FIRST SPECIES OF BEAUTY--BEAUTY OF THE LOCOMOTIVE SYSTEM.
The average stature of woman, as already said, is two or three inches less
than that of man.
The bones of woman remain always smaller than those of man; the
cylindrical ones being more slender, and the flat ones thinner, while the
former are also rounder. The muscles render the surfaces of the bones less
uneven; the projections of the latter are less; and all their cavities and
impressions have less depth. The bones of woman have likewise less
hardness than those of man.
Such being the solid and fundamental parts of this system in woman, the
most remarkable circumstances in their combination should next be noticed.
In woman, the magnitude of the pelvis or lower part of the trunk, has the
greatest influence on the apparent proportion of parts, and on the general
figure.
The most remarkable differences between the two sexes, in relation to this
system, are consequently those presented by the inferior and superior part
of the trunk in each. The breast and the haunches are in an inverse
proportion in the two sexes. Man has the breast larger and wider than that
of woman: woman has the haunches less circumscribed than those of man.
The upper part of the body is also less prominent, and the lower part more
prominent, in woman than in man; and therefore, when they stand upright,
or lie on the back, the breast is most prominent in the male, and the
pubes in the female. The indication this affords of the fitness of woman
for impregnation, gestation, and parturition, is obvious.
From the same cause, the back of woman is more hollow.
Still farther to increase the capacity of the lower part of the body,
woman has the loins more extended than man. This portion of her body is in
every way enlarged at the expense of neighboring parts. Hence, the chest
is shorter above; and the thighs and legs are shorter below.
The thigh-bones of woman are also more separated superiorly; the knees are
more approximated; the feet are smaller; and the base of support is less
extended.
The reader desirous of thoroughly understanding these matters, should
compare the beautiful plates of the male and female skeletons by Albinus
and Soemmerring.
Beauty of the locomotive system in woman, depends especially upon these
fundamental facts, and those tendencies of structure which thus
distinguish her from man.
In the woman possessing THIS SPECIES of beauty, therefore, the face is
generally somewhat bony and oblong;--the neck, less connected with the
nutritive system, is rather long and tapering;--the shoulders, without
being angular, are sufficiently broad and definite for muscular
attachments;--the bosom, a vital organ, is of but moderate
dimensions;--the waist, enclosing smaller nutritive organs, is remarkable
for fine proportion, and resembles, in some respects, an inverted
cone;--the haunches, for the same reason, are but moderately
expanded;--the thighs are proportional;--the arms, as well as the limbs,
being formed chiefly of locomotive organs, are rather long and moderately
tapering;--the hands and feet are moderately small;--the complexion, owing
to the inferiority of the nutritive system, is often rather dark;--and the
hair is frequently dark and strong.--The whole figure is precise,
striking, and often brilliant.--From its proportions, it sometimes seems
almost aerial; and we would imagine, that, if our hands were placed under
the lateral parts of the tapering waist of a woman thus characterized, the
slightest pressure would suffice to throw her into the air.
To this class belong generally the more firm, vigorous, and even
actively-impassioned women: though it may doubtless boast many of greatly
modified character.
_First Variety or Modification of this Species of Beauty._
It may here be observed, that the varieties or modifications of each
species of beauty naturally correspond with the greater or less
development of some one of the various organs on which the species is
founded. Thus, the modifications of beauty of the locomotive system
correspond with the greater or less development of the bones, the
ligaments, or the muscles; those of the nutritive system correspond with
the greater or less development of the absorbents, the bloodvessels, or
the glands; and those of the thinking system correspond with the greater
or less development of the organs of sense, the brain, or the cerebel. A
little reflection will show, that some of these modifications will be
more, and others less beautiful.
To understand the present variety, the bony structure on which it
especially depends, must now be more minutely described.
Commencing with the trunk of the body--the chest in woman is shorter but
more expanded; the breast-bone is shorter but wider; the two upper ribs
are flatter; the collar-bones are more straight or less curved, and do not
present that prominent relief which appears on the chest of man; the
shoulders are carried farther back, and project less from the trunk.
The haunches, as already stated, are proportionally wider in woman than in
man, and the interior cavity of the pelvis, which is between them, being
adapted to gestation, is more capacious. This greater capacity of the
pelvis arises from the lateral parts having in woman more convexity
outward; from the bones called ossa pubis, which form the anterior part,
touching at a smaller number of points, and running obliquely or forming
a greater angle, to enlarge the space which is between them and the
inferior extremity of the posterior part of the pelvis; from the arch of
the pubis being larger; from the greater concavity and breadth of the os
sacrum or posterior bone of the pelvis, its posterior part forming a
greater prominence outward; and from the whole pelvis being thus wider and
less deep, its circumference approaching more to the circular form. The
cavities, it may be added, in which the heads of the thigh-bones are
received, are of course farther apart: they are also oblique and less
deep.
The arms of woman are shorter than in man.--As these members are well
marked in beauty of the locomotive system, they may the more fully be
considered here.--The arms, and especially their extremities, are
susceptible of a degree of beauty of which we see few examples. Their
bases, the bones, ligaments, and muscles, belong to the locomotive system;
and their fundamental beauty consequently depends upon its proportions;
but to the nutritive system are owing the circumstances that, in woman,
the arm is fatter and more rounded, has softer forms and more flowing and
purer outlines. The hand in woman is smaller, more plump, more soft, and
more white. It is peculiarly beautiful when full; when it is gently
dimpled over the first joints; when the fingers are long, round, tapering
toward the ends; when the other joints are marked by slight reliefs and
shadows; and when the fingers are delicate and flexible. Beauty of the
hand becomes the more precious, because it is the principal organ of a
sense which may be considered as the most valuable of all.
In regard to the lower extremities, it has been observed, that the lateral
convexity of the pelvis causes the bones of the thighs attached to them to
be farther separated from each other; and this separation of the bones of
the thighs causes an increase of the size of the haunches. It is over the
posterior part of the space thus produced, that we observe the reliefs
which the inferior members present superiorly, and which unite them with
the trunk, by forms so beautifully rounded. The thighs are also
proportionally larger, on account of this separation: they are more
rounded, as well as much more voluminous: they are also more curved before
than in man. At their inferior part, they approximate; and the knees
project a little inward. It has been truly observed, that this
conformation manifests, relatively to gestation and parturition,
advantages of which the exterior expression is not found in the women who
are commonly regarded as well made, and who, however, are not so, if the
best conformation or beauty result from a direct and well-marked relation
between the form of the organs and their functions. It is owing to the
thighs of woman being thus carried more inward when she walks, that the
change of the point of gravity which marks each step, is in her much more
remarkable. All the other parts of the inferior members are in general
distinguished by forms more softly rounded; the leg is remarkable for its
delicacy; the long line of the anterior bone is entirely hid under its
envelope; its inferior part is shaped with more elegance; the foot is
smaller; and the base of support is less extended. The feet, like the
hands, are susceptible of a kind of beauty of which nature is sparing.
From all this it appears that the only bones which nature tends to enlarge
in woman are those of the pelvis; that all the rest are small; and that
they proportionally diminish in size, as we pass from that central part to
the extremities.
The FIRST MODIFICATION, therefore, of this species of beauty, is that in
which the development of the bones, those of the pelvis excepted, is
proportionally small.
This character will be especially apparent where the long bones approach
the surface; as in the arm immediately above the wrist, and, in the leg,
immediately above the ankle. Its effect will be proportionally delicate
and feminine.
Various subordinate modifications of this kind of beauty are found in
various countries, and under the influence of various circumstances.
The women of Rome, we are told, present beauty of the shoulders in the
highest degree, when they arrive at that period of life in which plumpness
succeeds to juvenile elasticity.
It has been suggested, that the Greek or Ionian women, whose arms were of
so perfect a form, owed that beauty in some measure to the custom of
leaving them nude, or covered only by loose drapery: as in that case, no
pressure constricted the roundness of the fleshy parts, and prevented
their development; no ligature, binding the upper part of the arm, altered
the color of the skin; and the arm, being always uncovered, received at
the toilet the same attention as other parts. Hence, it is supposed
antique statuary has left us such admirable models of the beauty of this
part.
It is certainly not improbable that we may attribute the absence of this
beauty, in some measure, to a custom which, in many cases, medicine may
approve, but which is unfavorable to the arm, that of wearing long
sleeves; but want of exercise is its great cause.
The form of the hand often announces the occupation of the person to whom
it belongs, and sometimes even her particular capabilities. There
certainly are hands that we may call intellectual; and there are others
that we may call foolish or stupid. Of the hand, Lavater says, that,
whether in movement or in repose, its expression cannot be mistaken: its
most tranquil position indicates our natural dispositions; its flexions,
our actions and our passions.
The ancients, it has been observed, attached much importance to the form
of the feet: the philosophers did not neglect it in the general view of
the physiognomy; and the historians as well as the poets made mention of
their beauty, in speaking of Polyxene, Aspasia, and others; as they did of
their deformities in speaking of the emperor Domitian.
Perfection or deformity of the feet is no doubt in general hereditary; but
good management will preserve the former of these, and repair the latter.
We commonly deform these parts by means of our shoes: the second toe,
observes a writer on this subject, which naturally projects most, as we
see from the antique, is arrested in its development, and the foot, which
ought, in the outline of its extremity, to approach to the elegant form of
the ellipsis, is rounded without beauty, and is disfigured by our
ridiculous compressions.[33]
_Second Variety or Modification of this Species of Beauty._
The joints generally are small in woman, and especially so in the
extremities. The elbow joint is softly rounded; and the various joints of
the fingers are marked chiefly by little reliefs and faint shadows. The
articulation of the knee is feebly indicated; the ankles are disposed in
such a manner as to offer only agreeable outlines; and there are dimples
over the first joints of the toes, with exceedingly gentle indications of
the other joints.
The SECOND MODIFICATION, therefore, of this species of beauty, is that in
which the development of the ligaments and the articulations they form, is
proportionally small.
This conformation will be especially apparent--in the arm, at the
wrist--and, in the leg, at the ankle. Its effect will be proportionally
handsome.
_Third Variety or Modification of this Species of Beauty._
The muscles of women are more slender and feeble than those of man; their
bundles are rounder; their fibres are finer, more humid, soft, and
delicate, and less compact; their central parts or bellies are less
prominent; their reliefs do not appear in any strength at the surface of
the body; but being, on the contrary, surrounded on all sides by a loose
cellular tissue, they only render that surface beautifully rounded.
Although, however, the muscular system of woman is weaker, and the muscles
proportionally smaller, yet, as already said, in some parts the muscular
system is more developed than in man. This, owing to the magnitude of the
pelvis, is most remarkable about the thighs. The muscles of these parts
having larger origins from the pelvis, and being less compressed by
reciprocal contact, have more liberty to extend themselves. It is from
this, that results much of the delicacy of the female form, as well as the
ease, suppleness, and capability of grace in its movements.
It is otherwise in all parts remote from the pelvis. Women, accordingly,
can less be said to have calves, than legs which, like their arms and
fingers, gently taper.
The THIRD MODIFICATION, therefore, of this species of beauty, is that in
which the development of the muscles is proportionally large around the
pelvis, and delicate elsewhere.
This conformation being concealed by the drapery, may nevertheless be
conjectured from the imperfect view of the hip, or of the calf of the leg,
or more accurately by means of the external indications of forms which are
given in a subsequent chapter. Its effect will be proportionally elegant.
Woman's power of muscular motion being thus limited to the vicinity of the
pelvis, that of her extremities is generally feeble.
Other causes contribute to this. Thus, with regard to the upper
extremities, it has been observed, that the collar-bone, not separating so
much the arm from the axis of the body, the extent of its movements is
limited; and this circumstance explains why women, who wish to overcome
great resistances with the superior members, experience difficulty in
doing so--why, for example, when they wish to throw a stone, they are
obliged to turn the body on the foot opposite to the arm with which they
throw.
Thus also the largeness of the pelvis, and the approximation of the knees,
influence the gait of woman, and render it vacillating and unsteady.
Conscious of this, women, in countries where the nutritive system in
general and the pelvis in particular are large, affect a greater degree of
this vacillation and unsteadiness. An example of this is seen in the
lateral and rotary motion which is given to the pelvis in walking, by
certain classes of the women of London.
For the same reason, united to a smaller foot, and some other
circumstances, women, it is observed, who execute gentle and light
movements with so much skill, do not attempt with advantage great
evolutions, run with difficulty and without grace, and fly--in order to be
caught, as Rousseau has said.
In woman, however, the muscular fibre is thus soft, yielding, feeble, and
incapable of great evolutions, because it is necessary that it should
easily adapt itself to remarkable changes.
From all this, from women having more address in the use of their fingers,
from their aptitude for little and light domestic works, the care of
children, and sedentary occupations, it is evident that they cannot devote
themselves to toilsome labors without struggling against their
organization, and suffering proportionally.
The voice being connected with the motive organs, it may here be noticed
that the larynx or flute part of the throat in woman is more contracted
and less prominent than in man; that the glottis does not enlarge in the
same proportion; that the tongue-bone is much smaller; and that the
tongue, its muscles, and the organs of speech in general, being, like all
the other parts, more mobile, young girls articulate and pronounce much
more quickly. Their voice is also so much more acute, that if man and
woman sing in unison, there is always between them the relation of an
octave, which forms the most natural and most agreeable consonance.
It is evidently the UNION of all that is good in these varieties which
renders beauty in the locomotive system perfect.
This is perfectly represented in the Diana of Grecian sculpture, in which,
with admirable taste, it is neither the nutritive nor the thinking, but
the locomotive system, which is developed.
* * * * *
I have already said, that the temperaments of the ancients are only
partial views of some of the varieties I am now describing. The _athletic
temperament_ falls under the _last of these varieties_; and it is the only
one that falls under this species. Happily, it does not occur in woman.
This temperament results from a great development of the bones and
muscles, and it is that of mere physical strength. It is marked by all the
outward signs of strength: the head is small, the neck thick behind, the
shoulders broad, the chest expanded, the haunches firm, the intervals of
the muscles deeply marked, the tendons apparent through the skin, and all
the joints not covered by muscles, seemingly small.
In this temperament, muscular strength prevails over the functions of the
other organs, and especially usurps the energies necessary to the
production of thought; the perceptions are deficient in quickness,
delicacy, accuracy, and strength; and all the mental functions are with
difficulty excited; but the body is capable of great exertion, and it
surmounts great physical resistance when roused.
The Farnese Hercules, says a French physiologist, exhibits a model of the
physical attributes of this constitution; and that which fabulous
antiquity relates of the exploits of this demi-god, gives us the idea of
the moral dispositions that accompany it. In the history of his twelve
labors, without reflection, and as by instinct, we see him courageous,
because he is strong, seeking obstacles to conquer them, certain of
overwhelming whatever resists him, but joining to such strength so little
subtlety, that he is cheated by all the kings he serves, and by all the
women he loves.