I think in the end it often comes down to the need in a society of particular social roles-of which sexual gratification and childbirth are just two. Logically beauty and/or physical 'health' are important with both of these, but of course women have multiple roles in most cultures.
Talking with Suzette we mused over the iconic figure of the Italian family matriarch. Mother figures become elevated out of the 'beauty' category and into the control/wisdom category in some cultures.
I think in tribal societies there can be massive variation. I know of some where gender roles are very different (women choosing the males for instance, so the pressure to be 'attractive' was on the men, not the women). But of course you do get the opposite as well.
We have a particular problem in that our own society has tended to edit out things it is not comfortable not-both in history and in other cultures (and sometimes violently). We are therefore often blind to the existence of difference, or when we do see it we fail to understand its significance and role. Perhaps fertility goddess statues were actually a popular line of novelty 'mother-in-law' parodies that were the hot item in prehistoric times?
We dont have to go all that far to see that images of beauty have changed in our own culture though-look at the role of the hourglass figure in the 1950s, or the Rubenesque figure of the 17th century...the way tans are now popular when at one time women used to paint their faces white.
Ironically beauty often does seem to come down to images of wealth (white skin used to show you didn't have to work and were thus wealthy, a few decades ago a tan showed you could afford to relax on holiday).
no subject
Logically beauty and/or physical 'health' are important with both of these, but of course women have multiple roles in most cultures.
Talking with Suzette we mused over the iconic figure of the Italian family matriarch. Mother figures become elevated out of the 'beauty' category and into the control/wisdom category in some cultures.
I think in tribal societies there can be massive variation. I know of some where gender roles are very different (women choosing the males for instance, so the pressure to be 'attractive' was on the men, not the women). But of course you do get the opposite as well.
We have a particular problem in that our own society has tended to edit out things it is not comfortable not-both in history and in other cultures (and sometimes violently). We are therefore often blind to the existence of difference, or when we do see it we fail to understand its significance and role. Perhaps fertility goddess statues were actually a popular line of novelty 'mother-in-law' parodies that were the hot item in prehistoric times?
We dont have to go all that far to see that images of beauty have changed in our own culture though-look at the role of the hourglass figure in the 1950s, or the Rubenesque figure of the 17th century...the way tans are now popular when at one time women used to paint their faces white.
Ironically beauty often does seem to come down to images of wealth (white skin used to show you didn't have to work and were thus wealthy, a few decades ago a tan showed you could afford to relax on holiday).