Luminous skins has been prized through the centuries as a beautiful trait, from 15th century Venetian painters who used crushed glass in portraits to make subjects' skin glow to 18th century Japanese geishas to 20th century skin bronzers.Lähde
In the age-old quest to retain youthful beauty, reducing wrinkles and fine lines has often overshadowed maintaining even-toned skin. But a glance at art across cultures and centuries shows that luminous, even skin tone is considered ideal. From the palest white powders used by Japanese courtesans to the bronzers applied by women of today looking for even, sun-kissed color without the risk of tanning - changing skin tone to enhance beauty has been an ongoing interest of women for hundreds of years. In recent years, medical science has offered pharmacological tools to help with pigmentation changes due to natural aging, photodamage or skin conditions, and many of these tools and understandings are now being reapplied to the world of cosmetics. Still, the connection between skin tone, skin health and perception of age is only beginning to be illuminated.
Tutkimusmatkailija Richard Francis Burton ei nähtävästi pitänyt mustia naisia kauniina vaikka hänen eteen tuotiin näytille kaunottaria. Voisi olettaa, että jos tilanne olisi toinen ja naispuolisen tutkimusmatkailijan eteen tuotaisiin mustia miehiä olisi kommentit ylistäviä. Nykyään tietenkin länsimaiden vapaat naiset käyttävät paljonkin mahdollisuuksia tutkia vaikka Afrikan nähtävyyksiä myös mustien miesten osalta.
The people, gathering to stare at us, placed directly before the open door all the virginal and matronly beauties of the village. Still we were inexorable. The women of the bushfolk are, like those of some Niger tribes, as tall and stout as the men ; sometimes larger, and, to speak plainly, ugly.Lähde
Katselin löytyisikö tutkimusmatkailija Burtonilta lisää näkemyksiä kauneudesta. Pitäisi vielä yrittää löytää muitakin tutkimusmatkailijoiden kertomuksia Afrikasta, mutta miksei myös esim. Aasiasta, että millaiset ovat olleet kokemukset naisen kauneuden osalta. Onhan se tunnettua, että länsimaalaiset miehet ovat tykänneet aasialaisista naisista, mutta sitä pitäisi tarkemmin tutkia, että mitä mieltä oli esim. Marco Polo. Nämä ovat tietenkin yksittäisten henkilöiden näkemyksiä ja muutenkin monet havainnot ovat jo vanhentuneet, mutta ei kaikilta osin. Alla on poiminta Richard Francis Burton:in Itä-Afrikassa tekemistä havainnoista koskien mm. somaleita. Somalien omillakin keskustelupalstoilla on tätä First Footsteps in East Africa kirjaa kommentoitu ja osa somaleista on sanonut havainnoissa olevan hauskasti totuutta.
In appearance the Gudabirsi are decidedly superior to their limitrophes the Eesa. I have seen handsome faces amongst the men as well as the women. Some approach closely to the Caucasian type: one old man, with olive- coloured skin, bald brow, and white hair curling round his temples, and occiput, exactly resembled an Anglo-Indian veteran. Generally, however, the prognathous mouth betrays an African origin, and chewing tobacco mixed with ashes stains the teeth, blackens the gums, and mottles the lips. The complexion is the Abyssinian cafe au lait, contrasting strongly with the sooty skins of the coast; and the hair, plentifully anointed with rancid butter, hangs from the head in lank corkscrews the colour of a Russian pointer's coat. The figure is rather squat, but broad and well set. The Gudabirsi are as turbulent and unmanageable, though not so bloodthirsty, as the Eesa.Lähde
Yritin etsiä tietoa haaremeista tai etiopialaisten naisten haalimisesta ottomaanien tai muslimien toimesta, niin tuli vastaan sata vuotta vanha tietosanakirja, jossa kerrotaan kuinka Abyssinian eli Etiopian haaremeissa olisi enemmän mustan afrikkalaisen ulkonäön omaavia naisia.
Abyssinia appears to have been originally peopled by the eastern branch of the Hamitic family, which has occupied this region from the remotest times, and still constitutes the great bulk of its inhabitants, though the higher classes are now strongly Semitized. The prevailing colour in the central provinces (Amhara, Gojam) is a deep brown, northwards (Tigré, Lasta) it is a pale olive, and here even fair complexions are seen. Southwards (Shoa, Kobbo, Amuru) a decided chocolate and almost sooty black is the rule. Many of the people are distinctly negroid, with big lips, small nose, broad at the base, and frizzly or curly black hair. The negroid element in the population is due chiefly to the number of negro women who have been imported into the harems of the Abyssinians. The majority, however, may be described as a mixed Hamito-Semitic people, who are in general well formed and handsome, with straight and regular features, lively eyes, hair long and straight or somewhat curled and in colour dark olive, approaching to black. The Galla, who came originally from the south, are not found in many parts of the country, but predominate in the Wollo district, between Shoa and Amhara. It is from the Galla that the Abyssinian army is largely recruited, and, indeed, there are few of the chiefs who have not an admixture of Galla blood in their veins.Lähde
Persian haaremeissa on myös ollut afrikkalaisia, mutta nähtävästi palvelijoina. Arabien orjakaupan takia mustia afrikkalaisia elää nykyisin vähän Lähi-idän ja Etelä-Aasian rannikoilla, kuten Irakissa, Iranissa, Pakistanissa ja Intiassa, että vaikka osa näistä mustista on sekoittuneita, niin ei pitäisi olla vaikeaa tunnistaa näitä ihmisiä. Jos mennään vieläkin enemmän itään alkaa tulla vastaan negriittoja, mutta heitä ei ole kukaan sinne vienyt vaan heillä sattuu olemaan jokseenkin mustille afrikkalaisille tyypillinen ulkonäkö luultavasti ympäristötekijöistä johtuen.
The women most valued as servants are Abyssinians and Somalis. According to Dr. Wills* girls of from twelve to fourteen years of age are worth about 40 in purchase money; while damsels of lighter colour are often worth from So to 100. The very dark negroes are much less valuable.Lähde
Arabien haaremeissa on ainakin ollut etiopialaisia, mutta adygelaisia tyttöjä on pidetty arvokkaampina luultavasti osaltaan vaalean ihonvärin ja enemmän eurooppalaisen ulkonäön takia.
Burton, in his "Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah," relates that while staying in the house of the Shayk Hamid he never saw any women but the slaves. Those girls were shy, and usually covered their faces while they talked to him. Slave girls could be bought for about 60, and the Abyssinians were the most highly valued among the women of colour. The Circassians were worth 100 to 400.Lähde
Alla olevan linkin kautta löytyvässä kirjassa kerrotaan haaremeista ja myös kuinka etiopialaisia naisia pidettiin toiseksi kauneimpina naisina, kun taas georgialaisia ja adygelaisia naisia pidettiin kaikkein kauneimpina. Toisaalta luin kuinka georgialaisilla aatelisilla oli tapana myydä alempaan luokkaan kuuluvia georgialaisia, joista miehet päätyivät usein sotilaiksi ja naiset haaremiin jopa Intiaan. Nähtävästi arabit ja turkkilaiset ovat tykänneet paljonkin näistä kaukasialaisista naisista ja tästä tulee mieleen kuinka muistaakseni Blumenbach taisi määritellä kaukasialaisen suurrodun osaltaan näiden ihmisten kauneuden takia.
Multiple Wives, Multiple Pleasures: Representing the Harem, 1800-1875 - Abyssinian women
The predominant view has been that the perception of who is regarded as beautiful/handsome varies from culture to culture, from historical period to historical period, and from individual to individual. It is, in other words, bound culturally, historically and individually by context. Contemporary ethnographic studies on physical attractiveness, however, show that there is broad agreement among world societies on a number of basic features that make a person beautiful (Buss, Evolutionary 144). What are these features in a woman? Research based on evolutionary theory has suggested that there are some universal preferences, the most common being long hair, large eyes, a small nose and mouth; others are lack of body hair, a slender figure characterized by moderate overall weight, and a certain curvaceousness created by a slim waist. Preferred skin and hair color are those that represent the lighter end of the spectrum within any given population (Buss, Evolutionary 143-145).Lähde
These features have been connected with a number of physiological changes in women’s bodies related to youth, health and fertility, and therefore suggest that they are indicators of those three factors in men’s eyes/minds, who find them attractive because they advertise reproductive potential. For example, facial proportions in women who are judged attractive are those that give a youthful (almost baby-like) appearance, such as big eyes, small nose and mouth, and smooth, white, and hairless skin. Changes in facial morphology caused by aging make the eyebrows descend and sag laterally (making the eyes look smaller), the continued growth of cartilaginous tissues leads to bigger ears and a longer and wider nose, and the loss of connective tissue makes the red zone of the lips thinner (Jones 83-85). Women tend to have lighter skin than men, though it darkens with age, especially after the onset of menopause, due to the physiological link between estrogen and melanin production. In addition, the lightest skin color is associated with the time of ovulation (Jones 98). Hormonal changes also influence body shape. Women after puberty tend to deposit fat on the hips, thighs and buttocks, creating a low ratio of waist to hip (the hourglass shape). Those with a low waist-to-hip ratio tend to start ovulating younger, are more fertile, and become pregnant without difficulty.
The features mentioned above appear to be consistent with the ideal of feminine beauty in Iberian medieval society. Specifically, literary descriptions and cosmetics texts mention many of the same desirable features: hairless skin, light color, high forehead, arched eyebrows, large eyes, small size of nose, ears, and mouth, red lips, blond hair, as well as slender body shape; all are physiological indicators of youth, health, and fertility. The emphasis on these features, therefore, does not appear to be simply a literary convention, or even a social norm typical of medieval Iberian society, but rather the expression of evolutionary mechanisms of mate selection that exist universally in the human species. Yet this does not exclude that preference for some traits, such as a certain color of the eyes or of the hair, may be due to historically-bound cultural and status differences.
Nordenskjoeld, as quoted by Ploss and Bartels, states that the Eskimo regard their own type as more ugly than that produced by crossing with white persons, and, according to Kropf, the Nosa Kaffers admire and seek the fairer half-castes in preference to their own women of pure race (Ploss and Bartels, Das Weib, seventh edition, bd. 1, p. 78). There is a widespread admiration for fairness, it may be added, among dark peoples. Fair men are admired by the Papuans at Torres Straits (Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition, vol. v, p. 327). The common use of powder among the women of dark-skinned peoples bears witness to the existence of the same ideal.Lähde
Stratz, in his books Die Schoenheit des Weiblichen Koerpers and Die Rassenschoenheit des Weibes, argues that the ideal of beauty is fundamentally the same throughout the world, and that the finest persons among the lower races admire and struggle to attain the type which is found commonly and in perfection among the white peoples of Europe. When in Japan he found that among the numerous photographs of Japanese beauties everywhere to be seen, his dragoman, a Japanese of low birth, selected as the most beautiful those which displayed markedly the Japanese type with narrow-slitted eyes and broad nose. When he sought the opinion of a Japanese photographer, who called himself an artist and had some claim to be so considered, the latter selected as most beautiful three Japanese girls who in Europe also would have been considered pretty. In Java, also, when selecting from a large number of Javanese girls a few suitable for photographing, Stratz was surprised to find that a Javanese doctor pointed out as most beautiful those which most closely corresponded to the European type. (Stratz, Die Rassenschoenheit des Weibes, fourth edition, 1903, p. 3; id., Die Koerperformen der Japaner, 1904, p. 78.)
Stratz reproduces (Rassenschoenheit, pp. 36 et seq.) a representation of Kwan-yin, the Chinese goddess of divine love, and quotes some remarks of Borel's concerning the wide deviation of the representations of the goddess, a type of gracious beauty, from the Chinese racial type. Stratz further reproduces the figure of a Buddhistic goddess from Java (now in the Archaeological Museum of Leyden) which represents a type of loveliness corresponding to the most refined and classic European ideal.
Afrikassa ihmiset ovat monennäköisiä, että löytyy hyvin kauniita mustia naisia, joiden kanssa moni ei musta musta mies voisi muodostaa parisuhteen. Kuitenkin voidaan havaita monissa heimoissa naisten olevan rumia, mutta miehille ulkonäkö ei ole samalla tavalla ongelmallinen. En yhtään ihmettelisi, etteikö Suomesta löytyisi satoja ellei tuhansia naisia, jotka olisivat valmiita muodostamaan parisuhteen esim. alla olevan kuvan Bangala heimon miesten kanssa. Tällaista tämä globalisaatio on, että tietyt ihmisryhmät pääsevät käyttämään hyödyksi seksuaalivalinnan ja luonnonvalinnan tekemiä ulkonäöllisiä ja luonteeseen liittyviä ominaisuuksia ja tässä tapauksessa mustilla miehillä on maskuliinisuutta tai alkumiehen voimaa, joka hurmaa monen myös kauniin valkoisen naisen mustien naisten katsoessa surullisina.
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Earlier it was stated that male figures, whether divine or human, were given reddish-brown skin tones. Women were given yellow-gold skin tones. A poem from the Papyrus Chester Beatty I describes a female object of affection with "bright skin," arms more "brilliant than gold," and "white-breasted."Lähde
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While here I visited the establishments of the various slave merchants. These were arranged under large tents formed of matting, and contained many young girls of extreme beauty, ranging from nine to seventeen years of age. These lovely captives, of a rich brown tint, with delicately formed features, and eyes like those of the gazelle, were natives of the Galla, on the borders of Abyssinia, from which country they were brought by the Abyssinian traders to be sold for the Turkish harems. Although beautiful, these girls are useless for hard labor; they quickly fade away, and die unless kindly treated. They are the Venuses of that country, and not only are their faces and figures perfection, but they become extremely attached to those who show them kindness, and they make good and faithful wives. There is something peculiarly captivating in the natural grace and softness of these young beauties, whose hearts quickly respond to those warmer feelings of love that are seldom known among the sterner and coarser tribes. Their forms are peculiarly elegant and graceful; the hands and feet are exquisitely delicate; the nose is generally slightly aquiline, the nostrils large and finely shaped; the hair is black and glossy, reaching to about the middle of the back, but rather coarse in texture. These girls, although natives of Galla, invariably call themselves Abyssinians, and are generally known under that name. They are exceedingly proud and high-spirited, and are remarkably quick at learning. At Khartoum several of the Europeans of high standing have married these charming ladies, who have invariably rewarded their husbands by great affection and devotion. The price of one of these beauties of nature at Gallabat was from twenty-five to forty dollars!Lähde
Slaves from Manyuema command a higher price than those of any other country, because of their fine forms and general docility. The women, the Doctor said repeatedly, are remarkably pretty creatures, and have nothing, except the hair, in common with the negroes of the West Coast. They are of very light colour, have fine noses, well-cut and not over-full lips, while the prognathous jaw is uncommon. These women are eagerly sought after as wives by the half-castes of the East Coast, and even the pure Omani Arabs do not disdain to take them in marriage.Lähde
The men of this tribe Andersson describes as strong and well-built, but the women were as ugly as any he had ever seen in Africa.Lähde
Not only does every unsophisticated man wish to find a pretty mate, but he also wishes to look to advantage in her eyes and those of his rivals. Similarly, every woman wishes to look pleasing toward all men. The most naked savages take immense pains with their fantastic coiffures. Even birds display their beauty to the best advantage, and sing in emulation with one another till their strength fails them. But birds and mammals generally go no further than this : man can take one step in advance, and add to his natural beauty, or conceal his natural defects, by borrowed plumes.Lähde
I noticed in Jamaica that the negroes fenerally considered as pretty negresses the same women as we should ourselves have selected among them; and many persons who have traveled among various savage races, and whom I have had an opportunity of questioning, confirm this general conclusion.
Concepts of beauty have changed throughout the various periods of China’s history, but the following 10 characteristics have continuously been considered signs of beauty:Lähde
Lustrous black hair
Hair loosely coiled on the head to create the appearance of greater height
Finely shaped black eyebrows. During the Tang Dynasty, many women shaved their eyebrows and they drew eyebrows with pigment
Large, bright and expressive eyes
Red lips and white teeth. In addition to beauty, this was considered a sign of good health
Graceful fingers and arms. A pretty woman was expected to have well-shaped hands, with slim, soft fingers, and fair, fleshy arms
Slender waist and fair skin. Throughout history, women have wanted a willowy figure
Tiny feet and a light, elegant gait
Dressing according to complexion, figure and disposition
A fragrant body. It’s said a Concubine Xiang (香妃) of Qing Emperor Qian Long (1711-1799) gave off a natural fragrance.
