
Did
you know that the dreaded cellulite was once upon a time a sign of
beauty and good health? That it's the invention of the French? And that
men were attracted by the sight of them and got turned on?Apparently
during centuries, it was regarded as added value to a woman because it
showed her capacity to accumulate reserves, something indispensable in a
good mother, and attractive as a wife.
They had certainly been amply painted on canvas by the world's greatest artists as beauties of the era. Check out the works of Botticelli, Rubens, Rembrandt, Goya ... The cellulite curves not just seen as beautiful, but erotic. On the other hand, extreme slimness was regarded as bad and fragile health.
In more recent times, the cellulite was first regarded as problem in 'Votre Beaute' in February of 1933, in an article by Doctor Debec about exercise to achieve beauty. He defined the cellulite as accumulation of water, residues, toxins and grease, all very difficult to shift and bad for health. That article connected at the time with the extreme right wing ideology that scorned cosmopolitan life style and exalt or glorify virtues of country living. For those hygienists and worshipers of a 'cultivated' body, cellulite was another symptom of decadence of the rich and middle class in the promiscuous ambience of the cities.
That discourse or reasoning stuck, mostly because it goes down well with the industry of cosmetics and paramedics. From plastic surgeons to masseurs, all seeing themselves getting rich on the fear and anguish of women worrying about their body shape not fitting the dictated standards. The woman's magazines easily convinced them that their natural curves and shape were above all else their biggest problem in life.
Sometimes these magazines seem to have just one article in them, which they repeat and repeat every season. In spring they say you must start to prepare your body for the bikini, in summer they say now show how slim you are in a bikini; they urge you to get brown with this cream and that in the sun, then they say you must use that and the other lotion to get rid of the harmful sun effect and damage ...
I am glad I wasn't born a century ago; I would have been seen as the ugliest woman on earth!
- Current Mood:
chipper
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