understand
how such a painful and debilitating practice flourished
for so long. From Jim
A. Crites
What
was it like to be an Ancient Egyptian woman?
Beauty Worlds: Did she worry about how she
looked, about her weight, about the first appearance of
wrinkles on her skin? Did she diet and compare her figure
with her friends? Was she bothered about bad breath and
stretch marks?
Hair
in Ancient Egypt The
ancient Egyptians dyed their hair and wore wigs made out
of all kinds of materials. They were entranced with different
and 'non-natural' colours well in advance of the pluralistic
ideas which flourish in modern societies today.
Nefertiti Her name means
"the beautiful one is come" and this ancient
Egyptian queen is revered as one of the most beautiful
women of all time. She
was the wife of the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, of the 18th Dynasty of
the period of ancient Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom.
He ruled from 1353-1336 BC. and changed his name to Akhenaten
about 1348 BC.
Ancient
Egypt Ancient Egyptian history is of enduring interest
and has inspired generations of archaeologists. There
is a brief overview of ancient Egyptian history in
order to put ancient Egyptian beauty ideas and practices
into context.
The Cosmetic and Perfume
Practices of the Ancient Egyptians Aimee
Bove: Find out about how ancient Egyptians used cosmetics
and perfume and what ingredients they used.
Ancient Egyptian Photos Enjoy
fabulous shots of ancient Egyptian monuments and other
works of art.
Cosmetics,
Styles, and Beauty Concepts in Iran An interesting
overview of cosmetics and beauty in ancient Persia history
with fascinating photographs.
An
Analysis of Women’s Dress as Related to Ideals
of Beauty and Social Status
Sarah
Andrews: Women's dress and beauty in Ancient Greece, Renaissance,
19th Cent. and modern times. How does dress relate to
culture and to the place of women within that culture?
Roman
Makeover Sally
Pointer: Want to look like an ancient Roman? What were
the ingredients of their cosmetics? How would you like
to look like a wealthy Roman lady? Find out how
to have a Roman makeover.
Beauty
and Desire in Edo Japan Peter Symonds: The "Floating
World" of the Ukiyo-e. Samurai, geishas, warlords
and elegant art.
The Inuit The ancient peoples of the arctic have adapted well to their harsh but beautiful land.
Inuit Art The Inuit of the 'Dorset culture' carved in the materials available to them, antler, bone, ivory, wood, and stone. With their stone carving implements they made delicate and exquisite carvings of animals, particularly bears and seals, and human beings. While some of the representations of animals are naturalistic they also carved forms which were combinations of humans and bears and humans and seals.
You can see a good selection of books on Ancient Egypt here.
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