my occasional musings on life, love, art, perfume ... what else is there?

8.09.2005

How's the Diet?


Oh, pretty good. Want a twinkie?

From wikipedia: the most famous [stone age] piece is the Venus of Willendorf, which was found in the territory of today's Austria. This type of sculpture was excavated in numerous places from France to Siberia, and was therefore typical of the stone age culture. Scientists however concluded that the average stone age women did not have the possibility to gain so much weight. Also, none of the few paleolithic male figurines in sculpture or painting were corpulent. Possible explanations scientists have for this discrepancy are that these female statuettes were either goddesses (some sort of "Earth Mother") or they were part of a rich social class, possibly in a matriarchic society. Some have also theorized that this was the most exaggerated ideal of beauty, as Barbie dolls exhibit anatomically improbable slenderness.

Venus wants to know what the big deal is about the Dove ad series.

Today's fragrance: Serge Lutens' Santal Blanc with notes per Bela: sandalwood, cinnamon bark, fenugreek, Copahu balsam, jasmine, Siamese benzoin, iris, pink pepper, musk. Interesting how quickly I get the cinnamon and pepper ... it's a hot fragrance. Must go look up fenugreek. *edit* Per clearing, fenugreek is "a mildly spiced dust" which can also be used (according to herbal lore) to dry up mucus. Noted that this was a compound c used in capsules to treat her children's colds* *additional edit per victoriaf: fenugreek "is a spice used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. It has a very particular scent--bitter, slightly pungent and a little bit sweet."

12 Comments:

Blogger Kyahgirl said...

oooh, the pendulous orbs, the 'plump' waist! what a cuddly babe. Strange that she doesn't have a face.

10:11 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with N. This is one of favourite are sculptures:
http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/dances/3344.htm

The lines of the body are curvy and wonderfully sensual. I especially love the counterpose.

Fenugreek is a spice used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. It has a very particular scent--bitter, slightly pungent and a little bit sweet. It is probably one of the scents most associated with Bengali cooking. A pinch of typical Bengali spice mix panch phoron (nigella seeds, fenugreek, mustard, fennel and cumin, equal quantities, left whole) fried in some oil and then added to a soup or a vegetable dish is just wonderful. I love simple lentils soups with that embellishment. Ok, time for lunch!
xoxo

10:40 AM

 
Blogger Lila said...

Looking at this figure, I realize: Maybe I really AM a Goddess!

11:02 AM

 
Blogger mireille said...

YES!

12:54 PM

 
Blogger Bela said...

She's lovely! She symbolizes abundance and fertility, doesn't she? Every feature that has to do with that is emphasized. This kind of female shape was never an "ideal of beauty" in Western Europe, I don't think. In the Orient, yes.

1:14 PM

 
Blogger WinterWheat said...

Ah yes, that old tendency to idealize whatever female body form is hardest for the middle- and lower-class masses to attain: fatness in times of scarcity, thinness in times of overabundance, pale skin when work mainly occurred outdoors, tan skin now that vacationing requires money and leisure time.

In spite of her age, Venus appears to have a Brazilian, which makes her decidedly hip.

All together now:

Venus if you will
Help me understand
How come, though on the pill,
My gazongas never
Reached the size of yours
Preceding me through doors
Oh Venus...

4:11 PM

 
Blogger mireille said...

ROFL!!!! Brazilian!!!! ROFL!!!!! *singing along* xoxoxo

4:22 PM

 
Blogger katiedid said...

I used to have this great necklace I made with glass blown beads and a Venus of Willendorf pewter charm. I loved it. But loaned it to a friend and it never came back.

I think both the goddess and the idealized exaggerated beauty theories are correct. We tend to portray our gods as idealized exaggerations of ourselves anyhow.

4:39 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All women are goddesses, it comes from being princesses as little girls. I'll pass on the twinkee though I believe Santal Blanc might not.

6:48 PM

 
Blogger Kate said...

Glad to know someone, somewhere thought big stomach butt and thighs were a good look. :-) I guess secretly, I must think so too because I manage to maintain mine even when I think I'm dieting! :-)

8:16 PM

 
Blogger Sand said...

I don't care what i look like as long as i'm healthy - although I could really go for a Twinkie!

10:54 PM

 
Blogger Tania said...

It makes sense that our lil' stone Venus did not represent the actual female form, but an idealized one. Just look at all those sculptures of men, which can be found in cultures all over the world, with giant erect phalluses the size of canoes projecting before them. They wish!

6:42 PM

 

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