Searching for Venus, Goddess of Beauty -
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is a beautiful and mesmerising painting. Venus stands in the middle of the painting, perched on a pearl shell, she seems to have walked onto Earth from. She is the symbol of beauty in Roman mythology and reflected in her counterpart, Aphrodite, within Greek mythology.They are both not only the symbol of beauty, but also of love, sex, fertility and desire. And just like that women believe that one cannot exist without the others. And so continues women’s need to become the epitome of femininity through beauty in order to achieve all its encompassing virtues. The need to continue searching for this mythical goddess today.
Venus in painting form, has been revered for her beauty with the belief at the time, that the physical response of seeing beauty, engages the viewer to the concept of the godly and divine. I mean it’s quite understandable that beauty would coincide with the divine . I never feel much closer to beauty and the divine than when I am outside in nature or star gazing into the breathtaking universe. We are very visual beings and use our sense to transport us to varying feelings, thoughts and emotions.But at the time of the painting, Venus was portrayed a certain way as she was the epitome of beauty for Romans. Her body shape, fair skin and long hair. This was based on their idea of beauty. And that’s the thing about beauty. It was and is subjective. There’s is no one ideal beauty that every single person in the world would agree on. ‘ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. Unfortunately society has become one of the most influential beholders and we have been unable to separate ourselves from that.
And that’s the thing about beauty. It was and is subjective.
Within the coupling of man and woman in society, both genders have varying roles and purposes. Men have long been viewed as the power source of the couple. Men are the physically stronger, they have been the breadwinners earning income and therefore vital for the family unit, the owners whether it be property or people, across cultures and across time. And women have been taught to be a reflection of that status. Beautiful women will gain the powerful men. Money for beauty. Status for beauty. During the Italian Renaissance for example, women were more curvaceous. But this was only to serve the purpose of reflecting their husband’s status or power within society. The more curvy the woman, the more powerful the man, as you had more than enough to eat. The skinny were the poor who could not afford to eat. Then times changed and in western society, it became the fashion that those who looked as though they could not afford to eat were regarded as more beautiful and attractive. It was no longer about reflecting about the status of men. But then the fashion changed again and curvaceous body was sought after again.
And now? I mean, standards of beauty for women differ everywhere. External forces propelling standards of unnatural beauty to women in all cultures and nations. Sometimes only attainable through unnatural methods of surgery, pills and injections to achieve a standard which is dynamic through time and cultures. Methods relished by a beauty industry trying to sell you ways to reach an unattainable standard. But at the same time enjoying the money making process on the way to nowhere.
Make up and beauty is an addition to my self empowered status, it is not the foundation of it.
I wear make up and I like wearing make up. I love a red or fuchsia pink lip if I’m feeling extra racy. I like to look nice and buy good quality skin care. I like dressing well and purchasing new clothes. I look after my health and body. I don’t think there’s any fault in loving yourself and wanting to look nice. For yourself . Make up and beauty is an addition to my self empowered status, it is not the foundation of it.
But when this form of self expression and self love becomes a reactionary response to fit with society’s standards or for validation, it becomes a route to what? What is the purpose of this search for beauty and wanting to fit society’s mould of beauty?
When we have a belief that beauty, whatever the standard is at the time, is the highest standard of value and success. The adoration and admiration of others. Then we have become restricted in a two dimensional world and our perception skewed through society. Physical beauty does not guarantee fulfillment. Nor happiness. Nor peace. It’s not as clear cut as that. As corny as it may sound, the growth to achieve these aspects begins from within.
Physical beauty does not guarantee fulfilment
Women are pitted against each other to see who the most beautiful and most attractive is.Trying to change the way we look. And still not believing this is enough. Because the issue was never with your face or your body. It’s the lack of understanding of why you are doing it. I am not against surgery if you fully understand its implications and if you are aware it will not be a magic confidence and self love pill. That’s something that surgery or any other outward appearance changing process cannot achieve.
One of the biggest enforcers of beauty standards in society today is the media. In particular the media of the celebrity. As we, the non celebrities, try to attain the version of perfection we believe they have achieved. But they haven’t. They just have a group of people who work for them with jobs to edit photos, words and speak on their behalf. And not just that. It is their job to look attractive. They spend hours in the gym everyday for films or videos. Their schedule incorporates this. They have the best trainers, the best make up artists and the best products. To try and achieve this perceived higher level of status in society.
But at the same time, I do pity women within the celebrity universe. To have to constantly maintain this level of perceived perfection and beauty. To know that you are not living your life freely and in truth. Having society’s expectations thrust upon you when you cannot be yourself . And feeling that the validation of complete strangers offers you some solace, for all the shit you have to do and put up with. This is a chase to no end.
So it is important to recognise the facade. If not, it leads too many young people to ascertain a belief and self value system filled with mis truths, mis information and self unfulfillment in a surreal reality. Communications in the world through media, politics or any media is tainted with stereotypes of the feminine and the constant bullying and judgement of those who do not fit the mould. Negativity from pockets of society filled with people who themselves have not reached the ideal of beauty but yet so forcefully impose and expect it from others. This message, which then transcends into the rest of society and entrenches itself into our young children today. Everyone needs to have their eyes open and have thatawareness or you will get sucked into this world of fiction, feeling like a failure as you cannot achieve this standard. But also have the self awareness that we all have to be part of the solution as we are part of that very society.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom I suppose. There have been some changes happening in the last decade or so. Women appreciating and loving their bodies regardless of their size. Women appreciating their natural features such as their natural hair or freckles. Women confident in themselves first before enhancing themselves. I remember scrolling through ASOS last year and seeing unedited photos of models with stretch marks. I mean even the skinny ones had stretch marks! You don’t really see that out there in the world of media. And although I have mostly embraced my stretch marks, seeing them out in the open on ‘beautiful’ women did make me feel a bit better about myself. A bit more confident and a bit less harsh on my body. A body who has worked hard for decades. Our bodies are vessels. They will wear and tear as we move around the world and experience things. It’s normal. It is part of life. Your scars, wrinkles and marks all have a story on why and how you got here. It is proof that you are living. Continuing this course in highlighting the truth in our bodies, the true beauty in our faces and the misinformation in the airbrush, will only serve us to love ourselves for who and what we are. We should continue to enjoy beauty in its physical and visual form. To highlight beauty we see without diminishing other forms. As long as we have full awareness when it is a mythical beauty and when it is a true version.
So as we continue searching for Venus, we really are searching for the never ending-headache — inducing-soul crushing-confidence-waining ideal to meet society’s beauty standards today.But WE are society today, so we can choose to change. We can continue to enjoy beauty in its physical and visual form. We can remain puppets in this theatre or cut the strings off and find our own true and natural beauty, within ourselves and others.
So I will continue to look at paintings such as the birth of Venus with eyes open to see the beauty in the drawing. Beauty in the colours. Beauty in the story. Beauty in the art. But i will accept that for what it is. Not what I believe it may mean for me. Not what society implies to me. Venus is a mythical goddess. She is one symbol of perceived beauty. And that is reality.
Originally published at https://riseofivy.co.uk.
