Plain ugly

Baker, Naomi

doi:10.2307/j.ctv6p50z

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…19 Baker argues that the old female body provoked hostility due to this ability to hide its 'hideousness', and the use of cosmetics and hair dye, for instance, was considered particularly deceptive among elderly women. 20 Frequently such fears of old women's deception were turned to humour, and the stereotype of the vain and ugly old woman became a comic figure. Quinten Massys' painting of An Old Woman, also referred to as 'The Ugly Duchess', is perhaps the most famous image of such a comedic denial of ageing.…”

Section: Beauty and Vanitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…32 Baker states that representations of ugliness were used to present creative skill, and this can similarly be argued for depictions of old age. 33 Representing an old face or body in a naturalistic style would have been more challenging than depicting the smooth faces and streamlined bodies of the young, especially since artists had more practice in representing youthful figures.…”

Section: Beauty and Vanitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age, Gender and the Body in the Bronze and Pearwood Statuettes of 1520s’ Germany

Fletcher¹

2020

Gender & History

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Somewhere in southern Germany, between 1520 and 1525, an unknown artist completed at least six near identical statuettes of a naked elderly woman: four in bronze and two in pearwood (Figures 1-3). 1 Each version shows the woman sitting slightly hunched forward, with her arms crossed over her body, both to support her sagging breasts and seemingly as a sign of defence or self-comfort. The figure's stomach is deeply lined and her body is emaciated, with her ribcage clearly visible, and the intricacy of the carving even depicts the veins on her arms, legs and feet. Her head is inclined downwards and to the right, as are her eyes, and her face is set in a wistful or pensive expression. Her loose hair flows down her back, with a curl falling over her left shoulder. On lifting the statues, the viewer can clearly glimpse the woman's pubic hair and genitalia, yet she does not appear ashamed of her nakedness, and despite this sexualisation there is an overriding sense of both sympathy and vulnerability. These statuettes present a mystery to the viewer, extending beyond their unknown creator and place of origin. First, their presentation of an apparently secular naked elderly woman is highly unusual. In the long tradition of the female nude, the genre was typically used to celebrate the grace and beauty of young women, and with its Renaissance revival it was reserved for figures such as Eve or Venus, where their religious or scholarly subject matter was key to their profession of decency. 2 Even more unusually, with her downcast eyes and pensive expression, the statuettes appear to present a sympathetic image of elderly womanhood, thus diverging from contemporary depictions in which old women were shown as 'repulsive' and 'toothless' old hags. 3 Lyndal Roper has argued that 'the cruelty shown to older women is one of the more disturbing aspects of early modern German culture', and the majority of representations appear to reflect such a 'hatred of old women'. 4 The frailty and vulnerability depicted in the statuettes challenges this stereotype, yet the sympathy she evokes is further juxtaposed with her sexualisation, potentially removing the dignity and respect that such a portrayal would otherwise allow. The statuettes contain numerous such contradictions, as the oppositions of youth and old age, beauty and ugliness, as well as potential evil (in the form of witchcraft) and innocence, coexist in their portrayal. Yet, the fact that there were at least six of these objects suggests a certain demand or appreciation for this complex image of elderly womanhood, prompting the question of why such an unusual representation might have been so popular.

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Section: Beauty and Vanitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Beauty and Vanitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Age, Gender and the Body in the Bronze and Pearwood Statuettes of 1520s’ Germany

Fletcher¹

2020

Gender & History

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“…Such authors mocked old women who used cosmetics to hide physical decay, depicting them not only as victims of verbal abuse, but also as loquacious individuals with threatening powers and as sexual aggressors attempting to seduce young men. 44 However, evidence from trial reports and medical tracts contradicted such comments, suggesting that elderly women were not attractive enough to be victims of rape, and that old women (and men) were deemed unsuitable for sexual intercourse because of their infertility and unattractiveness, the physical signifiers of which resulted from humoral imbalances and overlapped to a certain degree. 45 Women were aware of the transience of beauty, observing and recording the ageing process in themselves and female contemporaries with sadness and nostalgia.…”

Section: Later Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Attractiveness and the Female Life-Cycle in Seventeenth-Century England

Reinke-Williams

2018

Cultural and Social History

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This article draws on evidence from diaries and letters to discuss how women of the aristocracy, gentry and middling-sorts in seventeenth-century England conceptualised their own physical attractiveness and that of other women. Moving beyond histories of fashion and aesthetics, which have prioritised male opinions, the article demonstrates that women recognised the importance of maintaining an attractive appearance across the life-cycle. Particular attention was paid to the emergence of good looks during adolescence; the importance of physical appearance alongside other qualities in the marriage market; and the means by which physical changes and their psychological impacts were negotiated in later life.

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Plain ugly

Cited by 2 publications

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Age, Gender and the Body in the Bronze and Pearwood Statuettes of 1520s’ Germany

Age, Gender and the Body in the Bronze and Pearwood Statuettes of 1520s’ Germany

Physical Attractiveness and the Female Life-Cycle in Seventeenth-Century England

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