Hisory of Obesity

Weight Loss & Diet Details

Obesity was a status symbol in European culture. In several human cultures, obesity was associated with physical attractiveness, strength and fertility. Some of the earliest known cultural artifacts, known as Venus figurines, are pocket-sized statues representing an obese female figure.

 

 

Even their cultural significance is not registered, its widespread use by all pre-historic Mediterranean and European cultures suggests a central role in the feminine form or visa in magical rituals, and suggests cultural approval of (and perhaps reverence for) this body shape. This is most probably due to their ability to deal easily with children and survive famine.

Obesity was considered a symbol of wealth and social status in cultures prone to food shortages or famine. This was also seen in the same way in the early modern period in European cultures, but when food security was realized, but served as a visible show of "lust for life", appetite and immersion in the realm of the erotic.

This was particularly the case in the visual arts such as paintings of Rubens (1577-1640), whose regular representation of women gave us the coordinates describing Rubenesca. Obesity can also be seen as a symbol within a system of prestige.

"The type offood, amount and manner in which it is served are among the important criteria of social class. In most tribal societies, including those with a highly stratified social system, the whole world-and royalty commoners, ate the same kind of food and if there was a famine throughout the world was hungry. With the ever increasing variety of items, food has become not only a matter of social status, but also a mark of personality and individual taste. "