Ideal Beauty

The 17th through 20th centuries had different perceptions when it came to societal and philosophical views, but one theme that tied these centuries together was the ideal beauty of paleness. The ideal beauty of paleness is something that is not unique to Europe. Parts of Asia including China, India, Japan have all, and still do, have an ideal beauty of paleness. Not only was it considered attractive, but the ideal beauty of paleness was also a symbol of the wealthy since it meant they did not have to work in the hot sun like the poor did. The ideal beauty of paleness was something that many people sought to obtain. This early form of ideal beauty can be traced to the Aryans, an Indo-European people who first settled in India and across Asia thousands of years ago. They imposed a strict caste system on the native Dravidian people in the form of a caste system in South Asia. It was the Aryans who imposed the ideal beauty of whiteness and the same ideal has sprung up across many parts of Asia and Europe. Natural, white skin was no longer white so many societies preferred, unnatural white powders to make the skin paler. These facial powders had some practical use such as protecting their skins from the hot sun, but the stark, white skin was considered a symbol of beauty. Parasols and powders were mechanisms for keeping the skin as pale as much as possible.