Renaissance Women

Although it is disputed if the Renaissance (or Rebirth, namely of Classical ideals and design) as we know it happened or not, one new occurrence that came out of that particular period of time was the focus on the female as an object of beauty. The society we live in now knows nothing of this transition since we live in a time when women are far too often objectified by the media, and even themselves. It seems absurd to think of a society where women are not objects of beauty; however, to have a female as an object of beauty in ancient Rome would have been absurd then. Sure, men married women, but they were only to bear them children. It was certainly not unheard of for men to engage in sexual behaviors with each other as a show of camaraderie or brotherhood. The male athletes physique was worshipped, envied. The Masculine was the most objectified and important where the Feminine was discarded.

Although there was a sort of, rebirth, of Classical ideals, the renaissance was not the same as ancient Grecian or Roman times. There was never as heavy a focus on male athleticism during the renaissance, but a focus on beauty. Beauty was seen through female depictions as virtue