Exactly 129 years ago, on September 19, 1888, the first beauty pageant took place in Belgium. Fashion historian Kristina Shakurova explained to Vecherka how and why the standards of the “ideal woman” changed.
The world's first beauty contest lasted 12 whole days. The winner was a girl from Guadeloupe named Marta Sukare. Legend has it that the day after the results were announced, she received over a hundred marriage proposals.
True, the beauty rejected them all.
“In the USSR, the first competition for the title of“the most beautiful”was held only 100 years later,” says the expert. - Muscovite Maria Kalinina won it. She, like Marta Sukare, became the idol of her era, pushing past ideals into the background.
Beauty standards are constantly changing, the fashion historian explains.
For example, at the beginning of the last century, men preferred women - "vamp" - thin, with thickly eyed and short haircuts, and after the Second World War, painful thinness reminded of a hungry time, and "plump" became fashionable.
- The ideal depends not only on the era, but also on the country. In Asia, white skin is exotic, and local beauties heavily use lightening cosmetics. In Russia, you won't surprise anyone with pallor, and our girls regularly visit the solarium and use self-tanning.
1988 year.
Maria Kalinina won the first Soviet beauty contest "Moscow Beauty".
She became a symbol of her time. At the end of the 80s, there was a boom in lush hairstyles, burnt-out strands and bright makeup. It was the time of sports girls in bright leggings and "boiled jackets".
1998 year.
Anna Malova became the owner of the title "Miss Russia-1998". The jury won over her discreet elegance.
Against the background of body-positive movements and social advertising from the category “everyone is beautiful”, the standard of “beautiful” is a vague concept. On the one hand, femininity and harmony are in fashion, on the other, protest and emphasized asexuality. The beauty of the sample of 2017 has at least a few colored strands and tattoos, prefers pretty dresses and matte lipstick.
GOOD IN YOUR OWN
Each country has its own ideas about beauty.
Europe. A beautiful European woman with white skin and blue eyes. She has a well-developed figure. The slightly elongated face is framed by long blond hair. The reference European "aphrodite" has well-defined cheekbones and plump lips.
Asia. Here, a kind of doll with a round white face, plump red lips and long black strands is considered the ideal. Among the medical services in Asian countries, operations to increase the incision of the eyes are popular - after all, the beauty has big eyes.
Near East. In oriental tales, princesses can charm with just one glance, and all because here the expressiveness of the eyes and the shape of the eyebrows are of great importance.
Beauties prefer to emphasize them with arrows. The correct shape of the nose is considered one of the statuses of wealth.
Africa. Quite "appetizing" forms in Africa are the surest sign of prosperity. African "Venus" have a clear oval face, full lips and slightly slanted eyes. And in some regions it is customary to fatten up brides for the wedding.
