WAn apsara, also spelled as apsaras, is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literature and painting of many South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. There are two types of apsaras: laukika (worldly) and daivika (divine). Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama and Ghritachi are the most famous among them.
WThe Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women is a nonfiction book by Naomi Wolf, originally published in 1990 by Chatto & Windus in the UK and William Morrow & Co (1991) in the United States. It was republished in 2002 by HarperPerennial with a new introduction.
WBeauty: In the Eyes of the Beheld is a 2008 American documentary film that explores what it is like to be a beautiful woman through interviews of eight American women considered physically beautiful. The women interviewed include a physician, an exotic dancer, a musician who worked with recording artist Prince, former beauty queens, a student in a wheelchair, an assistant paralegal, and an assistant television producer. Eye opening stories of insecurity, vulnerability and tragedy surface along with the more predictable blessings beauty brings. The preview asks " Is beauty all it is cracked to be?" Surprising stories surface as they speak about their childhoods, careers, relationships, and life satisfaction. Beauty: In the Eyes of the Beheld is included in the National Eating Disorders Association's list of body image educational tools.
WBijin-ga is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predate photography.
WThe Birth of Venus is one of the most famous paintings by 19th-century painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. It depicts not the actual birth of Venus from the sea, but her transportation in a shell as a fully mature woman from the sea to Paphos in Cyprus. She is considered the epitome of the Classical Greek and Roman ideal of the female form and beauty, on par with Venus de Milo.
WIn Chinese contemporary popular culture, there are various aspects to the female beauty ideal.
WCircassian beauties is a stereotype and a belief used to refer to an idealized image of the women of the Circassian people of the Northwestern Caucasus. A fairly extensive literary history suggests that Circassian women were thought to be unusually beautiful, spirited, and elegant, and as such were desirable as concubines.
WConcubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want to or cannot enter into a full marriage. When there is an inability or social discouragement for the couple to marry, it may be due to multiple factors such as differences in social rank status, an existing marriage, religious or professional prohibitions, or a lack of recognition by appropriate authorities.
WEnglish rose is a description, associated with English culture, that may be applied to an elegant, naturally attractive woman or girl of traditionally fair complexion who is from or is associated with England.
WThe Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties are four Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. These were Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifei. The scarcity of historical records concerning them meant that much of what is known of them today has been greatly embellished by legend. They all were said to have in some manner caught the attention of a ruling king or emperor in their respective eras. They gained their reputation from the influence they exercised over kings and emperors and, consequently, the way their actions impacted Chinese history. Three of the Four Beauties brought kingdoms to their knees and their lives ended in tragedy.
WThe hourglass figure is one of four traditional female body shapes described by the fashion industry. The other shapes are the rectangular, inverted triangle, and spoon/pear. The hourglass shape is defined by a woman's body measurements- the circumference of the bust, waist and hips. Hourglass body shapes have a wide bust, a narrow waist, and wide hips with a similar measurement to that of the bust. This body shape is named for its resemblance to that of an hourglass where the upper and lower half are wide and roughly equal while the middle is narrow in circumference, making the overall shape wide-narrow-wide. Women who exhibit the hourglass figure have been shown to be more admired, which can put pressure on women whose body shapes are much different to strive to achieve the hourglass figure. This can lead to body dissatisfaction which can cause eating disorders in young women from all over the globe.
WIn the Water is an oil on cradled panel painting of a skinny dipping young woman by Eugene de Blaas. This painting is the only nude picture created by de Blaas, as all his other subjects are fully clothed. It is 78.4 cm high and 44.5 cm tall.
WA lower-back tattoo is a tattoo that became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s and gained a reputation for its erotic appeal. They are sometimes accentuated by low-rise jeans and crop tops.
WA mistress is a woman who is in a relatively long-term sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a different woman.
WA pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models, or actresses. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, i.e. meant to be "pinned-up" on a wall, which is the basis for the etymology of the phrase. These pictures are also sometimes known as cheesecake photos. Cheesecake was an American slang word that became a publicly acceptable term for scantily clad, semi-nude, or nude photos of women because pin-up was considered taboo in the early 20th century.
WPodium girls, formally known as "tour hostesses", are women who are best known for presenting prizes and kisses to the winners of the Tour de France and other major cycle races, including the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. In the Tour de France, a team of four podium girls is employed by the race's main sponsor, the French bank LCL S.A. They are responsible for entertaining clients of the sponsors before the morning departure of the race and in parties after the end of the race, but their most visible and prestigious role is in the award ceremony at the close of each day's racing. The job requires working long hours in all weather conditions but is well-paid and sought-after, with candidates selected on the basis of their looks, endurance, personalities, and linguistic abilities. Although they are forbidden to interact with the riders, other than kissing them in the award ceremonies, several podium girls have ended up marrying cyclists. The employment of podium girls has prompted a certain amount of criticism about sexism in professional cycling, though current and former podium girls have defended their role as part of the sport's traditions.
WA promotional model is a model hired to drive consumer demand for a product, service, brand, or concept by directly interacting with potential customers. Most promotional models are conventionally attractive in physical appearance. They serve to make a product or service more appealing and can provide information to journalists and consumers at trade show and convention events. Promotional models are used in motorsports, other sports or at trade shows, or they can act as "spokesmodels" to promote a specific brand or product in advertisements.
WA ring girl is a woman who enters the ring between rounds of a combat sport, carrying a sign that displays the number of the upcoming round. Ring girls are often seen in boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
WSuicideGirls is an online community-based website that revolves around pin-up photography sets of models known as the Suicide Girls.
WThe Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Initially it was attributed to the sculptor Praxiteles, but based on an inscription that was on its plinth, the statue is now thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch.
WA Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statuette portraying a woman, usually carved in the round. Most have been unearthed in Europe, but others have been found as far away as Siberia, and distributed across much of Eurasia.