Blog Question 5

Beauty, youth, and nobility were all admirable traits to have during the Middle Ages.  In regards to the destiny of Enide, the main female character in the medieval story of Erec and Enide, these traits were important because they impacted who she would marry.  Enide came from a very poor family but was able to marry well because she had these three favorable characteristics.  Enide was supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the world, even more beautiful than Isolde.   Enide had “shining golden hair”, fair, bright skin, and “a lovely body” (page 42).  Her beauty made it easy for Erec, the main male character, to overlook the fact that she was poor and marry her anyway.  Her youthfulness contributed to the fact that she was so beautiful.  During the medieval time period portrayed in Erec and Enide, nobility only married other nobility.  The fact that Enide was of noble blood made her a suitable match for Erec. 

            There have been several changes to what society thinks is beautiful since the Middle Ages.  In fact, some of the opinions are exact opposites of what they used to be.  For example, during the Middle Ages, it was considered beautiful to be overweight and have your stomach stick out because it was a symbol of fertility.  Some women even wore pillows under their dresses to appear bigger (class notes).  Nowadays it is all about being thin.  A lot of women are trying to lose weight through diet and exercise.    Now being overweight is frowned upon because it is bad for your health and it is not as attractive as being thin.

            Another example of a change in what is considered to be beautiful has to do with skin color.  In the Middle Ages it was considered beautiful to have fair skin, the whiter, the better.  Now it is about being as tan as possible.  Many people think that the tanner you are, the more beautiful you are.  Currently there are several different ways to get a tan that do not require spending time out in the sun the old fashioned way.  These modern artificial methods include tanning beds, tanning lotions, airbrush tans, and self-tanning wipes. 

            Many women and some men use tanning beds even though there are health risks associated with them.  Tanning bed users value being tan so much that they are willing to risk health issues such as skin cancer.

            It is unmistakable that beauty trends have changed since the time period of Erec and Enide.  Since it is evident that beauty trends have changed over the past several hundred years, it is likely that they will continue to change with the years to come.