Today’s beauty industry did not invent the idea of valuing people for their external appearance, and the Ancient Greeks’ estimation for what made a fine behind seems pretty in line with contemporary models. Witness this famous first-century BCE Roman copy of a Hellenistic sculpture from 300 BCE. She is known as “Aphrodite Kallipygos” with “Kallipygos” meaning “beautiful buttocks.” The love-goddess’ head, turned back to admire her derriere, is a later edition.
We have written evidence that gives further testimony to the esteem given by the Greeks to this part of female anatomy. In a third-century CE work by the Greek Athenaeus, the author recounts a legendary beauty contest (aside: Greek beauty contests were held for both men and women, so there was equal-opportunity objectification in this arena). Two sisters from Sicily started arguing about which had the lovlier butt-cheeks, and they turned to a traveler and made him judge. Turns out, he had a brother, and the ladies made him judge as well. The two sisters each got a vote. Because they were so shapely, they also got marriage proposals. And finally, they also got to dedicate a temple to the Goddess Aphrodite. Citizens called the sisters the “Kallipugoi” or “women with beautiful buttocks” and the new temple was dedicated to Aphrodite Kallipygos.
Source(s): _BBC News Magazine_, “Would you be beautiful in the Ancient world?” 10 January 2015, Bethany Hughes. “Hellenicaworld.com” “Aphrodite Kallipygos”. Wikipedia, “Venus Callipyge”.
