Lanval and Beauty Standards Over Time

 Marie de France - Lanval

"They were about to give their judgment

when through the city came riding

a girl on horseback:

there was none more beautiful in the world.

She rode a white palfrey,

who carried her handsomely and smoothly:

he was well apportioned in the neck and head,

no finer beast in the world.

The palfrey’s trappings were rich;

under heaven there was no count or king

who could have afforded them all

without selling or mortgaging lands.

She was dressed in this fashion:

in a white linen shift

that revealed both her sides

since the lacing was along the side.

Her body was elegant, her hips slim,

her neck whiter than snow on a branch,

her eyes bright, her face white,

a beautiful mouth, a well-set nose,

dark eyebrows and an elegant forehead,

her hair curly and rather blond;

golden wire does not shine

like her hair in the light.

Her cloak, which she had wrapped around her,

was dark purple." (546-571)

Beauty Standards Over Time:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/07/health/body-image-history-of-beauty-explainer-intl/index.html

"Artists continues to portray the "ideal" woman as curvy and voluptuous all the way through the 17th and 18th centuries."

While this text is from the Medieval times, I couldn't help but think about the beauty standards placed on women over time. In Lanval, the beautiful woman is described as having a small frame, pale skin, blond hair, and a nice nose. To me, it reminded me of modern day beauty standards. What I found particularly interesting after doing some research is that she actually did not fit into the beauty standards of the time, as curvy women were often thought of as the most beautiful women during that time. While beauty standards change over time, I think it is interesting that the beautiful woman in Lanval reflects modern day beauty standards, and not the beauty standards of medieval times through the 18th century.