What Were Beauty Standards Like In Ancient Rome?

What is beautiful? Chances are, if you picked a handful of people from different historical time periods and you asked them this question, they would all have different answers. In fact, many cultures throughout history had beauty standards that are far different from what we prefer today, and even the preferences of Western culture have changed drastically over time. So in this video, dear viewers, we embark on a journey to the past in order to look at one such example of beauty standards in the ancient world. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Historiadame, and today we're discussing what beauty was like in ancient Rome. While there are some first-hand accounts that give us a glimpse into what beauty standards of ancient Rome were like, much of what we have learned comes from art. Paintings, mosaics, and statues, especially those depicting gods, are a great resource for learning what the Romans thought of as beautiful. In general, traits such as youth and physical fitness were appreciated in both men and women. Art depicting Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, can be an excellent resource when it comes to preferences around body types for women. From here, we can determine that the Romans' ideal female figure was slim but strong, and definitely not too thin, with small shoulders and toned muscles. Despite our modern culture putting a lot of interest in a woman with a voluptuous chest, most depictions of Roman beauty involve women who are smaller in that department, with a larger chest actually being seen as humorous or a sign of an older woman. Wide hips and pronounced thighs were also very sought-after traits. This likely stems from depictions of the Greek predecessor to Venus, the goddess Aphrodite. Wide hips might have also been associated with fertility, and a woman's ability to bear children, which, with a life expectancy of around 25, was something that people cared about more back then. In order to achieve the ideal figure, Roman women had a number of tricks up their sleeve. To decrease the size of their chest, young girls could wear a strophium, which was pretty much the ancient equivalent of a sports bra. This garment was worn tight around their chest, with the belief that it would inhibit future growth. In contrast, those who were unfashionably slim could wear full, thick clothing to pad out their appearance. When it came to the ideal body for men, the Romans valued physical fitness above all else. The ideal for a man was that of a warrior, being lean for agility, but tall and muscular for strength. And of course, those famous washboard abs that make all the modern gym bros drool. Though the ideal male form in ancient Rome was not solely focused on appearance, but rather function. It was the combination of both appearing and being physically fit that Roman men would strive for. But of course, beauty is not just your body shape. It is also made up of the finer features in life, such as personal grooming and presentation. Cleanliness was a big part of Roman culture, as is evident by the famous Roman bathhouses. Much like today, personal hygiene and maintaining your appearance was important when it came to the perception of beauty. Having healthy hair, nails, and skin was prized among members of both sexes, with moisturizing products and skin oils being common in daily life. The removal of body hair was also a large part of personal hygiene. Both women and men would remove body hair routinely after bathing, though while women would remove just about everything, it was frowned on for a man to be entirely hairless. They would instead have to walk the delicate line between being shaved enough to appear well-kept, but not too shaved so as to be considered effeminate. Regardless, the one area of hair removal that was universal was armpit hair, with some powerful men such as the emperor even having dedicated slaves to assist with this task. The ancient Romans also had access to many cosmetics that could help people achieve their desired look, though this could come with some strings attached. Roman attitudes towards makeup were a double standard. Using small amounts in order to preserve natural beauty was acceptable, however wearing too much makeup was seen as immoral. For those that had incredibly strict views or just hated that women wanted to enjoy things, heavy makeup users were frowned upon, and could even be accused of witchcraft. I just love the picture of men in ancient Rome seeing a woman covering up her acne or something and being like, Witch! Witch! She's a witch! Part of the beauty standards for women included having flawless, pale skin, which showed that you were wealthy enough not to have to work. Roman women could achieve this through face powders, such as chalk or white lead. They could also add to their look with some rouge on their cheeks or line their eyes with kohl in order to appear healthy and youthful. Perfume was also available and was incredibly popular, much to the distaste of some men, who sulked in many historical accounts about their wives wearing it. Seneca the Younger, a philosopher of the time, advised in his writings that women should avoid cosmetics altogether. But despite his whining and the risk of a potential witchcraft charge, a variety of cosmetics were still used. Hair color and styling were also an important aspect of Roman beauty. Men's hairstyles in ancient Rome were often simple and chosen for function over form, with most making choices based on their occupation. Those who were soldiers, for example, preferred short hairstyles that were hygienic and easy to maintain. With the possibility of spending years on the battlefield, an elaborate hairstyle or long beard was just not practical. Not to mention that you would not have access to the products needed to maintain it. For the average Roman citizen, however, a longer beard and hair was more achievable. Hairstyles for women were far more elaborate than their male counterparts. Part of the Roman ideal for beauty was to have thick, light-colored hair, with blonde being particularly sought after. During the Roman Republic, women's hairstyles were more simple, taking after popular styles from ancient Greece, with hair parted straight down the middle and combed into a tight knot behind their head. By the end of the Republican era, women's hair became more complex. Hot instruments began to be used in order to have curls, and a variety of braided hairstyles became prominent in society. Hair could be curled into tight ringlets, arranged into buns or braids, or styled over a frame, kind of like an ancient version of the bumpet from those infomercials in the 2000s. But of course, having such intricate hairstyles meant that you needed to have long and thick hair, so it was not uncommon for upper-class women to use hair extensions or even wigs. But all these hairstyles took time. The wives of influential men could sometimes spend hours of their day just working on hair alone, and would even have dedicated slaves for this purpose, known as tonsors, to curl and style their hair. Since blonde hair was so prized, some individuals went to many lengths in order to change their hair color. Upper-class women would shave the of their blonde slaves, and then use that hair to make wigs. Those of lesser means might attempt to dye their own hair, with methods such as mixing goat milk and ash before letting your hair dry in the sun. Between all the curling, styling, and dyeing, an ancient Roman's hair took quite the beating, and often ended up damaged, though for many this was a small price to pay. It appears that some things at least never change. Women today are still ruining their hair with hot tools and products, caking their faces in makeup, and doing whatever they can to have the body shape that society tells them is in that year. Maybe we should all just do what we want and stop worrying about it all together. But of course, that's probably not going to happen. So would you be considered beautiful in ancient Rome? Let me know down in the comments. If you want to see more content like this, you can also subscribe to my channel and keep up to date on all the fun history videos of the future. But for now, I bid you farewell.