Reply To: Perfect Proportion

[Kaylyn Kelly]

In Ancient Greece, Greek individuals were extremely into the form of the human body. It was the center of attention compared to other eras. The Classical Period was when the statue’s positions began to change, and they took a more relaxed form. This new pose was called Contrapposto. Contrapposto was when the human figure is standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. Like I said prior, this position gives the statue a more dynamic or relaxed appearance. This new pose was not the only new arrival in the Classical Period; it was also when Greek artists began to shape the human body in a newer and more perfect way. Women were shaped elegantly. Their bodies looked like a perfect tiny figure, and they were shaped to show off their natural human curves which artists made sure to emphasize. No amount of fat was shown on women sculptures making their human body the ideal body for women in that era. Men, on the other hand, had very masculine figures. Each statue of a man was vigorous. The muscles were shaped to look extremely large, and they were sculpted to show off every muscle the human body held. Again, not a single inch of fat was portrayed on the statue’s body. The ancient Greeks chose to depict the human body in its natural state, and each body had good proportions. The human body in the Classical Period could be considered the most “perfect’ human body. To me, this could have been the start of humans body shaming and trying to reach the ideal body. In the world we live in today we have images all around us of “ideal’ and “perfect’ bodies. If you do not have a well-sculpted body, you are shamed, and if you do have a “perfect’ body, you are praised. However, because of humans creating a body standard, it has caused much pain throughout eras. The ideal body and ideal body proportions have changed over the years making it harder and harder for people to obtain what society wants. Our contemporary society has gotten to caught up with body shapes and therefore has become too judgmental of humans around us.