Women’s Ideal Body Types Throughout History

A diverse cast of models shows how the standard of beauty for women has changed dramatically over time.

Ancient Egypt (c. 1292 - 1069 B.C.)

Art from this era of ancient Egypt tells us that long, braided hair was an important aspect of female beauty. Braids framed a symmetrical face, and women wore thick black kohl around their eyes. Women are shown as slender, with high waists and slim shoulders.

Ancient Greece (c. 500 - 300 B.C.)

Called "deformed male bodies" by Aristotle, women in Ancient Greece were plump with full figures.

Han Dynasty (c. 206 B.C. - 220 A.D.)

Women were expected to have pale skin, long black hair, red lips, white teeth, and a graceful walk with small feet. Small feet were an aspect of Chinese beauty that would continue for hundreds of years.

  Italian Renaissance (c. 1400 - 1700)   

In the Renaissance, Italian, an extremely Catholic society, woman were expected to embody virtue. Their bodies were full figured  rounded hips, pale skin, high foreheads and light hair.

Victorian England (c. 1837 - 1901)

The female body in Victorian England was looked upon as motherly. Women cinched their waists in corsets to create an hourglass figure, and their hair was worn long to symbolize femininity.

Roaring Twenties (c. 1920s)

Women of the Roaring Twenties were the first working women. Their bodies were more androgynous.Beauty in the 1920s was a curveless, boyish body.

Golden Age Of Hollywood (c. 1930s - 1950s) 

In the Golden Age Of Hollywood, Hays Code limited what could not be said in film. This created the timid woman depicted by Marilyn Monroe, and women emulated her with curvy bodies and slim waists.

Swinging Sixties (c. 1960s)

The Swinging Sixties gave rise to Women's Lib and woman emulated the Swinging London styles of  skirts and A-shaped dresses. Their bodies lost their curves from the previous decade, becoming super thin, ushered in by model Twiggy.  

 Supermodel Era (c. 1980s)

Supermodels like Cindy Crawford typified the ideal body of the era: tall, slim, athletic, but still buxom. 

Postmodern Beauty (c. 2000s - Today)

Women in the 2000s have been bombarded with so many different requirements of attractiveness. Women should be skinny, but healthy.

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