Sup, guys?
Here's the edited (and hopefully final) version of the first two paragraphs. The third and intro and conclusion are still being workshopped. One question: does anyone remember the Greek term for middle-class citizens? If anyone still has that in their notes or something, it would be much appreciated. <3
Explore how the differences between the
socio-cultural constructs of Sparta and the other Greek poli influenced the
ideals of female beauty that each upheld during the Classical period, and how
those ideals are reflected in Classical Greek literature.
The ultimate paradigms of female beauty differed
almost antithetically between the cultures observed by the Spartans and all
other Greek poli. In spite of
Greece’s general condemnation of the way in which Spartan women conducted
themselves, they were famed for their beauty. Homer referred to Sparta as, “kallignyaika”[1],
“the land of beautiful women”[2]; it was common knowledge also that, “the face that
launched a thousand ships” [3], belonged to Helen of Sparta. These endorsements
clearly show the admiration other poli
felt towards these women, but it is important to note that the Spartans
themselves, though still reverent of beauty, were practical rather than
romantic in their ideals. The Spartan perception of female beauty centred on
the physical manifestation of athleticism and fitness, and not on the
artificial enhancement or subjugation of women, as was the case in other parts
of Greece. Furthermore, although the Spartans were fixated on physical prowess
to the point of narcissism, they were not inclined to material vanity, as
evidenced by the rulings of Lycurgus, which forbade women from wearing, “any
kind of makeup or enhancements”[4]. Even coiffure was not a matter of beauty in
Sparta; the Spartans used hairstyles to, “[distinguish] maidens from the newly
married women, for the latter… wore their hair short”[5], and were not concerned with the elaborate braids
and twists favoured by other women. The other Greek poli, however, had very different standards of female beauty to
Sparta. In spite of the open admiration with which the rest of Greece,
particularly the men, observed the Spartan women, other poli’s distaste for women participating in politics, sport, or any
other activity in which they opposed men or demonstrated their capacity for
free thought, caused them to prefer women who showed little evidence of
physical exertion and much evidence of oppressive chauvinism and, “ingrained
misogyny”[6]. Women were expected to wear a long, sleeveless
article called the chiton that fell
to the ankles and concealed the legs, in contrast with the Spartans, who wore
short, practical skirts that earned them the derogatory appellation, “thigh
flashers”[7]. Pale, delicate skin was also a particular mark of
beauty in a female, and women frequently used cosmetics, including, “white lead
(which was toxic)…[and] chalk”[8], to, “lighten their complexion”[9]. Other facial beautifications went in and out of
mode throughout the period; “connected eyebrows”[10], achieved by judicious use of, “dark powder”[11], were considered highly fashionable at one stage.
Powders were also used for various other things, including the darkening of the
eyelids and the rouging of the cheeks. It was customary for female citizens to
wear their hair long, as, “only slave women would wear their hair short”
[12]. The majority of Greek women also wore jewellery in
the forms of, “earrings, bracelets and necklaces”[13]. Aristoi women commonly wore elaborate pieces
of jewellery, and [FIND THE WORD FOR MIDDLE CLASS] women wore simpler jewellery;
however, a raped woman would, “no longer be allowed to wear jewellery”[14]. It is evident, then, that there are substantial
differences between the epitomes of beauty that were upheld by the Spartans and
all the other Greek poli.
The conflicting archetypes of beauty observed by
Sparta and the other Greek poli were
undoubtedly the resuld of their different socio-cultural structures. The female
athleticism that was uniquely encouraged in Sparta was undoubtedly due to its, “totalitarian”[15], militaristic society. As the life of every male
citizen was devoted to military action, Spartans being, “liable for military
service to the age of 60”[16], strength in men was valued to the point where the
state, “took upon itself the right to determine a new baby’s viability”[17]. It was common practice to commit infanticide by
abandoning male infants in, “a place near Mount Taygetus designated for that
purpose”[18], if they were deemed to be too weak to make a good
soldier. The Spartans believed that only a strong mother could bear a strong
son, and so women in Sparta were required to be fit and athletic. This dictate
was enforced upon women in a similar (if less murderous and more reasonable)
manner to that imposed on males. At the age of eighteen, girls were required to
undergo a compulsory test of fitness and skills, and if they passed, they were,
“assigned a husband and allowed to return home”[19]; if they failed, however, they would, “lose [their]
rights as a citizen”[20], and become members of the perioikos. In this interest, all female Spartan citizens received a
public education that was, “prescribed by the state… at state expense”[21], wherein they were required to, “run and wrestle and
throw the discus and javelin”[22], in addition to their academic endeavours. In
further consideration of the Spartan ideology, Spartan women were
well-nourished, unlike the women of other poli,
who were, “regularly given less food than men”[23]. The simplicity of the Spartans’ hairstyles is
another result of the Spartan military system, specifically of their practice
of mentorship through compulsory pederasty. At the age of nine, boys were
assigned a mentor: an older man to whom the entirety of their education,
outside of what the public system provided, was entrusted; this included their
sexual education, due to the Spartan belief that, “erotic relationships between
members of the same sex were...educational”[24]. Because of this mentorship system, Spartan men
were universally unused to female lovers by the time they were expected to marry.
To solve this problem, a Spartan girl would be made as boyish as possible in
preparation for her marriage; her hair would be cut short and she would be
dressed in a boy’s tunic for the wedding night. Because of this, short hair
denoted a married woman and long hair an unmarried one. In other Greek poli, the standards of female beauty
were based on an almost entirely different set of societal conventions and
restrictions, the only point of commonality between them being the women’s
fundamental reproductive function. Despite this, other poli did not share Sparta’s belief in the importance of female
strength and fitness, and, by contrast, valued the hallmarks of privilege and
inactivity. Pale skin was considered beautiful because it alluded to wealth;
except for the purposes of attending weddings, funerals, and certain religious
festivals, or briefly visiting female neighbours, aristoi women rarely ventured out in public, whereas [THE WORD FOR
LOWER CLASS] and helot women were
obligated to work outdoors and visit the agora,
often in the stead of the aristoi
women. The aristoi women were,
“virtually imprisoned in their homes”[25], within the gynaikonitis,
a specific set of rooms reserved for the, “wives, daughters, and female slaves”[26], of an oikos.
This rigid seclusion of aristoi women
from all men was due to the patriarchal societal constructs of Classical
Greece, and the resultant imperativeness of producing undeniably, “legitimate
heirs”[27]. Similarly, fragility and slenderness of form was
encouraged as it indicated that a woman was not required to perform manual
labour, which was thought to be the activity of helots. As in Sparta, certain hairstyles signified the marital
status of the wearer; unmarried women wore their hair loose, while married
women conventionally wore elaborate braids and hairpieces. The, “imposition of
headgear…and other trappings”[28], was considered a necessity in order to bind and
regulate women, who were thought to be, “pollutable, polluted, and polluting in
several ways at once”[29], owing to their being, “as individuals”[30], “formless”[31], and, “without firm control of personal boundaries”[32]. Ergo, it is apparent that the divergence of the
paradigms of female beauty adhered to by Sparta and the other Greek poli was the consequence of their
distinct socio-cultural differences.
[1]
‘The Spartans. The battle for supremacy’, in History Heads, http://moodle.shcs.nsw.edu.au/pluginfile.php/2251/mod_resource/content/0/Sparta/documentary/spartans_episode_2.pdf, (Accessed 7 August 2013).
[2]
ibid.
[3]
Christopher Marlowe > Quotes >
Quotable Quote, http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/55215-was-this-the-face-that-launched-a-thousand-ships-and-burnt, (Accessed 8 August 2013).
[4]
The Women of Sparta: Athletic, Educated,
and Outspoken Radicals, http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/123/, (Accessed 6 August 2013).
[5]
S. B. Pomeroy, S. M. Burstein, W. Donlan and J. T. Roberts, Ancient Greece. A Political, Social, and
Cultural History, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, P. 142.
[6]
D. D. Gilmore, Misogyny, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Misogyny.aspx,
(Accessed 10 September 2013).
[7]
P. S. Baker, The Role of Women in Ancient
Sparta, http://www.helium.com/items/1843769-a-look-at-the-women-of-ancient-sparta,
(Accessed 10 September 2013).
[8]
Fashion in Ancient Greece, http://historylink101.com/2/greece3/fashion.htm, (Accessed 8 August 2013).
[9]
ibid.
[10]
ibid.
[11]
ibid.
[12]
ibid.
[13]
ibid.
[14]
H. Wojtczak, British Women’s Emancipation
since the Renaissance. The History of Female Oppression, http://www.historyofwomen.org/oppression.html,
(Accessed 10 September 2013).
[15]
S. B. Pomeroy, op. cit., P. 138.
[16]
S. B. Pomeroy, ibid., P. 139.
[17]
ibid.
[18]
ibid.
[20]
ibid.
[21]
S. B. Pomeroy, op. cit., P. 141.
[22]
ibid., P. 142.
[23]
ibid., P. 141.
[24]
ibid. [FIND PAGE NUMBER]
[25]
W. J. O’Neal, The Status of Women in
Ancient Athens, http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/447/.
(Accessed 10 September 2013).
[26]
M. K. Mason, Ancient Athenian Women of
the Classical Period, http://www.moyak.com/papers/athenian-women.html,
(Accessed 10 September 2013).
[27]
J. C. Meyer, Women in Classical Athens.
In the Shadow of North-West Europe or in the Light from Istanbul, http://www.hist.uib.no/antikk/antres/Womens%20life.htm,
(Accessed 10 September 2013).
[28]
A. Carson, ‘Putting Her in Her Place: Women, Dirt, and Desire’, in Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic
Experience in the Ancient Greek World, Princeton University Press,
Princeton, 1990, P. 156.
[29]
ibid. P. 158—9.
[30]
ibid. P. 159.
[31]
ibid.
[32]
ibid.
