lurkette

Just in case people needed a reminder that "beauty" is a completely culturally defined construct, I dug up some images of beautiful women from the past. Bet you find at least some part of yourself in here to say "hey, that looks like me!" Remember that you are beautiful.

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lurkette

Part two.......

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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

- Anatole France

maleficent

I'm in my cynical bitter mode.. and while it'd be nice to believe that we're all beautiful (well you all are anyhow) and it'd be nice to actualy beleive the lyrics of the Christina Aguilera song...

The truth is... beauty is in the eye of the beholder... and those that behold... don't find beauty in too many places...

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lurkette

To quote George Carlin, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke!"

That they can't find beauty in too many places is exactly my point - we're all conditioned that beauty means looking a particular way. It's completely arbitrary, and completely constructed, and changes with social whims and cultural shifts.

So fuck 'em if they have no imagination and can only lust after what they're shown and told is "beautiful." I know better and so should you.

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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

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serlindsipity

i find it amusing that the fourth one down on the first set is actually physically impossible. its said she has at least 2 or 3 extra vertabrae to have a back that long.

but no less, i agree completely.

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Sweetpea

Thank you Lurkette, as i have suffered with anorexia off and on my whole life as a response to the extremely thin image pressed onto our women and young girls... i learned long ago that i was merely reacting to a concept that some person in a media office came up with and that True Beauty is being healthy and happy with who you are and your body...

This thread made me smile and think of myself in a positive light, thanks for that.

Sweetpea

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cellophanedeity

Thank you Lurkette.

It is in our nature as women to be beautiful.

shesus

Lurkette, those are nice pictures. I hate the way that our culture defines beauty at this moment. It causes a lot of self-esteem problems since most celebrities are airbrushed and have had plastic surgery. When I taught 3rd grade a few years ago, I had a girl who was anorexic because she wanted to look like britney spears. If you look back in history many women who were considered beautiful then would be written off as fat and unattractive today. I find the woman's body to be beautiful and you have a good collection of proving that

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Shadefire

If it helps anyone, Marilyn Monroe would be a modern day size 16.

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maleficent

snopes says - not really true...So, what can we say with any certainty? We can at least establish a range of measurements for Marilyn Monroe based on the available sources:

her measurements:

Height: 5 feet, 5½ inches
Weight: 118-140 pounds
Bust: 35-37 inches
Waist: 22-23 inches
Hips: 35-36 inches
Bra size: 36D


http://www.snopes.com/movies/actors/mmdress.htm

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Shadefire

Oh, I thought she was........

Anyway, I think the point about her still stands, though. In modern terms she would not be considered as beautiful as we all know her to be. Same thing for Jane Russell, I think.

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maleficent

Oh i'd absolutely agree - and if her pics were posted on Fark -or Hot or Not - she'd be torn apart for a bad color job, or being too chubby or saggy boobs. or whatever imagined reasons... by people who wouldn't rate too high themselves...

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katie_ann1031

I've always thought that bigger women were more beautiful than thin women, no offence to those who are thin. As some of you pointed out some of our voluptous (sp?) stars of yesteryear might be judged as "fat" today. Fat or not fat in society's eye, I'd love to have the figure of Marilyn Monroe or Mae West. My boyfriend always says I'd look better with more weight. Like, what freakin' planet did he come from?

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Nancy

I wonder what that is in EU size

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I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy.
I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.

onodrim

Thank you for those Lurkette, it's always nice to be presented with images that are much closer to reality. Gave me a smile for the day!

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maleficent

http://www.usatourist.com/english/tips/sizes.html


a 44?

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JustJess

Love it. LOVE it. I would have been so popular in the 30's...

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maleficent

you are now, darlin'...

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katie_ann1031

By the way Lurkette, the woman in your avatar is beautiful. Who is she?

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JustJess

Mal, how'd you know I was susceptible to flattery??

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lurkette

No clue - some woman off a postcard. But I want to look like her, so I avatared her.

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Grasshopper Green

I see alot of myself in the "Rubenesque" women in the lower set. Good thing hubby likes me just the way I am

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sexymama

It is not only shape -- just the other day a friend and I were talking about how girls with curly hair want straight hair. Those with straight hair would "die" for curls.

I, like Medusa99, am "Rubenesque." So was my great great grandmother who happened to be a burlesque dancer. I, for one, vote that we celebrate who we are and what we look like today. We are all beautiful.

Thanks Lurkette!

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katie_ann1031

No kidding, I'd love to look like her too. Also, never new you could use the word avatar as a verb by adding an ed

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Sweetpea

I was just watching a Hollywood Story on her... She also had breast implants and a Chin implant before she started modeling and became famous... so much for natural beauty


Sweetpea

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lurkette

Yup, I verbed it

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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

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Min

I am always a bit saddened when a voluptuous Hollywood star looses lots of weight to look 'better' when before, I was drooling happily to see every curve jiggle.
I was reminded of that watching Top 100 on VH1 today.

Gilda

I could so pull off the look in that last one with the right dress.

My problem is the opposite of the girls who look at media images and want to be thinner. I see girls with breasts and hips, and look at my Audrey Hepburn body and feel inadequate, but that's all me. Grace is a perfect size 6, a centerfold body, and she hates having pictures taken because she has some burns on the side of her face. We've had more than one two-woman support group session.

Sometimes I look at, say, Nikki Cox on Las Vegas, and I wonder if she worries about whether she's attractive.

I remember an episode of My So Called Life with the two parents talking, and the dad wonders aloud whether anyone is ever completely comfortable with who they are, and mom answers RuPaul.

Sissy is the only woman I know who is comletely satisfied with how she looks.

Gilda

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Sorceress

Ok I must say that I don't know where some of these so called Hollywood experts are getting their data, but Marilyn Monroe did not have plastic surgery and there are nude pictures of her quite young to prove it. She also was between a 14 and a 16 in modern size charts, the measurment system they used back then was completely different. In her day she was like a 32. Like I said, a completely different system, but someone did the math and figured it out.
Also, the really important thing here, is that all three of these architypal women, Marilyn, Jane Russell and Mae West all looked like that naturally and all would have been considered either plump or slightly fat today. An excellent example of how our society has lost it's mind!
I grew up revering all three of these women and their films! If I could look like a Hollywood actress (as a matter of body type) right now? It would be Jane Russell hands down!
Who in their right mind wants to look like a broom stick, UNLESS they were born that way?
You can be really thin and be beautiful..look at Audrey heprburn, she was like that quite naturally, couldn't gain weight to save her life, and she was GORGEOUS!
But it was natural to her, a woman who starves herself to look like that just never looks right.
What it comes down to, is that nature made us all with a certain shape, height and weight in mind. and We will all be beautiful when we make ourselves as healthy as we can( physically and mentally) within the parameters given us by nature; and when we reclaim our right to love ourselves for ourselves!
thank you Lurkette for giving us all a nudge!

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Sweetpea

The TV show i saw, claimed that she had had plastic surgery and kept it a secret her whole career, indeed, they even showed pictures of her before and after her surgeries and i was convinced.

So, if they were wrong, then i'm sorry for quoting it, potentially they could have been wrong and doctored all the pics. they showed.

Even if she did have plastic surgery, that doesn't make her any less beautiful.

Sweetpea

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JustJess

I would love to internalize this. And I'm trying. I don't want to stress about my ass spreading ever wider, or the way my bra straps cut into the pudge.

But goddamn, it's hard. I think I'll just look in on this thread once a week or so...

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Rubyee

The thing about most beautiful celebrities is that they have hundreds of thousands of clothes and makeup and jewelry and hair accessories on when they walk down that red carpet. Of course they look sexy!

But if one of them bought a dress at Target and did their hair and makeup themselves, they would look like everyone else.

Society is so in love with the "porno" girl. What would men do with a girl with rock-hard fake boobs who's only talent is swallowing or taking two men at a time? For a while they would enjoy it, but the novelty would soon wear off.

I may not be "sexy" right now, but at least I have substance to fill my extra pounds. Like intelligent thoughts, and opinions, and thoughtful insights. And a pesonality. I know that if given a popular sexy star, my SO might like it for a while, but he would come back to me in the end.

Though he won't be given the chance any time soon.

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Sorceress

Sorry sweatpea! I didn't mean to jump on you dear! I just meant I don't
know who they are and what they think they're doing, but they lied.
However you give me the oportunity to correct myself, I misquoted a source, she was a 12-14, not a 14-16 in size, but I think it still makes the same point. She was always lovely,as we all are.
Again I didn't mean to direct that at you dear, rather at them for wanting to put that out there, the idea that you can only be beautiful if you've had surgery.

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lurkette

K, here are a few more (feel free to post your own examples!)
P.S. I am in love with Camryn Manheim. Sigh.

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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

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Nancy

a size 44? Impossible! That would mean that she was very chubby. Comparing my body to hers I'd say she was a medium size

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I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy.
I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.

genuinegirly

Some great choices there for images. Funny how our opinions of beauty have changed over the years.

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reza

The women must be beutiful,but there are many words for women as sex,erotic and many more which means nothing untill to talk about womean,s body.The women body is not to find many words for her.
There are some words for women as her body is and there are some want to say they are women,but they are not.They are a big problem for themselfs.

REZA

eMOTIONal20

I kept coming back to this thread to see the new comments and pictures, still not convinced that I am truly beautfiul. I have always thought of myself as pretty, though never having it reinforced by anyone (including parents) I have drilled in my mind the thought that I have a highly egotistical view of myself and I should stop. I began thinking I really was unattractive... a thought that lasted several years.

After viewing this thread numerous times, this now sounds absolutely ri-goddamn-diculous to me now.

On my way to class this morning, as well as during and after class, I came to the conclusion that my womanly curves are absolutely beautiful, and that I don't need anyone else's approval of my body except for my own. Therefore, I feel it's time I embraced my outer beauty and not allow anyone else to tear me away from these positive thoughts about myself. I've never felt so good about myself in years! So... I guess I'm thanking you wonderful ladies for the comments and pictures. This has been a huge step for me...

I hope the pictures keep coming!

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lurkette

HOORAY FOR eMOTIONal20!!!!!

My favorite saying I took from my therapist is: "The only true perfection is to love yourself exactly as you are."

You are perfect!!!!

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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

- Anatole France

serlindsipity

i used to make myself say "i am beautiful just the way i am and it doesnt matter if people see that as long as i do." to myself several times a day when i was younger. now i dont need to becuase i know it and it feels wonderful.

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