Ideal Talk

Renaissance art is characterized by a previously-unknown level of realism. Artists like Leonardo daVinci even broke cultural norms to study the anatomy of the human body so as to paint it as correctly as possible. This led to mathematical proportions describing the perfect or ideal body.

Paintings like daVinci's Mona Lisa and Raphael's Madonna and Child make use of artistic advances.

I am amazed by the difference between the body shapes portrayed 500 years ago and those portrayed today on billboards, magazine covers, social media, and a variety of other sources.

One of many examples of the modern ideal.

It could hardly be more different.

Yet one thing is the same - these are ideals.

While I would say the Renaissance ideal is the more realistically achievable of the two today, in the 1500s, a lack of food and a necessity for hard work made it so women shaped like Raphael’s Madonna were likely only to be found among the most wealthy. Today, a staggering number of people - women and men - turn to extreme dieting, excessive exercise, and cosmetic surgery in their attempts to reach the current ideal. Even those who don’t turn to destructive methods can feel the pressure and develop unhappiness with their personal body image.

I don’t have personal experience with extreme dieting or eating disorders, but I do have experience with the emotion and the mindset involved when it comes to body image.

As a teenager, I generally did what I wanted and ate what I wanted and felt good about my body. I was wearing some of the same clothes as a freshman in college that I wore in junior high. I counted myself to be one of those lucky people that didn’t have to worry about my shape.

Then I got older. I served a mission, I got a desk job, and I gained weight. I started growing out of all the clothes I’d worn and loved for years. Then I got married and it got worse. I began realizing how much value I placed on the way my body looked.

Changing such a long-held belief is a process, but I am making progress. I am grateful for influential people who stand up for healthy mindsets about body image (Dove's campaign, for example), for friends and family members who love me as I am, and even for artists from 500 years ago who remind me that ideals change and so can I.

Sources:

https://www.macmh.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/18_Gallivan_Teens-social-media-body-image-presentation-H-Gallivan-Spring-2014.pdf
https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/body-image-and-mental-health/body-image
http://cultureandyouth.org/body-image/statistics-body-image/body-image-stats/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/body-image-report/exec-summary
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/body-image-report
https://now.org/now-foundation/love-your-body/love-your-body-whats-it-all-about/get-the-facts/