How to be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity

(Hardback, Main)

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Description

Can the pressures women feel to look good be traced to the 16th century

As the Renaissance visual world became populated by female nudes by the likes of Michelangelo and Titian, a vibrant literary scene of beauty tips emerged - fuelling debates about cosmetics and adornment, with 'solutions' to worries about everything from podgy upper arms, smelly armpits, droopy breasts, stretch marks and bad breath.

Telling the stories of courtesans, artists, actors and writers rebelling against the strictures of their time, when burgeoning colonialism gave rise to increasingly sinister evaluations of bodies and skin colour, this book puts beauty culture into the frame.

It will make you question your ideas about your own body, and ask: why are women often so critical of their appearance What do we stand to lose, but also to gain, from beauty culture What is the relationship between looks and power

Reviews

A lively and intriguing exploration of female life in the Renaissance, lifting the lid on anxieties and aspirations that will sound oddly familiar to any 21st century reader. You'll never look at Renaissance portraits in the same way -- Maggie O'Farrell

Author Bio

Professor Jill Burke is a historian of the body and its visual representation, focusing on Italy and Europe 1400-1700. She is the Principal Investigator of a Royal Society funded project, 'Renaissance Goo', at the University of Edinburgh, working with a soft matter scientist to remake Renaissance cosmetic and skincare recipes. It is part of a wider investigation into how people in the Renaissance tried to look good - how they sought to change their bodies, faces and hairstyles to meet beauty ideals.
@profjill_burke