In my art history class we are studying and observing prehistoric art. Last class we looked at prehistoric sculptures called Venus Figurines. Venus Figurines are sculptures created thousands and thousands of years ago to represent the “ideal woman” and “ideal female body type.” If you compare these figurines to today’s ideal body image, Barbie, you see quite a difference.
Today, people look to the image of Barbie as the perfect female figure. However, as you see below, the ideal female body in the prehistoric times was very different than Barbie.
Venus Figurines were sculptures of women with very large and emphasized hips, chest, and butt. These emphasized body parts represented fertility. These Venus Figurines represent the Stone Age’s idea of what they thought a woman should look like in that time. Their larger body parts were all important for reproduction. Fertility was a woman’s main purpose in life in the prehistoric times.
Take a look at the photos so you can see the difference in today’s “ideal” female body type. It’s interesting!
elainemariew 