One of key qualities men were looking for in a woman was physical beauty. They were more worried about the physical appearance of a woman than any personality characteristics. Due to society being harsh and severe about beauty, women would try to rebuild and remodel their own bodies to fit the “ideal woman” shape and appearance. This is very important for all women in the Roman and Grecian societies, but especially for prostitutes. Prostitutes wanted to draw in men, and these prostitute women did anything to complete that. “Supposed one of them is small; cork is sewn into her shoes. Tall? she [sic] wears thin slippers and goes around with her head pitched towards her shoulder; that reduces her height. No hips? she puts on a bustle, and the onlookers make comments about her nice bottom. They have false breasts for them like the comic actors’; they set them on straight out and pull their dresses forwards as if with punting poles” (287). This quote shows how desperate women were for physical beauty. Even though this quote is particularly pertaining to prostitutes, other women carried out similar actions to obtain a more captivating appearance. Some women went even further than that, too. Women changed their eyebrows and skin color if they believe it is too light or dark. Women smeared on white lead, painted with lamp-black, and rubbed on rouge to fix their impurities with their eyebrows and skin color (287). Women had to impress men, and to do that they simply had to be as beautiful and charming as they could. An example of a beautiful “ideal woman” during this time was Allia Potestas. “Her skin was white, she had beautiful eyes, and her hair was gold? An ivory glow always shone from her face-no-mortal (so they say) every possessed a face like it. The curves of her breasts was [sic] small on her snow-white bosom. And her legs? Such is the guise of Atalanta
One of key qualities men were looking for in a woman was physical beauty. They were more worried about the physical appearance of a woman than any personality characteristics. Due to society being harsh and severe about beauty, women would try to rebuild and remodel their own bodies to fit the “ideal woman” shape and appearance. This is very important for all women in the Roman and Grecian societies, but especially for prostitutes. Prostitutes wanted to draw in men, and these prostitute women did anything to complete that. “Supposed one of them is small; cork is sewn into her shoes. Tall? she [sic] wears thin slippers and goes around with her head pitched towards her shoulder; that reduces her height. No hips? she puts on a bustle, and the onlookers make comments about her nice bottom. They have false breasts for them like the comic actors’; they set them on straight out and pull their dresses forwards as if with punting poles” (287). This quote shows how desperate women were for physical beauty. Even though this quote is particularly pertaining to prostitutes, other women carried out similar actions to obtain a more captivating appearance. Some women went even further than that, too. Women changed their eyebrows and skin color if they believe it is too light or dark. Women smeared on white lead, painted with lamp-black, and rubbed on rouge to fix their impurities with their eyebrows and skin color (287). Women had to impress men, and to do that they simply had to be as beautiful and charming as they could. An example of a beautiful “ideal woman” during this time was Allia Potestas. “Her skin was white, she had beautiful eyes, and her hair was gold? An ivory glow always shone from her face-no-mortal (so they say) every possessed a face like it. The curves of her breasts was [sic] small on her snow-white bosom. And her legs? Such is the guise of Atalanta