It became a rule or norm that a woman is the one who should look pretty. We, ladies, watch TV shows and see the popular magazines which are full of skinny models with perfect make up and well dressed celebrities. We want to be like them. Why? It gives us the status, comfort and perfection. It may seen unbelievable what a female goes through and what she is able to do to herself to be attractive to a man. The question is “ Is this happening only in the modern world? ” History gives us an answer and shows how ladies were suffering themselves to look beautiful in every century.
Robin Marantz Hening, the Author of “ The Price of Perfection” walks us through epochs and different cultures to show us how the trends were changing over the years. How women were trying to look perfect and what they did to themselves to obtain a perfect beauty. In nowadays very popular are plastic surgeries. Women can fix almost every part of the “ imperfect” body. Face lift, liposuction, breast implants, nose, ears, lips correction has become so popular that these kinds of manipulations are not too expensive and not limited to only rich people.
Back in times ladies had different methods to hurt themselves. A great example is China, where well-born girls were binding their feet to ensure the size of three- or four-inch long. Small feet represented the economic and social attraction. Foot binding starts at the age of five. Girl’s foot was folded in half and wrapped tightly with bandage. After a while the feet were turning blue, sometimes soles and toes dropped off. Every few weeks the feet were squeezed into a smaller size of shoe until it becomes about four inches.
The bones were sufficiently mutilated and the poor girls were in so much pain. Nowadays large breasts are very desirable. Back in 14th century, breast were hidden and tightly bound in corset. Corset was made of two pieces of linen fabric stiffened and held together with paste and by the 19th century modified and made of rubber and strips of whalebone. As an effect of these techniques women had a tingly flat torso but at this same time it became torture which caused the body by shifting their parts and squeezing it so much that ladies weren’t able to breath.
Females were, through the ages, determined to be slim. However, in the modern world, women don’t torture themselves with corsets anymore. Modern ladies find different ways to be skinny. They decide to starve themselves. Starvation is a solution in today’s world. People think that if they eat a leaf of lettuce for lunch and another for dinner it will help them to be skinny and sexy. This is so not true. Undernourishment causes illness’ like anemia, anorexia or bulimia which can cause even death .
Is this what we want for ourselves? Or maybe this is something what our men wants for us? I’m wondering if the male population is content to see their moms, wives, daughters or female friends suffering so much just to look prettier, skinnier or similar to those models in fashion magazines. The beauty is always inside us and I think that this is what counts the most. Our character, behavior, manners are sometimes more important that the outside appearance.
However ladies always pay close attention to their presence and put the models as a [perfect example to imitate. Ladies, wake up! Models in your favorite magazines aren’t always perfect. This is all computer graphics job. Sometimes they look like one of us, so when you pass her on the sidewalk, you will not even recognize her. Some of them are thin naturally, but most of them get the good looking body by hard work. So ladies get your sweatpants and go to gym and your solid workout will be awarded.
